Evening star., 1901-09-28

debtors, leaving 1t to ferment and bring
forth the waters of bitterness. And the
leaven worked nightly. All that week
Dave was torn by conflicting emotions and
racked by mental agonies. He leaned over
the sites and cursed the Berkshire pigs
with bitter curses, and harangued the cows
looking sympathetic. His days were taken
up with milking and choring and the ne
elected fall plowing weighed on his soul
like a heavy crime. BY the end of the
week he arrived at the conclusion that
man was not made to live alone; and that
women were some use on farm, If it
was only to milk "twa an twanty coos"
The sight of the old SOW padding round
in gallons of clotted cream filled his soul
with anguish. nor were his tortures miti-
gated by the reports of the approaching
wedding Hardly day passed without
some busybody dropping in to tell him
OF the grand preparations, and dark hints
of the devoted attentions Of Wully Bell
invariably accompanied the descriptions.
The day before the wedding his native OBJ
stinacy, the cherished heritage Of a long
line OF Scots. was swept away by the tide
or conflicting emotions; that night he let
the cows go unmilked and might have been
seen after dark tearing UP the line to
Stratford.
The good folks of Zorra focked from
far and near to the wedding of Dave
Shocks daughters. Out on the milk stand
by Aunt jeans gate sat old Donald Dhu,
piping in fine style the Gathering of the
Clans and they gathered. From Strait
ford st. Mary, and as far south as Inner
kip. came McDonalds. Murrays, Suther-
lands and Rosses. bringing every man his
wife, daughter and wee bit present"
The guests who had IBID ia the we'd
din :" sat on the horsehair chairs of state
in the front parlor, solemnly contemplat-
ing the glories of the rag carpet, or gazing
with rapt devotion at the God Bless Our
Home worked In crewels by Aunt Jean at
the precocious age Of eleven. cheer from
without occasionally disturbed the calm
repose OF their company manners and the
noisy demonstrations of the ''ill-bred folk
wha had but bid for the dance, veil
kent" sent a shiver round the polite circle.
At the south side of the room, with
their backs to the window, the young
couples stood facing the minister, who
calmly turned the leaves of his book Hav-
ing found the place, he cast kindly
glance over the top of his spectacles at
the blushing girls. and cleared his throat
with a preliminary hem" He had al
ready opened his mouth to commence the
marriage service. when rousing cheer
from without and the lively rattle of a
farm wagon interrupted him.
Why" he exclaimed, peeping out of the
window ITS our good brother. David
Mcdonald. Welcome. Brother McDonaIdr'
he shouted. running to the door. "Ye're
Just In time"
"Guid day. meenisterr replied Dave.
somewhat sheepishly. He would like to
have known whether Mrs. Shock had full
filled her threat anent his unelderly lam
guage.
What hae We in the wagon, Dave?" ask
ed his wife.
'Oh, a wee bit weddin' present" replied
Dave, glancing shamefacedly at couple
of brand-new organs. "Ane for We, Bes-
sie," he said, unclasping the girls arms
from around his neck. IAN ane for Annie
An herseP an her man." he continued
shaking hands with Charley Rhodes. "wuli
haze the north hun'red on the old farm
But she'll need ia watch the wild mustard
frae John McLevens fatty acres. An,
q cd strx-.,1
hunred."
That night Ed Brady, the thrasher, for
| got his religious scruples and flddled to
| the accompaniment of a brand-new organ.
! And Dave Shock danced a highland fling
with the maligned Wully Bell to the music
| OF the despised "kist o. whistles"