The daily morning journal and courier., 1901-02-16

fired at her with a gun. It would mol meet in front by about three inches
 and the bodice was laced up by narrow bands of red silk, like footballer' $
 jersey. In her short, woolly hair she
 had pinned a wreath of artificial or
 ange blossoms, which looked like dia-
 dem of snow on midwinter mudheap
 Down her broad back there hung a
 great gauzy lace veil big enough tc
 make fly net for a COW camel in sum-
 mer. It was not fixed on to her dress
 nor to her wreath but each side of her
 head by bright green ribbons, after a
 fashion of prize lilly of the draught
 order at county fair. Her hands were
 encased in pair of white kid gloves,
 mans size, and a pretty big man at
 that, for she had a gentle little fist
 that, would have scared John l.. Sul-
 livan in his palmiest days
 When was introduced to the newly
 checkeed matron she put one of those
 gloved hands into mine with a simper-
 ing air of coyness that made me feel
 cold all over, for that hand in the kid
 glove reminded me of the day took my
 first lesson from Laurence Foley, Aus
 tralia's champion boxer and he had an
 eight-oun glove on (thank heaven) on
 that occasion In her right hand the
 bride carried a fan of splendid ostrich
 feather, with which she brushed the
 flies off the groom. It was vast enough 1 to have brushed away toy terrier, to 1 say nothing of flies, but it locked toy , in that giant fist.
 The bridegroom hung on his brides | or,,, Av, +r cti in1y TJo
 tall voting man. dressed in a black
 frock coat light trousers braced up to
 show that he wore stocks, shoes white gloves and a high-crowned hat He
 carried his brides white silk gingham
 in one hand and an enormous bunch of
 flowers in the other He tried to look
 meek, but only succeeded in looking sly, hypocritical and awfully uncom- fortable. At times he would look at
 his new spouse. and then a most un- saintly expression would cross his foxy face; he would push out his great thick lips until they threw a shadow all around him; open his dazzling white teeth and let his great blood-red tongue Toll out until the chasm in his face looked like a rent in 8 black velvet gown with cardinals red hat stuffed i'll the center. He may have been full of saving grace-full up, and running but 1t was not the brand of Christian ity should care to invest my money in. When he caught my gaze riveted upon him he tried to look like a brand plucked from the burning; he rolled his great velvet black eyes skyward, screw ed up the slit which ran across his face and which he called mouth, until it looked like crumpled doormat, folded his hands meekly over his breast, and comported himself general like an advertisement for a mission society.
 From him I glanced to his ''pa," who had given him away and seemed mighty | glad to get rid of him. Pa" was dressed in pure black from head to heel--just the same old suit that he had worn | when he struck this planet, only more of it. He was guiltless of anything and | everything in the shape of dress, except | for large ring or horn, which he wore | on top of his head. He did not carry | any parasols or fans or gewgaws of | any kind in his great muscular fists. One hand grasped an iron-shod assegal, | and the other lovingly fondled battle ax, and both weapons looked at home where they rested He was not just the sort of a father-in law I should have hankered for if I had been out on a venture; but I would rather have one limb of the old | heather than the whole body of his civilized" son, for with all his faults he looked a man. A chum of mine who knew the ways of these people had ad- vised me to purchase horn of snuff before being presented to the bride and and I had acted according ly.
 When the ceremony of Introduction was over and I had managed to turn my blushing face away from Ma" and the bevy of damsels as airily clothed as herself, I offered the snuff box to the happy pair. The groom took tiny pinch and smiled sadly as though con1- some deadly sin. The bride, however poured a little heap in the palm of her hand about as big as a hen's egg, regardless of her nice white kid gloves This she proceeded to snuff ap her capacious nostrils with savage delight until the tears streamed down her cheeks like rain down a coal heap. Then she drew back her head, spread her hands out palm downward like mammoth duck treading water, and ;neezed. never heard a human sneeze ike that before; it was '7ke the effort # a horse after a two-mile gallop through dust storm And each time ,he sneezed something connected with fer wedding gear ripped or gave way, lntil began to be afraid for her. But he wreck was not quite so awful as and when she had done 'neezing she laughed. All the crowd xcept the groom laughed, and the ound of their laughter was like the ound of a sea on a cliff-crowned coast.
 A little later one of the bridesmaids whose toilet consisted of dainty of beads and copper ring round one ankle invited me to drink 7
 draught of native beer. The beer vas in @ large calabash, and felt con- trained to drink some of it. These na- ives know how to make war, but, as 1y soul liveth, they don't know how to e lake beer. The stuff they gave me to ' rink was about as thick as boarding ouse cocoa in color 1t was like unto lilS that a dirty maid of all work had 2 cen stirring around in a sofled soup E ish with an unwashed forefinger. It E ad neither body nor soul In it, and