Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1902-12-02

10
Looks like any fool would "a, seel
that wasn't straight. because the CIR
was just as free with me as ever, no
bashful at all: but only thought sh
was lettin 'on. SOS not to give it ava,
to her dad. wrote the note. tellin' he
Ito meet me at Sam Collins, for
kncwed Hammer could go over and sta,
all night with the Collins girl any time
an could slip out easy to meet me.
Ididn't hand the note to her like any
iother fellow would "a done. but car
fried it to the postoffice. where go
Ian answer in two days more. The
lanswerc said everything was all right
fer me not to seem like anything was
out O. the way at the house. an to be
There prompt. N.f y,
IT'S three miles from Taylor's farm
to where Sam Collins lives, an Tay-
lcr's horses never stepped the distance
in better time than they did that night,
when borrowed 'em, as said. to drive
home to see my folks. An did in
tend to see dad after I'd got married.
Hammer had gone home with the Col
Inns girl that afternoon. maxim ever
thing seem right, an it looked to me
like the winds even wasn't so sharp
that night. The stars was out; seen
EN- that night like a lovesick boy sees
'em. an they looked good to me.
When drove up to the Collins yard
gate. seen fgger hurryin' down to-
wards the barn lot. an drove. down
tnere where the cows was chewin' under
the sheds an breathing hard like they do
IN the middle of the night after a big
feed. The girl come through the gate, an
got into the sleigh like she was scared,
not sayin' word. 1 tried to say some-
thin that was easy an would break the
Ice little, but my heart was a thumpin'.
my brain whirlin', an my tongue tied
as tight as the cinch on a young horse.
I'D not "a had sense enough to know
which way to drive to the preachers, If
she hadn't "a reached over to the reins
Then we went along as luck led till we d
got nearly to the gate that led into the
preachers barnyard. Naturally I'd "a
drove the team in there, an took the girl
came up we seen a sleigh that looked
like it'd come right out of the yard, so 1
slowed down the horses. When it come
to meet our sleigh side by side it stopped
quick, an somebody asked if we was
Wantin' to see the preacher about any
thing. I said we did. Then he said. I'd
better speak right up, now an be quick.
because there's an old woman dyin' over
four miles away, an the preacher must
get over right away. -
Il was sweatin' like harvest hand be-
AOAC LHdlly Sdlu THAT = Wdnlcu 10 get
married to Hammer Taylor by the preach
er, an the sooner the better. The |
preacher said he had a cold, his voice |
wasn't natural at all. Then he said he |
the old woman had to see him before |
she died. But why can't you stand up |
where you are. If Mis- TaylOr's willin' an |
thinkin' a minute. We didn't have ii no
license, ever thing was wrong, or would |
"a been to any sensible fellow, but a
seventeen-year-old kid without any ex- |
perience amt as wise as Solomon. 1t was |
the first word I'd been able to say when |
asked the girl if she was willin' to mar |
~ me right there. She didn't make any |
hand with thick glove on it. 1 took |
that hand in mine an listened to a long
speech about lovin' one another forever
you know what they always say-an' my |
knees tremblin' with joy. An i now
call you man an wife,, the man in the |
sleigh said at last =, s..%ls |
"An' you / call the biggest sucker in |
I'd been holdin' by the hand, jumpin' out |
in the snow an pullin' off a bonnet and
the dress he wore It was Jim Collins, |
two that had been with Jim Collins in
workin' for Hammer Taylor. Then they |
laughed at me. like some men can laugh, |
swore this was s the richest joke that had
been played for twenty. years. Now
you've got your Hammer one of 'em
bawled an rolled in, the snow at the joke. |
'Oh, yes, we'll call him Hammer now! |
saiu another one, an that was the big-t
gest joke of all. |
L listened to their jokes for minute. |
not knowing vet what had happened /
hardly. The whole thing brought me
down in the sleigh'fn a lump trenholm.
Then the sort O. madness that comes TO 4
them that's broke somethin' in the brain |
come to me an l jumped out o., the !
sleigh, yellin' an cursin' black curses. |
I'd "a killed the three OF 'em If I'd had
tile chance then, but they whipped upi
their horses, leavin' me in the snow with
laugh an a curse from 'em to help |
me. s.,s - |
81 don't know what I done then when |
they left, but it must "a ben a wild |
thing; the preacher found me later in the |
mornin' ravin', an cryin' and cursin |
still He was a good man. an worked
with me like a mother works with a
cryin' child. stayed there a month.
NV folks thought l was fool for takin' |
a Joke so hard, an they gave me up dis |
gusted My neighbors heard of it an ii
was nothin' but a joke to them. They
tried to make me see it that way, too,
but 1t was not joke to me. wasn't
only kid then; the colors was too
strong. Roses was nothin' but rose color.
an black was the kind o. black that don't
let in no light. 1t would "a killed me to
"a stayed there, i reckon: an as said,
I come down to the country fifteen year
ago, an got a job the rest of the winter
feedin' cattle for Col. Clarke NJ.
al IDzxe