Durango semi-weekly herald., 1902-08-11
Azriah's Sixth Wife.

what Az'riah Hanks done, an it all
come about him amarryin' o Sairy
Ana jenkins, Lijah jenkins widow.
Sairy Ann wuz Az'riah's sixth wiie, an
re wuz seventy year old. an she
nighty nigh onto fifty when he TUX
her.
They wuz married in Parson Jones
parlor on the 9Th day o. May. | rec
lect it as well as if 'twuz yistiddy
SaiIy Ann wore her dove colored al
packy. what she wuz married to Ii
Jenkins in, cleaned an made over,
She thought nobody'd recognize the
oil gown arter tive ity-five year, but |
know'd it soon's | sot eyes ont. Guess
she begun 10 think as she needed
someun to pervide iur her IN her oil
age or she wouldnr ha' TUX Az'riah in
The fust place, arter he'd laid five in
he grave afore her.
Wall, as | wuz asayin' they wGZ
married in Parson Jones parlor on the
9Th day O. May, thirty year ago comm
next spring without no comp'ny but
he two witnesses. Sam Hide and
Tidy Edwords, an AZ'riah TUX his
wife home to the oil two-room log
house as all five O his wives had
lived in afore her Soons they got
home-they wuZ married at 10 O'Clock
in the mornin', Azriah he changed his
clothes. an went right out to the farm
to finish plantin potaters. Gittin mar
ried wuz too common thing fur AZ
riah for him to make any fuss over it.
For one solid month they lived in
that oil log cabin real peaceable like.
and folks begun to think as how mar
ryin had changed Sairy AIMS natur
| for she always held Lii jenkins with a
| high hand.
Ye've seen that air house on the
| hill at the north end o the farm, the
smart lookin' white un with maple all
around it? Wall, Azriah built that
air house in his fust wife's time, but
when he found a good payin' tenant
for it arter his second wife died, he
| give up the idee O. ever livin' in it his
self About month arter Az'riahs's
sixth marriage, Tom Pitkin. the post
master. what had lived in that air
house so many years, moved away, an
the place wuz empty.
| "Az-riah," sez Sairy Ann, all meek
| like one day at dinner, "Az'riah," sez
she, Il begun to move the things over
to the big house today"
Watt sez he, chokin' with a
mouthful o hot potater, Watts that
YOU say, Sairy Ann?"
Il sez.' sez she. 'as we're a goin to
live over in the big house arter this"
Az'riah stopped eatin' pulled his
| n.N o. 1,te
ct an put em on, an looked at her
solemn an awful like, the way he al.
lus skeered his wives an got his own
way.
'Sairy Ann Jenkins" sez he in a
voice that came from way down in
his stomach. Il forbid you to move
one thing from this air cabin. 1t wuz
good enough for Mandy Halliday, the
fust girl married fifty year ago, afore
you wuz born, an it's been good
enough fur four other women sence
her time, an it's good enough fur
you. You stay just whar you air. I'm
a goin' to let that house to the new
parson what's acomin' in the fall
AZ riah TUX off his specs an fell
to eatin agin. Sairy Ann didn't make
no answer, but jest set there thought
ful like til he'd finished. Then she
follered him to the door an pinted to
a big black cloud as wuz risn' from
the east.
'Az'riah," sez she. its goin' to
rain
Looks like it," sez he.
You can't stop that air cloud from
openin an pouring watts inside down
on your fields can your
| Il cal'late not" he sez laughn' a
little Uneasy. an lookin down at her
as if he thought she wuz gittin' daft.
Wall, Az'riah Hanks" sez she. I'm
agoin to move into that air big house
an you can't stop me when my
minds sot, no more'n you can stop
that rain
An she did An she brung home
Az'riah's three children by his fourth
wife, wat he'd bound out to work
the fifth wife didn't hev any-an sent
EN- to school an guy the girl music
lessons, an all OF Az'riah could do
wuz to stand aside with his mouth
open, an watch
After awhile Az'riah thought on a
way he could get ahead of her. She'd
ma carried flowers an put on all five
o his wife's graves ever since they
wuz married an had the lot fixed up.
an then she got arter him to buy a
monyment. A year arter they wuz
married, Az'riah agreed to it Jest to
GIT red o her teazin', and he ordered
great white shaft with all his wives
names on it an hers with the rest, an
MS own at the bottom. He didn't
think as how he might die fust an he
Jest chuckled to see Sairy AIMS name
on that monyment afore she wuz dead.
an the madder she got the more he
chuckled.
That air names cut deep in the
marble sez he. AN all there'll be to
DO is make the last two figures o. the
year when ye go"
Twan't three months arter that
inonyment wuz set up afore Az'riab
tux to his bed an dropped off in
week, his spirit broke. | 'spose we've
seen the hole in the MONUMENT on the
lot. We'll, arter he yuz bu,;o1 ci...