The Union times. [volume] (Union, S.C.) 1894-1918, 1904-01-22

/ ana told her OF his ife in tLl world
. outside, while she listened eagerly fo.
every Gn;aii. They walked tog~t her.
they liShCd il the stream at the back
/ of tie inn. ;L"y SIT up target and
! tried his rA'S, ard the girl proved to
/ hc far better shot tGan he. Mean
! while his lungs mcndcd, and he devcl-
/ onId Il very common form Of heart
! trouble, OF which Minta was the cause.
! There coU!d he but one ending to it
| all. One October night Dcmius sought
, Crawford, who was smoking slccpily
/ in the deserted barroom. Dcming made
known his Intentions. and Crawford
cam" suddenly from lis somnolcnt
mood and swCrc ruumd.y.
NO" said Crawford. "Minta marry
cOnsumptivr-a tCndcrfoot conSump-
! tive? No. sir; she is going to marry
| tlr son Of old Jones WHO runs the
! stage route. That WAS arranged years
! ago. Hes got money to burn and
nothing The matter with his lungs
D"mins turned angri!y OH his heel
and left the room. Outside in the
moonlight hC met Minia. who laughed
wEca h told HOY of the interview
; whispered Il few words into his car
and th"n ran swiftly into tho house.
Late next afternoon. when the stage
crew UP ut Crawf0rd's. DCminc stood
cn TIE porch sayiN" IooGby TO Billy.
NO hard f"clin'. hopc?' Billy was
saying.
None ut al!, | assure YOU" Dcming
replied. with twinkle in his eye, for
behind Crawford's back he saw Ed
Dempsey, the stage driver. helping
woman into tlc coach.
Twenty minutes later. after tile
coach had ratified of toward Red
Mountain. lilly called his daughter.
"Mnta." he beloved through the
house. "Minta! Where in tarna ton is
the giri:''
Il done seen her gittin' into dc stage.
suh," said In" colorCd Girl.
Far UP on tho stage road, which
winds about Rcd mountain, YOU can
look down Il blur and see the road
twisting along below lcming and
Minta, looking down the bluff, caught
sight of solitary horsoman riding
madly along tic rocky path. Dcming
leaned out the window
"CrawfCrG'S coming up the trail" he
ShoutCd. Its $50 III your pocket. Ed.
if you land us ut Madison Flats ahead
of him.
Dempsey let on his team until the
coach rocked ana swaycd, and the only
other passenger, Il thin. nervous man,
the scat and GaSpcd.
Then they heard Ed shouting to the
team. The pace slackencd as he set
brakes hard. lnstinctivcly Deming
opened the door and pushed Minta be-
fore him. At the same moment there
was Il crash. the coach topplcd over,
and lie found himself pinned beneath
TIC otler passenger. who could not
move
Minta scrambled from the dirt by the
roadside unhurt, and Dempsey cut
loose and paciticd the struggling team.
Then together they ran to the coach.
Neither man within was hurt, but both
were pinned down in the coach
I'm inspiration came to Ed Dempsey.
lie put his face close to the wrecked
coach.
Say, in thar!' he called care YOU
the new minister for Cedar Creek ~
II am" was the response.
Well" said Ed. IL reckon you've got
your first job right here. You're layin'
acrost the groom, an the brides here
by me, an daddy, madden n wet hen,
is comm up the trail like thunder OH q
Sycionc. Git together, everybody"
The imprisoned clergyman rose to the
occasion.
can you manage to clasp each 9th
ers hands, he asked simply.
Then with the bride on her knees in
the dirt clasping the hand of the
groom, across whom lay the officiating
clergyman, the ceremony was per-
formed.
AS it finished Billy Crawford gal
loped up.
what in thunder does this meanY,
he gasped.
1T means" said Dempsey, chat YOU
are just in time to help me git that dog
goncd coach off'n your son-in-law, John
Dcming, and the Rev. Mr.. Whitten,
who performed the ceremony some
what informal-like about five minutes
ago"
or two OWLS don't choosa eitbor