The labor argus. [volume] (Charleston, W. Va.) 1906-1915, 1907-10-17
The Go-between.
[Origfaal.1

CnickenS va uot othy maui uiuh
der. but q double blunder. In tryin' TO
help two people at once. There was
Charlie Burnss mopIn' around, pinln'
because he had no one to help him run
his farm, No companion or nothin', and
there was Susan Nutter with step
mother and unhappy at home.
thought they'd do we'll to marry. SO
butted In and arranged the matter be-
tween 'em. had no interest in 1t;
only consented to be a go-between out
o the Kindness O. my heart. I'm an
old maid myself and wouldn't marry
the best man on earth. haIn't got
no call to marry. ] got my own house
and ground all paid for and $50
month from bond and mortgage be-
sides. so I'm out O. the matrimonial!
question. But I'm not the only one
in the world to be considered. Mebbe
whatd kill me might cure others.
Thinkin' that away. l told Charlie
about Susan and Susan about Charlie.
1 praised Charlie to Susan, and this,
together with the hard time she was
havin' at home, made her powerful!
anxious to git him. But somehow or
mother she got the idea that 1: he
seen her he wouldn't hayo her. SO she
told me could tell him If he'd talig
her entirely ON my recommend it 'ui
be a CO. Charlie he thought If She
seen what an ungainly Teller he was
she wouldn't have him neither. 30 he
consented. GIdn't see no harm In
this, for Susan was pretty az a peach.
and Charlie was as fine a-lookin' fell
Ter as ever follersd a pillow.
The mornin' O. the wsddin' I helped
Susan to git on a white muslin dress.
and when the other hxin's was all on
she looked lovely. Tho clock struck
the hour for the weddin', the house
was chuck full O. the neighbors-I fur
nished the cake and things-and up
drives Charlie in his two horse wag-
on, with suit O. now store clothes
on, loolkin' fine and manly. l met him
at the door and TUX him In to the set
tin room, where Susan was a-standin'
waitin'. Susan blushsd little. and I
seen a mighty pleased look come over
Charles face. But there wasn't no
time to git acquainted. for the parson
stepped in, and before they knowed
1t they was married. Then. after the
snack set In the dinin' room. Charlie
driv' off. followed by the usual shower
O. rice and old slippers.
Reckon you'll say there want nothin'
foolish about this, and I don't know
as there would "a been If 1t could "A
been done without go-between. Y'see
there's q natural course sIch things
have to run, jist like measles. \
wrong treatment O. measles is apt to
drive 'em in. In Charles and Susan's
case the courtin' and the gittin' used
to workln' in matrimonial harness was
throwed on to 'em all to onct. If the
courtin' had been done In its proper
time, the new harness wouldn't n been
so hard to get used to. AS 1t was they
both of 'em kicked the traces.
1t wasn't three days after the we'd
din when Susan she come to me all
afre, and she says. says she, Miss
Shaw, what'd you so tie me up to SIGH
a man as that for?" whats the trou-
ble?" says 1. "He never speaks to me
at breakfast no morc'n II I'd come in
for hired help" IT don't know nothin'
bout men," says 1. but 1 hearn tell
that they have all sorts o ways about
EN- that don't mean nothin'. If he don't
want to talk at breakfast, wait till
dinner. Mebbe he'll have somepIn 20
say by that time that's wo'th hcarin'"
Well. she went away only half paci-
fed. and pretty soon in comes Charlie.
and he wants to know what / had agin
him to marry him to n woman who
talked all the time at break fast-just
the time o day he felt clipper and
liked talkin' himself-aud wouldn't give
him chance to get in n word. tole
him / was woman myself and
knowed that there was times woman
had to talk and times she had to cry,
and If he wanted TO git one different
from this he'd have to git her made
TO order.
For months they was a-runnin' to me
complalnin' because / got 'em into a
dx, and l got mighty tired OF it
made up my mind sumpin had to be
done to stop it.
One evsnin' l got out my mar and
driv over to Charles farm. Charlie
was a-slttin' on the porch smokin' his
cob pipe, and Susan wns inside dom
the supper dishes. l set still in the
buggy, with the whip In my hand, for l
knowed what l was a-Goin' to do, and
thought 1t I'D be prudent to be ready
10 move on student.
Charlie" l says. says l, II come
over to ak your parding for tyin' v
up with gal that's got one o. the
worst tempers I ever hearn Of
I hadn't hardly got the words out
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