The Washington herald., 1907-05-19


like. marries for nothin' on earth but to
have somebody always around to quarrel
with about religion. That's the way IT
was with Marthy and Amos Matthews.
don't reckon you ever heard O Marthy
and Amos. did you, child? It's been
many a year since l thought Of 'em my
self But last Sunday evenin I was over
at Elnora Simpsons, and old Uncle Sam
Simpson was there yisitin'. Uncle Sam
used TO live in the neighborhood o. Gosh
en-, but he moved up to Edmonson Coun-
" way back yonder. 1 can't tell when
and every now and then he comes back
10 see his grandchildren. He's gittin we'll
on toward ninety. and I'm thinkin' this is
about the last trip the old manIl make
till he goes on his long Journey. I was
mighty glad 10 see him. and me and him
set and talked about old times till the
sun went down. What he didn't remem-
Der I did, and what I didn't remember he
did: and when he got through talkin'. FL
nora-thats his grandsons wife-says.
We'll, Uncle sam, il I could jest take
down everything you and Aunt Jane said
to-day, I'd have a pretty good history Of
everybody that ever lived in this country
Uncle Sam was the one that started
the talk about MarJhy and Amos. He'd
been leanin' on his cane lookin out o. tFe
door at Elnora's twins playin' on tie
grass, and all at once he says. says he,
Jane. do you ricollect the time they had
h1 Hsf H.
And he got 90 laughin, and I got to
laughin', and we set there and cackled
like a pair O. old fools. and nobody but
US two seem anything funny about it,"
Aunt James ready laugh began again
at the mere remembrance Of her former
mirth. I kept discreetly silent, fearing 20
break the flow Of reminisceuce by some
M-timed question.
Nobody ever could see. she continued.
"how it was that Amos Matthews and
Marthy Crawford ever came 10 marry. Un-
less iy was jest as I said. TO have some
body always handy 10 quarrel with about
their religion. and / used % think some
times that Marthy and Amos got more
pleasure that way than most folks git
out o. prayin' and singin and listenin' 10
preachin Amos was the striCtest sort Of
a Presbyterian. and Marthy was a Babtist.
and go hear them two jawiu and arguiu'
and bringin' up Scripture texts about pre-
destination and infant baptism and close
communion and immersion was enough 10
make a person wish there wasn't such q
thing as churches and doctrines. Brother
Rice asked Sam Amos once if Mdrthy and
Amos Matthews was Christians Brother
Rice had come TO help Pars0n Page carry
on meetin', and he was tTyln' 70 find
ont who WIS the sinners and who was
the Christians And Sam SAYS. No. ms
Lord, Il takes all o. Marthys time 90 be
q baptist and all o Amos 10 be a Pres
byterian. They amt got time 90 be
Christians
Some folks wondered how they ever
got time TO do any cour;iu, they was so
busy wranslin' over babtism and cleo
ton And after Marthy had her weddin'
clothes all made they come 10 a dead
stop. Amos said he wouldn't feel Ike
they were rightly married if they didn't
have q Presbyterian minister TO marry
'em. and Marthy said IL wouldn't be mar
ryin 90 her il they didn't have "a Bah
tist. I was over at Hannah Crawford s
one day, and she says. says she. Jane
I've been savin' up my EGGS and butter
for q month 10 make Marthy's weddin'
cake. and If her and Amos don't come to
on understandiu soon, it'll all be a dead
loss And Marthy says. Well. mother,
! may not have any cake az my weddin'
and I may not have any weddin', but
one thing is certain. I'm not goin' TO give
up my principles.
And Hannah sort O. groaned-she
Crawf0rd-aud says size, You pore foolish
child, Principles amt the only thing a
woman has TO give up when she gifts
married
II don't know whether they ever would
"a come TO an agreement n il hadn't
been for Brother Morris. He was the
Presidin' Elder from town, and a powerful
hand for iokin' with folks. He happened
10 meet Amos one day about this time
and says he Amos. ] hear you and Miss
Marthy can't decide betwixt Brother
Page and Brother Gvardner. It'd be a
pity. says he. 20 have a good match
spilled for such little matter. and 'spose
you compromise and have me to marry
you
And Amos says, 7 don't know but
what that's the best thing that could be
done. I'll see Marthy and let you know.
And. bless your life they was married a
week from that day. ! went over and
helped Hannah with the cake, and Bro
ther Morris said a pretty a ceremony
over en- ais any Presbyterian or Babtist
could a. said
"WeU. the next Sunday everybody was
on the lookout 10 see which church the
bride and groomd GO %. Bush Elrod
bet a dollar that M1rthy'd have her way
and sam Amos bet a dollar that they'd
he al the Presbyterian church Sam won
the bet and we was all right glad that
Marthv'd had the grace 90 give up that
one time anyhow. Amos was powerful
pleased havin' Marthy with him. and
they sung out Of the same hymn-bOOk
and looked real happy 1t looked like
they was stHrtin out right and l thought
10 myself. Well. here's good beginnin'
anyhow. But it happened 20 be COM
munion Sunday. and Of an the unIucky
things that could a happened for Mar
thy and Amos. that was about the un-
luckicst. ! said then that if Parson Page
had been q woman, he'd "a postponed
that communion But a man couldn't be
expected 90 have much sense about
such matters. 50 ne goes ahead and gives
out the hymn.
Twas o1 that dark and dreadful dar,
and everybody I'm church was lO0kin' az
Amos and Marthy and watchin to see
what she was gOin' 90 do While they
was singin' the hymn the church-members
got up and went forward 20 the front
seats. and Amos went with en-. That
left Marthy all alone I'm the pew. and |
couldn't help feelin sorry for her. She
tried 20 look unconcerned but anybody
could see she felt sort o. fOrsaken and
left out. and folks all lookin'. and some
Of EN- whisperin and nudgin each other.
knew Jest exactly how Marthy felt.
Abram said to me when we was on the
way home that day. Jane If I'd a been
in Amos place. I believe I'd "A set still
with Marthy Marthy'd come with him.
and 70 looks Ike he ought 90 n stayed
with her I reckon, though, that Amos
thought ho was doin' right, and maybe
it's foolish in women 10 care about things
Ike that sam Amos used 10 say that