The Celina Democrat. (Celina, O. [Ohio]) 1895-1921, 1911-03-17

lNlO communication WIN Alt bii
again Then, the occasion being ripe
I gave him my best team an my bless
in; an he started fer Volley to rob
The Bishop of the light of her
eyes
The sign was right, the girl was
ready, an they eloped between two
days; an drove over the levee into
Riverview early in the mornin',
AT this point of the game the
preacher looked like an easy winner
an l couldn't see fer the life of me
where The Bishop had a chance to
beat the flag, But man proposes,
woman accepts, an then you have to
see the county clerk an get mar.
riage license.
Hank Evans was then county clerk.
The people of this county had done
themselves the honor of electin' him
to that high position at the spring
election, an he was film it with his
usual ability, but not with his usual
luck. When | led the marriage process.
sion down to his house in the cold
gray dawn, there was a yeller flag
autterin' in the breeze an a big small
pox sign on the door Hank had been
sick fer some days, an had jist broke
out with the smallpox.
q onct went huntin' rabbits an met
a grizzly bear, an ! felt jist like that
when | saw that smallpox sign. |
looked at the girl an she was pale
| as death. / hooked at the preacher,
an he had his teeth set an his fists
clinched. If he had looked witty I'd
have jgmped the game right there, an
left him to the tender mercies of The
Bishop; fer that girl was too sweet
an modest to be wasted on a cow
ard. But the preacher was game, the
cards were dealt, an | played my
hand fer all it was worth. None of us
wanted to monkey round the small
pox, so we went back to the barn, an
hitched another team, an we start
ed fer Lands End.
I'VE were there in jist 40 minutes,
Taylor the county clerk, to be at his
office, we drove round to his house,
an found him sittin' on his porch
takin' his mornin' smoke.
"'Howdy, Bill said /, fer we were
old friends, but that's all the further
got Bill butted right in sayin':
Hullo, Ad., I'm mighty glad to see
you. I've jist got telegram from Mrs.
Jussex Of Volley. 1t pears that her
daughter Hoped las night, an she done
forbade me issuin' a marriage license
to anybody to marry her. The chief
of police has orders to arrest her on
sight, an hold her until her mother
gets here. I'm tellin you this so that
if they should come to your barn for a
team you can make the heart of this
old lady glad by detainin' them till
she gets there An he looked KNOWN
at the couple in the back seat of the
carriage, an then he wunk at me with
his other eye,
q wunk back, an said; "A friend in
need s>worth two in the bush If
can make the heart of that aged par
ent glad by restorin' her daughter to
her in peace an harmony, I'll be a
proud man, an meant every word Of
it, too,
BILL was all right, but had no han
KERN to interview the chief of po-
lice, so | turned round an we start
ed back to RiYerYiew. | saw as plain
as day that we had to get that Ii
cense from Hank Evans, smallpox or
no smallpox, or there wouldn't be any
weddin' The preacher saw it as
plain as ! did He was game, an she
was willin'; so back we came to
Hanks. | fired off my gun a couple
of times to call his attention, an
he came to the window an looked out
Say, he had an irruption on his face
that would make a warty toad green
with envy, an he must have had the
courage of wild hog to go to the win
dow at all
"He says: What's up, Ad%
81 want a marriage license fer this
couple, an want it quick
He said: by the 'thority vested in
me by the constitution Tor somethin
like that the license is granted. /
hope you-all won't catch it, and he tod
died back to bed like a ground hog ON
the second day of February when he
sees his shadder.
"Then we drove up to the barn, an
had the weddin, while Mike was un.
hitchin' the team. / was then, an
am now, a justice of the peace Of this
burg; so | acted as 'fishiatin' clergy
man. There's been many tonier wed |
din here since then, but nobody ever
made II more bindin' than ! did.
Says |; Hold up your right
hands, an they held 'em UP. You are
now in the presence of God an a jus
tiee of the peace, be sollum, an pay
attention to Whut I'm sayin Do you,
an both of you, promise to support |
the constitution of the United States, |
the constitution Of this state, and live |
together as man an wife so long as
you both do live, so help you God? |
"'We do
"'Then, so far as you are personally |
concerned, the Declaration Of Inde.
pendence is null an void, an accordin
to the constitution of the United
States you are married; an may God
have mercy on your souls
"They were cinched, but Riverview