The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1915-11-21

inc boys was JOshin each other and
everything was merry. k%
But who should be bride and
groom7
well, the girls, out of eompli-
ment. picked me first for the part.
They said look so picturesque.
$50 ! proposed to the nice fat old
lady with the beamin' smile, goin'
down on my knee, while the crowd
hollered and laughed
And she said she regretted that
she'd have to turn me down, but she
had been married twice already, and
one OF EN- was still alive and pres
ent, so that faded away.
Then / caught hold of Santiago
by the shoulder and / says Here's
wild man that ought to be tanned.
Let him play bridegroom
Poor Santiago didn't like to be
made the goat before his girl, but he
was that kind of Teller that il you
were his friend you could do any
durn thing to him you liked. So
whites he got red in the face, he
did1t kick, but simply waited for
what was goin' to happen to him.
Then the minister he threw his
card into the play.
What a splendid contrastr says
he, and he grabs hold of little Ora
and matches her up to Santiago.
Now there's one law that's got
all old Moses ever pulled off skinned
to skeleton. and that is, You can't
gig back on the minister at Sunday
school picnic.
$50 whites Allison glared sour
enough to spoil milk at a hundred
Yards, he had to keep his trap shut.
The minister, he backed away and
looked at them.
"'What a splendid contrast" he
saws again. Isn't it, Mrs. AllisonP
And Mrs. Allison she said Yes,
it was splendid contrast
81 don't know whether she thought
so or not. but that's what she said.
AS for Santiago. / can't imagine
man goin' through anything nearer
hell than he was. Here was the thing
that cuddled to the roots of his soul
made a joke of before 900 people.
That. son, is something that tries a
man out.
Santiago took his punishment like
an officer and gentleman.
an the meantime, unnoticed by
the rest, | slips the minister plain
gold ring. So the ceremony went on
from Who makes a present of this
woman to this man. all the way
through the rigmarole, with the
bridesmaids and the whole shootin'
match gigglin' and thinkin' it was a
lovely joke, until finally the minister,
he raises his hands and pronounces
them man and wife Then says
he, it is my duty and pleasure to
salute the bride So he kisses little
Ora.
att amt my duty says I, but it
certainly is goin' to be my pleasure
to salute the bride so l kissed little
Ora, and then half a dozen other fell
lers kissed little Ora
And just about this time old man
Allison kinder smelled something,
like the fox he was. He walks up
to the minister and says: This has
very serious look to me, sir
Marriage has its serious side
says the minister easy.
do you mean to say they are
married." yells Allison.
According to the laws of the
land says the minister, still smiling
pleasant
"'You're a damned old scoun-
drelP says Allison, and makes for
him.
THE minister grabbed the hand
he punched with, took him by the
back of the neck. and shook him in
a vigorously Christian fashion.
Don't get abusive. Mr.. Allison
he said. Remember you're an elder
of my church
Perhaps Allison wasn't abusive,
but he sounded like it. So the min
lister just marched him out by the
back of his neck and talked to him
like a father. Anyways, Allison come
back. not exactly pleased, but not
sayin' anything.
an the meantime the two poor kids
didn't know what had happened to
'em. Santiago was as white as the
girl that stood beside him.
"Is this true, Red' he asked me-
That we're married.
Sure says l.
"And then the little girl got hold
Of me.
"Ts it really true?' she said.
at certainly is l told her
Then they forgot all about the
rest of us and clinched, and the old
maiden lady with carpenter-shavins
| curls and the v.G;, Scamin' fat lady
they cried and said it was so prettyl
And Mrs. Allison, she cried and
kinder cuddled her little girl up to
her as soon as she could get to her.
And Santiago. him bein' a foreigner,
he just naturally cried, too.
well, we had to get back to the
ranch, so | told Santiago to kiss his
bride good-by and hop along.
Tho little lad all OF sudden drew
kind of dignity.
| Just one moment, please says
he, and walks straight up to Allison
! Says he:
"'Senor Allison, in this play I had
no part, but now that it is played,
| have a part. What I have, that
: ! shall keep; what l can do, what I
have hands and brain and heart to
do, for this your daughter that I
have married, that will do Please
: 10 believe that, sir
! Allison looked at him a minute,
and there must have been a good
streak in the man somewhere, for
he held out his hand. He was too
mixed up to know what he was say
in, but anything goes on an occa-
sion like that.
$50 he shook Santiago by the
hand and said: Please to meet
you
"The bad place was over for the
| rest of 'em, but / had to listen to