Year: 1879

that I'd be his own Abigail, an tha


he should be my Jacob. You'v'


no idea how poetlcally an nice h,


talked; for all the world the way ia


ther used to when he'd been drink


ing a little too much. l don't know


as he'd had the spunk to do it, afte


all, if 1 hadn't almost made hin


pop. I'd made up my mind that


wasn't goin' to have him han.


round unless he wanted to marry


me, an was determined that II


let him know it, if / had to tell hin


so right out in plain words.


could see that he was one of then
kind of men that would keep hang


ing of, an hangin' off, withou


sayin' a word, just as long as be


could, an wasn't goin' TO stanc


anv of that kind of work, for, at my


time of life, delays are, as Byron


says, dangerous.


The very night when l wrote you


last ne come up to the house for ms


to go to prayer meetin', an 70


made up my mind to have the thin


settled one way CT the other before


L let him get away from me that


night; so | commenced just as soon


as we got in the horse cars on our


way to meetln'. / talked about


how lonesome it was TO be on the


path of life alone. an kinder limited


about the parable of the man that


wouldn't hide his talents in a nap
kIu, but went out an married seven


wives, one alter the other, as soon
a. the last one would die. Then l
spoke about the comfort of haviu' Il
family of children CROWN around
under foot, an about the chances
of havin' baby that could take a
prize in a cattle show, an all thai
kind of thing, till could see that he
was gettin' interested Then l
kinder limited about the property
that father left, an told him about
the money l earned writin' stories,
though | did stretch that last just a
little, an | told him how much |
needed a man to look after my share
in the bar--Com, an then l kind er
led the subject on to religion, SOS
he wouldn't think l was actually
hintin' that l wanted to get mar
ried, au' by the time that we got to
the meetin' house l could see that
he was all ready to say the word
Just the first minute that he got the
chance. After the meetin' was over
be asked me if I'd just as soon
walk home, instead of ridin' in the
cars, an told him yes; so off we
started. He commenced to talk
about first one thing an then the
other, an all the while / knew he
TO ask me TO he his wife, an
thought it was my duty to help
him along little, so l just up and
asked him why he didn't get mar
ried. He said he would if he could
find any nice woman that would
have him. l didn't want to say
right out that l would have him, so
[ kinder limited at il by tellin' him
that 1 guessed he wouldn't have
very far to look if he wanted wife,
an told him he'd better ask the
first woman he saw. He took the
hint at once, an asked me if l
would have him. At first 1 set out
to act kinder bsshful, JUST to see
what he'd do, but 1 thought per
haps that wouldn't be exactly safe,
so l told him that l wasn't any
bashful young girl, an that had
good deal of respect for him, an
that l was willin' to marry him
ri ht there and then, or as soon AS
be wanted me to. s'pose said
it little too sudden, for he seemed
kind of confu sed, an didn't speak
q word for SO long that l begun to
think that 1 had actually frightened
him away.


At last he managed to find his
tongue, an then he acted just like
man in love, an said so many nice
things that 1t seemed like the old
;ourtin' days right over again, when
father used TO grease his boots ana
his hair. an come to see me. Pd
made up my mind that l wouldn't
give him or any other man chance
to back out if ever got the chance
to marry again. So l asked him to
come into the house an we'd fix up
about the weddin'. It's about de
cided that we shall be married next
week an start off on a weddin'
travel right away. L hain't decided
exactly where we shall go, but am
determined to go as fa- as New
York anyhow. / haYn't talked
much about it with the girls yet;
out they make a-fuss an say that


It's too soon after poor, dear ia
hers death, l s'pose i shall have
20 put it off a week, though l do
want the thing overSust as quick as
possible. think that shall be
in the meetin' house, for
hat seems to be good deal more
stylish, an then everybody can
come to see you, an besides, l
don't believe that this house is big
enough to hold all who would want
20 come. l think l shall wear
white dress an a veil, an have lots
Of all kinds of flowers sewed sll
over my dress. want to look as
we'll as L can, for at my time OF life
here haint much chance that l
shall ever get another chance TO get
an / want to make the
most of it this time. Now we'll see
whether John Barker can run that
bar room just as he has a mind to,
an actually laugh in my sleeve
whenever l insist on his shown me
how the money goes. As for little
Qodd, l don't care what he says
about my bein' married. l shan't
pay any attention to him no more'n
If there wasn't such person in the
world, an when am once married
be shan't step his foot inside my
doors. Write just as soon as you
get this, an tell me if you an Reu
ben will come up, an tell me what
you are goin' to w'Hr. must stop
writIn' now, for ] yomised the dea-
con that I'd go with him an see
his sister, an l want to dress up as
well as / can, SOS to make a good
impression on his family. Tell
everybody you see that Abigail Per
Lrins is SOin' to marry q rich dea-