"Wall," says Josiah, "if you wish me well, I wish you would get me a little sunthin' to eat before I starve: it is past eleven o'clock."

"The hand is on the pinter," says I calmly. "But start a good fire, and I will get dinner."

So he did, and I did, and he never made no further objections to my enterprise; and it was all understood that I should get their weddin' supper, and they should start from here on their tower.

And I offered, as she and Miss Gowdy didn't agree, that she might come back here, if she wanted to, and get some quiltin' done, and get ready for housekeepin'. She was tickled enough with the idee, and said she would help me enough to pay for her board. Ury's time wouldn't be out till about a month later.

I told her she needn't work any for me. But she is a dretful handy little thing about the house, or outdoors. When Josiah was sick, and when the hired man happened to be away, she would go right out to the barn, and fodder the cattle jest as well as a man could. And Josiah said she milked faster than he could, to save his life. Her father had nine girls and no boys; and he brought some of the girls up when they was little, kinder boy-like, and they knew all about outdoor work.

Wall, it was all decided on, that they should come right back here jest as soon as they ended their tower. They was a goin' to Ury's sister's, Miss Reuben Henzy's, and laid out to be gone about four days, or from four days to a week.

And I went to cookin' for the weddin' about a week before it took place. I thought I would invite the minister and his wife and family, and Philury's sister-in-law's family,-the only one of her relations who lived near us, and she was poor; and her cla.s.smates at Sunday school,-there was twelve of 'em,-and our children and their families. And I asked Miss Gowdey'ses folks, but didn't expect they would come, owin' to that hardness about the grindstun. But everybody else come that was invited; and though I am far from bein' the one that ort to say it, the supper was successful. It was called "excellent" by the voice, and the far deeper language of consumption.

They all seemed to enjoy it: and Ury took out his gum, and put it under the table-leaf before he begun to eat; and I found it there afterwards. He was excited, I s'pose, and forgot to take it agin when he left the table.

Philury looked pretty. She had on a travellin'-dress of a sort of a warm brown,-a color that kinder set off her freckles. It was woosted, and trimmed with velvet of a darker shade; and her hat and her gloves matched.

Her dress was picked out to suit me. Ury wanted her to be married in a yellow tarleton, trimmed with red. And she was jest that obleegin', clever creeter, that she would have done it if it hadn't been for me.

[Ill.u.s.tration: THE WEDDING SUPPER.]

I says to her and to him,-

"What use would a yeller tarleton trimmed with red be to her after she is married, besides lookin' like fury now?" Says I, "Get a good, sensible dress, that will do some good after marriage, besides lookin' good now." Says I, "Marriage hain't exactly in real life like what it is depictered in novels. Life don't end there: folks have to live afterwards, and dress, and work." Says I, "If marriage was really what it is painted in that literature-if you didn't really have nothin' to do in the future, only to set on a rainbow, and eat honey, why, then, a yaller tarleton dress with red trimmin's would be jest the thing to wear. But," says I, "you will find yourself in the same old world, with the same old dishcloths and wipin'-towels and mops a waitin' for you to grasp, with the same pair of hands. You will have to konfront brooms and wash-tubs and darnin'-needles and socks, and etcetery, etcetery. And you must prepare yourself for the enkounter."

She heerd to me; and that very day, after we had the talk, I took her to Jonesville, drivin' the old mare myself, and stood by her while she picked it out.

And thinkin' she was young and pretty, and would want somethin' gay and bright, I bought some flannel for a mornin'-dress for her, and give it to her for a present. It was a pretty, soft gray and pink, in stripes about half a inch wide, and would be pretty for her for years, to wear in the house, and when she didn't feel well.

I knew it would wash.

She was awful tickled with it. And I bought a present for Ury on that same occasion,-two fine shirts, and two pair of socks, with gray toes and heels, to match the mornin'-dress. I do love to see things kompared, especially in such a time as this.

My weddin' present for 'em was a nice cane-seat rocker, black walnut, good and stout, and very nice lookin'. And, knowin' she hadn't no mother to do for her, I gave her a pair of feather pillows and a bed-quilt,-one that a aunt of mine had pieced up for me. It was a blazin' star, a bright red and yeller, and it had always sort o' dazzled me.

Ury worshiped it. I had kept it on his bed ever sense I knew what feelin's he had for it. He had said "that he didn't see how any thing so beautiful could be made out of earthly cloth." And I thought now was my time to part with it.

Wall, they had lots of good presents. I had advised the children, and the Sunday-school children, that, if they was goin' to give 'em any thing, they would give 'em somethin' that would do 'em some good.

Says I, "Perforated paper lambrequins, and feather flowers, and cotton- yarn tidies, look well; but, after all, they are not what you may call so nourishin' as some other things. And there will probable rise in their future life contingencies where a painted match-box, and a hair-pin receiver, and a card-case, will have no power to charm. Even china vases and toilet-sets, although estimable, will not bring up a large family, and educate them, especially for the ministry."

I s'pose I convinced 'em; for, as I heerd afterwards, the cla.s.s had raised fifty cents apiece to get perforated paper, woosted yarn, and crystal beads. But they took it, and got her a set of solid silver teaspoons: the store-keeper threw off a dollar or two for the occasion. They was good teaspoons.

And our children got two good linen table-cloths, and a set of table- napkins; and the minister's wife brought her four towels, and the sister- in-law a patch-work bed-quilt. And Reuben Henzy's wife sent 'em the money to buy 'em a set of chairs and a extension table; and a rich uncle of hisen sent him the money for a ingrain carpet; and a rich uncle of hern in the Ohio sent her the money for a bedroom set,-thirty-two dollars, with the request that it should be light oak, with black-walnut trimmin's.

And I had all the things got, and took 'em up in one of our chambers, so folks could see 'em. And I beset Josiah Allen to give 'em for his present, a nice bedroom carpet. But no: he had got his mind made up to give Ury a yearlin' calf, and calf it must be. But he said "he would give in to me so fur, that, seein' I wanted to make such a show, if I said so, he would take the calf upstairs, and hitch it to the bed-post."

But I wouldn't parlay with him.

Wall, the weddin' went off first-rate: things went to suit me, all but one thing. I didn't love to see Ury chew gum all the time they was bein' married. But he took it out and held it in his hand when he said "Yes, sir," when the minister asked him, would he have this woman. And when she was asked if she would have Ury, she curchied, and said, "Yes, if you please," jest as if Ury was roast veal or mutton, and the minister was a pa.s.sin' him to her. She is a good-natured little thing, and always was, and willin'.

Wall, they was married about four o'clock in the afternoon; and Josiah sot out with 'em, to take 'em to the six o'clock train, for their tower.

The company staid a half-hour or so afterwards: and the children stayed a little longer, to help me do up the work; and finally they went. And I went up into the spare chamber, and sort o' fixed Philury's things to the best advantage; for I knew the neighbors would be in to look at 'em. And I was a standin' there as calm and happy as the buro or table,-and they looked very light and cheerful,-when all of a sudden the door opened, and in walked Ury Henzy, and asked me,-

"If I knew where his overhauls was?"

You could have knocked me down with a pin-feather, as it were, I was so s.m.u.t and dumb-foundered.

Says I, "Ury Henzy, is it your ghost?" says I, "or be you Ury?"

"Yes, I am Ury," says he, lookin', I thought, kinder disappointed and curious.

"Where is Philury?" says I faintly.

[Ill.u.s.tration: "YES, IF you PLEASE."]

"She has gone on her tower," says he.

Says I, "Then, you be a ghost: you hain't Ury, and you needn't say you be."

But jest at that minute in come Josiah Allen a snickerin'; and says he,-

"I have done it now, Samantha. I have done somethin' now, that is new and uneek."

And as he see my strange and awful looks, he continued, "You know, you always say that you want a change now and then, and somethin' new, to pa.s.s away time."

"And I shall most probable get it," says I, groanin', "as long as I live with you. Now tell me at once, what you have done, Josiah Allen! I know it is your doin's."

"Yes," says he proudly, "yes, mom. Ury never would have thought of it, or Philury. I got it up myself, out of my own head. It is original, and I want the credit of it all myself."

Says I faintly, "I guess you won't be troubled about gettin' a patent for it." Says I, "What ever put it into your head to do such a thing as this?"

"Why," says he, "I got to thinkin' of it on the way to the cars. Philury said she would love to go and see her sister in Buffalo; and Ury, of course, wanted to go and see his sister in Rochester. And I proposed to 'em that she should go first to Buffalo, and see her folks, and when she got back, he should go to Rochester, and see his folks. I told her that I needed Ury's help, and she could jest as well go alone as not, after we got her ticket. And then in a week or so, when she had got her visit made out, she could come back, and help do the ch.o.r.es, and tend to things, and Ury could go. Ury hung back at first. But she smiled, and said she would do it."

I groaned aloud, "That clever little creeter! You have imposed upon her, and she has stood it."

"Imposed upon her? I have made her a heroine.

"Folks will make as much agin of her. I don't believe any female ever done any thing like it before,-not in any novel, or any thing."

"No," I groaned. "I don't believe they ever did."

"It will make her sought after. I told her it would. Folks will jest run after her, they will admire her so; and so I told her."

Says I, "Josiah Allen, you did it because you didn't want to milk. Don't try to make out that you had a good motive for this awful deed. Oh, dear! how the neighbors will talk about it!"

"Wall, dang it all, when they are a talkin' about this, they won't be lyin' about something else."