The Rambles of an Idler 



sooner the better.' The long an' short of it is, 

 the minister married me and Nance, with them 

 two men to witness it, an* he give us his blessin' 

 an* I giv' him a dollar. Then we stood there a 

 minute, feelin' foolish like, I s'pose, not knowin' 

 what to say, when the oP man holler 'd, nat'ral 

 like, * Nance, don't leave me!' 



" Nance sprung on his neck like a cat on a 

 sparrer an' most knocked him over. 



"The light come back in the ol' man's eyes 

 an' he shook like a leaf in the winter-time. He 

 held out his hand an' I took it, an' then, some- 

 how, everything look'd brighter, an' Nance cried 

 an' laughed till I tho't she would go crazy. 

 The ol' man cross 'd the river with us an' we 

 went to where me an' Nance had been stay in ? . 



"We soon got to work ag'in where the 

 ol' man's house had stood, an' put up a bigger 

 an' better one, an' did well that spring a-fishin', 

 and then I settled down an' staid there till two 

 year ago, when Nance * crossed over,' as the 

 minister said at the funeral, an' I'll soon f oiler 

 an' hope I'll see her on t'other side. That was 

 a fresh' on the ma'sh, in '41, sech as I never 

 seen afore nor since." 



20 



