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 oP 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 oP man cross 'd the river with us an' we 

 went to where me an' Nance had been stayin'. 



"We soon got to work ag'in where the 

 oP 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. ' ' 



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