The Huron News-Record, 1891-06-03, Page 6see
t3 Huron . V- •,„ i�GG'+Ll "1 ' brother end bretitelr�'s ife, rfeithyax
of whoui cared about Audrey's
Marrying Jane, and had coore:rather
againet Choir will, eaid.they couldn't'
wait two Moura, wyishing ,to,, got
F home to Longpuddle before dinner •
time. ..:They were altogether ao
crusty that the clerk said there
waa no difiaoutty in -their doing ae
they wiahed, They could go hotno
as if their brother's wedding had
actually taker place and the mar-
ried couple bad goue onward for
their day's pleasure trip to Port
Bredy ae iutended. He, the clerk,
and any casual passer-by would act
as witnesses when the parson came
back.
"This was agreed to, and away
Audrey's rotations went, no bing
loth, and the clerk shut the church
door and prepared to look in the
couple. The bride went up and
whispered to him. with ber eyes a -
streaming still.
"'My dear goad clerk,' sl,e
says, 'if we bide here in the church,
folk may see us through the win-
ders,
and find out what has happen-
ed ; and 'twould cause such a talk
and scandal that I never should get
over it ; and perhaps, too, dear
Audrey might try to get out and
leave me 1 Will ye lock us up in
the tower, my dear good clerk I' she
says. 'I'll tote him in there if you
will.'
"The clerk had no objection to
do this to oblige the poor young
woman, and they toted Androy
into the tower, and the clerk locked
'em both up straightway, and then
went hornet to return at the end of
the two hours.
"Parson Toogood had not been
long in his house after leaving the
church when he saw a gentleman
in pink and top -boots ride past hie
windows, and with a sudden flash
of excitement he called to Mind
that the hounds met that day just
on the edge of his parish. The
parson was one who dearly loved
sport, and mach he longed to be
there. ,
"Now the clerk was the parson's
groom and gardener and general
manager, and had just got back to
his work in the garden when he,
too, saw the hunting man pass, and
presently saw lots more of 'em,
noblemen and gentry, and thet, he •
eaw the hounds, the huntsman, Jim
Treadhedge, the whipper in, and I
don't knew wh�o -besides. The
clerk loved going, cover as fran-
tical a; the parson, so much so that
whenever he saw or heard the pack
he ctuldin
o more rule his feelings
than •f they were the winde of
heaves. He might be bedding, or
het tat he sowing—all was forgot.
he th4'owe down his spade and
rushes in to \he parson, who was
by this time as ft•antical to go as he,
"''That there mare of yours, sir,
do want exercise bad, very bad,
this morning,' the Clerk says, all of
a tremble. -Don't ye think I'd
better trot her round the downs for
an hour, sir '1'
" `To be sure, she does want
exercise badly. I'll trot her round
myself,' says the parson.
"'And there's the cob, sir.
Really that cob is getting unmanage-
able through biding in stable so
long. if you wouldn't mind my
putting on the saddle='
"`Very well. Take him out,
certainly,' says the parson, never
caring what the clerk did so long
as he himself could got off immedi-
ately. So, scrambling into his
riding boots and breeches as quick
as he could, he rode off towards the
meet, intending to be back in an
hour. No sooner was he gone than
the clerk mounted the cob, and was
off after hirn. When the parson
got to the meet, he saw a lot of
friends, and was as jolly as he
could be ; the hounds found
almost as soon as they threw off,
and there was great excitement.
So, forgetting that ho had intended
to go back at once, away rides the
I
arson with the rest o' the hunt, all
across the fallow ground that lies
between Lippet Wood and Green's
Copse ; and as ho galloped he look•
ed behind for a moment, and there
was the clerk close to his heals.
"'1-1a, ha, clerk—you here 4' he
says.
"'Yes, sir, here be I,' says
t'other.
" 'Fine exorcise for the horses V
"Ay, sir—hee, hee l' says the
clerk.
"So they went on and on, into
Green's Copse, then across to Higher
Jirton ; then on across this very
turnpike -road to Climmerston
Ridge, then away towards Yalbury
Wood; up hill and down dale, like
the very wind, the clerk close to
the parson, and the parson not far
from the hounds. Never was there
a finer run known with that pack
than they had that day ; and
neither parson not clerk thought
one word about the unmarried
couple locked up in the church
tower waiting to get j'ined. -
"'Theae horses of yours, sir, will
be much improved by this,' says
the clerk as ho rode along, just a
neck behind the parson. "Twee a
happy thought of your reverent
mind to bring 'em out to day.
Why, it may be frosty in a day or
tt•wrF; 7rn'El=hertliervi `alliin- Tilt
1.8O \Yea; -41.88 le Aavun+.v
We4nc diet, trate• 3r:d, ft;'!li, '
ND. EY Sl TC1U L AND Tkl,E
P411WWUN AND CLEltli.:
"It all arose, you dust knew,
Irene .4.udtey being fond of a drop
of drink—though he's a sober
enough icon now by all auconut, so
utuelt the ,better for hitn. Jane, his
bride, you .see, was sutuewhat older
than Aiittree:; how .wuoh older I
.don't pretitud to kitty ; she wee nut
one :of our .parish, and the register
alone wary .be able to tell that.
But, at any rate, her being a little
ab-ead of her young man in worts!
years, coupled with other circuit•
eeeireees, while her very anxious to
.,get the tluug delve before he chaag-
.ed hes ruind; end'twas with a joy-
ful ,ceuntenauco ,(they bay) that
she, with Audrey and his
bcetlaer and sister -in law, utarched
off ea .eteureh one November wont-
ing ate ie eu as 'twee day tt'lu•uitt to
be made .eine with Audrey fur the
rest of her life. 11e had lilt our
place l.oeg betters it was light, and
the bailie tint wore .up all .waved
their lantecns at Win., and flung up
their heeelas he weut.
"The church of her parish was a
mile and inure from the houses,
and, as it was a wonderfully fine
day for the time of year, the plan
was that as soon as they were mar-
ried they would make out a holiday
by driving straight off to Port
Brody, to see the ships and the dna
and the soldiers, instead of cowing
haok to a meal at the house of the
distant relation she lived wi', and
mupiug about there t.11 the after-
noon.
"Well, some folks noticed that
Audrey walked with rather uncer-
tain steps to church that morning ;
the truth o't was that his nearest
,neighbor's child had been christen•
ed the day before, and Audrey
being godfather had staid all night
keeping up the christeniug, fur he
had said to himsolt, "Not if I live
to he a thousand shall I again be
made a 1;14Afath.er one day and a
husband the next, and therefore I'll
make the most cf the bleasint;.'
So that when he etal'te4 Iron home
in the morning be had not boon in
bed at ,all. The result was, as 1
say, that when he awl his inteuded
bride walked up, the church to be
married, the parson (who wase very
worthy, striet man inside the
church, whatever lie was outside)
looked hard at Audrey, and said,
very sharply :
"'How's this, my man You
Me in liquor, And so early,
I'm ashamed of you l'
thateLam, sir,' say's
.tti.diey. 'But I can walk straight
enough for practical purposes 1
can walk a chalk line,' he says
(meaning uu offence), 'as well as
some other folk ; and i reckon that
if you, Pa'son Billy Toogood, had
kept up a christening all night so
thoroughly as 1 have dune, you
wouldn't be able to stand at all ;
d— me if you would !'
"This anewe" made Pa'son Billy
—as they used to call him—rattier
spitish, not to say hot, for he was a
warm tetnper•ed than, if provoked,
and he said, very decidedly : 'Well,
I cannot marry you iu this state ;
andl will not. Go home and get
Bober 1' And he slapped the book
together like a rattrap.
"Then the bride burst out crying
as if her heart would break, fur
very fear that she would .lose
Andrey after all her hard work to
get him, and bogged and implored
the pa'son to go on with the core-
mouye-which, poor soul, she had
very good reason to hasten. But
no.
" 'I won't be a party to your
solemnizing matrimony with a tipsy
• man,' says Mr. Toogood. 'It is not
tight and decent. I am sorry for
you, my young woman, but you'd
better go home again. I wonder
how you could think of bringing
him here drunk like this.'
" 'But if—if he don't come
drunk he won't come at all, sir !'
she says, through her sobs.
"'I can't help that,''
pa'son ; and plead as she
did not move him. Then
him another way.
"'Well, then, if you'll go home,
sir, and leave us here, and come
back to the church in an hour or
two, I'll undertake to say that he
shall be as sober as] a judge,' she
°ries. `We'll stay here, with your
permission ; for if he once goes
out of this church unmarried, all
Van Amburgh's horses won't drag
him back again l'
"'Very well,' says the parson.
`I'll give you two hours, and then
I'll return '
" 'And please, sir, lock the door,
so that we can't escape 1' says she.
" `Yes,' says the parson.
" `And let nobody know that we
are here.'
"The parson then took off his
holy white surplice, and went
aleay ; and the others consulted
upon the best means for keeping
" --'-'" =