An Ox Team Elopement.

Evening Post, Volume L, Issue 42, 17 August 1895, Page 1 (Supplement)

An Ox Team Elopement.

Wandering down through the lumber region of the Ozarks, not far from the Mis-souri-Arkansas line, I came upon a waggon in which were seated two young people— a man of twenty-four and a girl of eighteen or nineteen. To their vehicle were yoked two red oxen. The beasts rolled their eyes lazily ob they stood still at the command of the youth, and tho girl blushed and looked oS into the trees. "Looking fer us?" the young fellow called out to me, as I appeared through the undergrowth with my gun slung idly across my shoulder. " Looking for you ?" I echoed. "Bless you, no. Where did you get the notion ?" "Dunno,"the youth replied, lifting: his hand from an old-time rifle that lay along the back of the seat. " I'm kinder sus-pisshus-like of every feller I see." "Why?" " Well, to get right down to the fac's, we're — Clorindy here, and me — we're elopin'." The youth's face had relaxed the expression of sternness that I first noted, and he was smiling. The girl's face was very red, but she was smiling, too. Then I smiled. " Eloping ? Well, that's pretty good. You haven't a very fast team there, have you?" "No," retnrned the youth, looking at the dusty, tired, red animals. "No," he said again, " but they're stiddy, an' what's more," he went on, with a show of pride, " they're mine." " How do you happen to be eloping ?" I enquired. "They was two of us after her — Cloriudy hero - an' I jest went up an' sez I, ' whieh'll ' you have ?' . She kinder smirked and said as she 'lowed she didn't know. I don't ■ take no stock in dickerin', so I comes right ' out and says, says I, 'j,Ye can have me now ] or not at all.' 'Mighty preaumin',' soya ' she, but lander soft like in tone. I knowed I had her then and Ikep' up my blusterin', though my heart want backin' up all my ■ mouth said. 'Well,' says I, 'we'll go right away if yer ready,' at which she held off like and said it want fair not to give Jonathan — that's the other fellow's name— ' a chance at it. I see right then an' there ' that I'd have to hustle if I was goin' to win, so I says good-bye to her for the minnit an' goes over home an' yokes up. ' It was jest as I thought. When I got baok she— Clorindy here— was all tuckered up ! ready to start." " When did this happen ?" I interposed. ; "Last week," he said, "and then we ' started to " ' "And are you still eloping P Aren't • you married yet?" I asked, stopping him in his excited narrative. " Bless yo', yes," he exclaimed. ' _ The girl blushed again, and, pulling the ' pink sunbonnet over her face, turned away. 1 _'• Oh, yes," the youth went on. "Mar- ' ried that day noon at 'Square Harrises, ' over near Thayer. We was sittin' at the \ 'Square's table, eatin', when Phil Henry, one of the neighbour boys, kern runnin' iv , an' says, fays he, 'HauK, Jonathan an' Rindy's dad's after you urith tho black yoke, an' they're getting all the boys out.' ( Well, all we could do was to git right up ' and pike off, putting the Square's good ' dinnor under tho seat. Phil said that ' Jonathan thought I had tuk a mean advan- ' tageofhim." ' ' ' And haven't you seen anything of them ' yet ?" j "No, not yet; but I'm skeered of that one of the boys 'at don't like me'll go to ' Thayer an' git one of the hotel hosses and come along, but I'm fixed here," said he [ patting his old riflo. " Our yoke is purty fresh yet, and they're better than their'n : any day. Ef they cat oh us we'll have fun then, shore." "But didn't you tell me that you were married by Squire Harris ?' ' 1 asked. _ "Yes, in course we're all right and jined," the youth responded. ' _" Than what right have the father and ' friends of the girl — your wife — to run after ' you in this manner ?" "Wall, to tell the truth, I hadn't thought of that," the young fellow replied. I The girl's sunbonnet was pushed back ' at this part of the conversation. She was : a pretty thing, a good typo of the Ozark ' young woman. Her eyes were red with i weeping, but they brightened up at my words. i "An' don't you think that " i The girl Btarted to Bpeak, but she was ' stayed by the hand of her husband. - "What was you goin' to say, stranger ?" ■ he asked. " I was going to say that you are foolish in running away in this fashion. Do you know how far you've gone ?" ' ' About fifty mile, I reokon." "You've gone across Oregon County," : I answered. " You are in Ripley now." " But they're right after us." "What of it?" " They'd take Clorindy." The girl burst into tears. "Stuff and nonsenße !" I replied. "She's yours for all time. You ought to be ashamed of yourself for running away like this. Where have you been sleeping ?" "In the waggon. Cloriudy druv while I slep' an' I druv while she snoozed." " Well, I'd advise you to turn back and go home." " An' can't they take Clorindy P" "I should say not," I replied, "if you have a marriage certificate.,' The girl almost laughed aloud. " Well, I'll bo gosh durned," the groom exclaimed. "Gee about, you leather-hided sons of Satin. If we meet them fellers an' they say shoo to us I'll put 'em so full of Tioles that they wou't hold sand an' " " Don't do anything rash," I exclaimed, "just show your certificate. They'll growl, but that will be the end of it." "Stranger," Baid the young mountaineer, " you've done me a good turn, so I'm goin' to do you one. You Irin s'luto the bride ef you want." The girl did not hesitate a moment. She pushed her bonnet back ar.d leaned far down from the seat, her red lips puckered and her eyes dancing with merriment. The blush was there yet, but it was more delicate than at first, the rich tan on the forehead blending with the roses on the cheek. <— My wife has always wanted to know whether or not I took that proffered kiss.