A Magistrate s Marriage Fee. groom to me, 'you go home and wait there until we come. I see some of the stores open, and I wish to make a few purchases. We will be at your home in a few minutes'; and he drove rapidly to a grocery a hundred yards away. "When he reached my house a quarter of an hour later, he had the bottom of the buggy filled with all kinds of canned goods, and a dozen loaves of bread, and as he drove up he said : "'Go into the house and bring 'along three or four comforts, blankets, or something of the kind; and be quick about it, for the old man will be only an hour or two behind us, if he can find which way we have come. As soon as they awake and find Nellie gone they will be hot on our trail.' I brought out the asked-for articles, and the young fellow said : "'Now, holler to your wife good-bye, and get in here with us. I will pay you well.' "I knew that the law could handle me for abetting an elopement when the girl was not of lawful age, but I felt sorry for that pretty little girl and handsome young man; and the promise of being well paid being further incentive, I called to my wife that I would not be back for several days, and for her to say nothing as to how I left and where I was going. In fact, she didn't know, nor did I know myself. "'Now,' said the young fellow, as we drove off, 'the old folks will be sure to over haul us if we go to any town, for the old man will work the wires for all they are worth. Squire, you know all about this country, so point out the way to the densest part of that river bottom—where you know we will be in no danger of being discovered. Xo one, though, will be likely to search for us there, believing that we have gone to some other town. I want you to stay right with us
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until Nell is sixteen years and one day old and you have made us husband and wife. Remember, you shall have a nice fee just as soon as the ceremony is said.' "I directed the way, and in an hour we were encamped about one hundred yards from the river bank, in a canebrake, where there was no possibility of our being discov ered. The young fellow went to work with his pocket knife, and soon had a rustic little house constructed and covered with cane, in which he informed the girl she could sleep nights. Then a few yards away, under a large beech, we prepared our resting place. We treated the little lady like a queen, and she seemed as happy as mortal could be. All the horse had to eat was cane, and we would take him to the river to drink, where we also got our water. We camped there two nights, and the morning after the last one, the young lady said, happily, to her soon-to-be husband: "'I will be sixteen years and one day old at ten o'clock, for I've often heard my mother say I was born at that hour; but to make sure we will wait until twelve.' "Soon after we had eaten our noon lunch, the young lady made affidavit as to her age, and we drove out of the bottom to a farm house on the hill, where we got witnesses, and I joined the two in holy wedlock. As we drove on towards town after the ceremony, the happy groom handed me five twenty-dol lar bills. That, my young writer friend, was the most interesting marriage affair I ever ook part in, and the best paying one by at least ninety dollars. And I want to tell you that it turned out a happy marriage, for I have often heard of them since. But I wouldn't take such a risk again for the fairest woman in the land, because if the girl's fathei had not been of a forgiving nature I would now be behind the bars—at least I wouldn't much more than have served out my time."
