the youngest one," he said, "but when we
got there, by jinks, there was Jane, the oldest one, all decked out
with ribbons and smilin' like a basket of chips, while the pretty
one, Rosie, that Ned wanted, was sittin' in a corner holdin' a
handkerchief to her eyes. Old man Spain said he'd let no man cull the
family--he'd have to take them as they come, by George! Poor Ned was
all broke up. They wouldn't let him say a word to Rosie--they seemed
to know which way her evidence would run. The timber-boss took Ned
aside; I can hear him yet the way he said, 'Marry the girl, Ned, me
boy; the Spaniards are too numerous for us! We mustn't make bad blood
wid them!' Father Welsh was there all ready, kinda tapping his foot
impatient-like, waiting to earn his money. Old Geordie Hodgins was
there; he was one of the oldest river-drivers on the Ot'way, a sly
old dog with a big wad o' money hid away some place, some said it was
in the linin' of his cap. Old Geordie never looked at a girl--Scotch,
you know, they're careful. Well, old Geordie began kinda snuffin'
like he always did when he got excited. Well, sir, he got up and
began to walk around, slappin' his hands together, and all the
clatter stopped, for every one was wonderin' what was wrong with
Geordie; and old man Spain, he says: 'What's wrong, Geordie? Sit
down, blame you, and let's get on wid the weddin'.' And then old
Georgie straightens up and says, 'I'll take the old one, if ye like,
and let Ned have the wan he wants,' and with that the little one with
the red eyes bounces right out of her corner and she slaps a kiss on
Geordie that you could hear for the brea'th of an acre. Old Geordie
wiped it off with the back of his hand and says he, 'Look out, young
Miss, don't you do that again or Ned'll have to take the old one
after all.' And by jinks, as soon as she heard that the old one, who
wasn't so slow after all, she bounced up and landed one on Geordie
that sounded like an ox pullin' his foot out of the mud, and, then
Ned he came to himself and says he, 'See here, Geordie's gettin'
more'n his share; where do I come in?' and then John McNeish, the
piper, struck up his pipes, and we were all off into an eight-hand
reel before you could wink. There wasn't enough girls to go round,
and I had to swing around Bill Fraser with the wooden leg, and Bill
was kinda topply around the corners, but we got the two couples
married and they both done well."

Mrs. Perkins was something of a rac