Mitch Miller | Page 6

and Nellie has solid silver buckles on her shoes and a veil
that cost $50. I'll come for you," says Mitch. And so a little after supper
Mitch whistled for me, and we went to the Bennett house and fooled
around waiting.
CHAPTER II
Now Mr. Bennett had traded his farm for a store in town and was now a
merchant prince, my pa said. And he had built him a wonderful stone

house on a hill with a big yard around it. There was a house there
before, and of course lots of trees, bushes around, and walks; and he
had built a fine barn with lightning rods all over it with silver balls that
just glittered. And he had a span of horses that cost $1000 and a
wonderful carriage. He was awful rich. And Nellie was goin' to marry a
man which was from Chicago. Pa and ma were goin' to the wedding;
and ma could hardly get ready it took her so long to dress. She wore her
silk dress which her sister had given her, and looked prettier than I ever
saw her. Mitch and me had to sneak off because I was supposed to stay
with Myrtle and Little Billie, as Delia, our girl, wanted to go out.
Because I went, Delia had to stay, and she was as mad as hops.
But on the way over to Mr. Bennett's, Mitch told me that they had
brought colored waiters from Chicago, from the Palmer House, the
finest hotel in the world, where they had silver dollars in the floor. I
couldn't believe this, but he said he had talked to Harold Carman, who
had seen 'em with his own eyes, and counted 'em till he got tired. Mitch
said that they had an orchestra from Chicago and were goin' to dance,
that the wedding would cost $5000 which Mr. Bennett had offered to
Nellie in money, or to take it for the cost of the wedding; and she took
it for the wedding.
We climbed over the picket fence near the barn and dodged around past
the bushes until we got up to a window where we kind of scrouched
down and looked through lace curtains. There we saw everybody--all
dressed up and talkin' and laughin'; and there was my pa and ma. Ma
was holdin' her fan and talkin' to a man in a long black coat with all his
white shirt showin', and diamonds in the shirt and a white tie. She
looked very smilin' and different than when she talked to pa. Mitch's pa
and ma warn't there, not bein' invited. The orchestra was playin'
wonderful music; and finally all the people quit talkin'; the room got
still, and the orchestra began to play somethin' very beautiful; and
pretty soon Nellie Bennett came in holdin' the arm of Mr. Bennett, all
in her veil and white satin, but I couldn't see the buckles on her shoes.
And then the man she was goin' to marry--his name was Richard
Hedges from Chicago--stepped out, and they both stepped in front of
the minister, who was from Jacksonville, wearin' a black robe with

white sash around his neck; and the orchestra stopped playin'. But just
then we heard a twig or somethin' snap and we looked around quick
and there was Doc Lyon who read the Bible all the time and acted
queer. My pa thought he was crazy. And he began to say: "She doted
on her lovers, on the Assyrians, her neighbors, which were clothed with
blue, governors and rulers, all of them desirable young men, horsemen
riding upon horses. I will take away thy nose and thy ears; and thy
residue shall fall by the sword. They shall also strip thee of thy clothes
and take away thy fair jewels."
Doc Lyon's voice sounded like he was talkin' out of a cistern, and I
grew sick at my stomach I was so scared. But both Mitch and me forgot
the wedding for the time and turned our heads. And pretty soon we saw
Doc Lyon kind of rolling a pistol over in his hand. We could see it. It
glittered in the light; but Mitch and me were lyin' in the shadow there,
and I don't believe he knew we were there. At least until I kind of lost
my balance and fell over against Mitch and bumped him against the
house, makin' a noise. We were scared to death, for we was afraid Doc
Lyon could now see us, and know us, and would come over to us, and
do something to us. Everybody was afraid of him, especially the boys.
Well, probably he didn't know who it was, or but what maybe it was a
big dog. So he stood a