re in a room by ourselves, and when we had been there nearly an
hour, it occurred to Margaret that it would be a good idea to humor the
old lady's dry joke about the danger of our getting married during this
visit to Troy.

"Henry," said she to my son; "Go out and ask the woman who keeps the
saloon where you can get a blank marriage certificate, and then get one
and bring it here, and we'll have some fun."

We were all just drunk enough to see that there was a joke in it, and
we urged the boy to go. He went to the woman, who directed him to a
stationer's opposite, and presently he came in with a blank marriage
certificate. We called for pen and ink and he sat down and filled out
the blank form putting in my name and Margaret Bradley's, signing it
with some odd name I have forgotten as that of the clergyman performing
the ceremony. He then signed his own name as a witness to the marriage,
and the young woman who was with us also witnessed it with her
signature. We had a great deal of fun over it, then more wine, and then
it was time for us to hurry to the depot to take the six o'clock train
for Rutland.

Reaching home at about eleven o'clock at night, we found the old lady
up, and waiting for Margaret. We went in and Margaret's first words
were:

"Well, mother! I'm married; I told you, you know, I thought I should be;
and here's my certificate."

The mother expressed no surprise--she knew her daughter better than
I did, then--but quietly congratulated her, while I said not a single
word. My son went to see his companion home, and, as I had not achieved
this latest greatness, but had it thrust upon me, I and my new found
"wife" went to our room. The next day I removed from the hotel to
Margaret's house and remained there during my residence in Rutland, she
introducing me to her friends as her husband, and seeming to consider it
an established fact.

Three weeks after this mock marriage, however, I told Margaret that I
was going to travel about the State a while to sell my medicines, and
that I might be absent for some time. She made no objections, and as I
was going with my own team she asked me to take some mantillas and a few
other goods which were a little out of fashion, and see if I could not
sell them for her. To be sure I would, and we parted on the best of
terms.

Behold rue now, not only a medical man and a marrying man, but also
a man milliner. When I could not dispose of my medicines, I tried
mantilla