"I'm a widder. You married? A widower? Well, that ain't nothin' to me. Work away--work away! "I came from old Hingham, near Boston. You've heard of Boston? That was before I was married. Our family came to Ohio first, then we heard that there was better land in Injiany, and we moved on down the Ohio River and came here. There was only one other family in these parts at that time. That was folks by the name of Eastman. They had a likely smart boy by the name of Polk--Polk Eastman. He grew up and became lonesome. I grew up and became lonesome, and so we concluded that we'd make a home together--here it is--and try to cheer each other. Listenin', be ye? Yes? Well, my doughnuts are fryin' splendid. Work away--work away! "A curious time we had of it when we went to get married. There was a minister named Penney, who preached in a log church up in Kentuck, and we started one spring mornin', something like this, to get him to marry us. We had but one horse for the journey. I rode on a kind of a second saddle behind Polk, and we started off as happy as prairie plovers. A blue sky was over the timber, and the bushes were all alive with birds, and there were little flowers runnin' everywhere among the new grass and the moss. It seemed as though all the world was for us, and that the Lord was good. I've seen lots of trouble since then. My heart has grown heavy with sorrow. It was then as light as air. Work away! "Well, the minister Penney lived across the Kentuck, and when we came to the river opposite his place the water was so deep that we couldn't ford it. There had been spring freshets. It was an evenin' in April. There was a large moon, and the weather was mild and beautiful. We could see the pine-knots burnin' in Parson Penney's cabin, so that we knew that he was there, but didn't see him. "'What are we to do now?' Polk said he. 'We'll have to go home again,' banterin'-like." "'Holler,' said I. 'Blow the horn!' We had taken a horn along with us. He gave a piercin' blast, and I shouted out, 'Elder Penney! Elder Penney!' "The door of the cabin over the river opened, and the elder came out and stood there, mysterious-like, in the light of the fire. "'Who be ye?' he called. 'Hallo! What is wanted?' "'We're comin' to be married!' shouted Polk. 'Comin' to be married--_married_! How shall we get across the river?' "'The ford's too deep. Can't be done. Who be ye?' shouted the elder. "'I'm Polk Eastman--Polk Eastman!' shouted Polk. "'I'm Olive Pratt--Olive Pratt--Olive!' shouted I. "'Well, you just stay where you be, and I'll marry you there.' "So he began shouting at the top of his voice: "'Do you, Olive Pratt, take that there man, over there on the horse, to be your husband? Hey?' "I shouted back, 'Yes, sir!' "'Do you, Polk Eastman, take that there woman, over there on the horse, to be your wife?' "Polk shouted back, 'Yes, elder, that is what I came for!' "'Then,' shouted the minister, 'join your right hands.'