Читать книгу Buffalo Bill's Bold Play; Or, The Tiger of the Hills онлайн

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The crowd was respectful; it would have been quite as much so, even if it had not noted the bulging of the coat tails of the bridegroom.

When Abercrombie Morris had pronounced the couple “husband and wife,” Juniper Joe took much apparent delight in introducing his bride to every one in the house he could reach conveniently.

When it was through, he made a little speech.

“What I has to say, ladies and feller citizens, is: ‘Go and do likewise.’ Thar, on the wall, set in a picture frame which I made to-day myself, is the thing which worked the trick fer me; and any of you can use the same means, and make a copy of it, if you want to do as I did.”

He pointed to an advertisement cut from a newspaper, which he had framed and stuck against the wall.

“I don’t need to sling no wise advice to the ladies present; fer they aire knowin’ well to the fact that they can each and every one of ’em git married any minute that they say the word. So I directs my remarks to the male sect; which, because it’s out o’ all proportion with the other in this hyer town, don’t have much of a show. In the East, thar’s women so numerous that they fair jostles each other, without half enough men to go round; a condition that is highly prejudicial to the good of society both hyer and thar. Most any o’ them women would jump at a chanct to marry a likely man, ’specially if he could show a good bank account. The hills round this hamlet aire sproutin’ with gold, in pockets, leads, fissure veins, and every other way; every man hyer has got a cinch on wealth, if only he’ll hustle. And that wealth will git him a wife, if he wants one; it’s what brung me mine.”