many in the congregation, 'specially them that was in the habit of hearin'
'n' heedin', but it rolled right off Dixie like water off a duck's back.
He 'n' Fiddy was seen over to the ballin' alley to Wareham next day,
'n' they didn't come back for a week."

"'He gin her his hand,
And he made her his own,'"

sang little Brad Gibson.

"He hed gin her his hand, but no minister nor
trial-jestice nor eighteen-carat ring nor stificate could 'a'
made Fiddy Maddox anybody's own 'ceptin' the devil's, an'
he wouldn't 'a' married her; she'd 'a' ben too near kin.
We'd never 'spicioned she 'd git 's fur 's marryin' anybody, 'n' she
only married Dixie 'cause he told her he 'd take her to the
Wareham House to dinner, 'n' to the County Fair afterwards;
if any other feller hed offered to take her to supper,
'n' the theatre on top o' that, she 'd 'a' married him instid."

"How 'd the old woman take it?" asked Steve.

"She disowned her daughter _punctilio:_ in the first place,
fer runnin' away 'stid o' hevin' a church weddin'; 'n' second place,
fer marryin' a pauper (that was what she called him; 'n' it was true,
for they 'd spent every cent he hed); 'n' third place, fer alienatin'
the 'fections of a travelin' baker-man she hed her eye on fer herself.
He was a kind of a flour-food peddler, that used to drive a cart round
by Hard Scrabble, Moderation, 'n' Scratch Corner way. Mis' Maddox used
to buy all her baked victuals of him, 'specially after she found