Muscatine weekly journal. [volume] (Muscatine, Iowa) 185?-1890, 1858-02-20

await my decision. Suddenly clsspedl
her hand and said, earnestly,
:. J, Win you marry ne - = $1,000
s" But you don't know me!"
well enough to know you would
make me happy. I" 4s
"The very words of Mrs. Bracegir-
die, !" / said to myself "Now it I
commit myself, and she proves as ugly
us sin! But that is impossible! She
must be beautiful! have full faith
in her pretty feet! What I have said,
since she has come to me on the faith
Of it, I will abide BY! I shall be sure
to have a beautiful wife! But
"Am to hope that you will redeem
your promise, Sir?" said the sweet
voice, the tones of which thrilled through
and through my heart. I was captiva-
ted by the voice and feet too.
/" Yes, I said boldly, /" on one con-
dition. - IA IA .s.s.s ID s.ss
"Name it, Sir" she said quietly.
"That you unveil 2"
"No. I mean that you shall take
me on your own theory of beauty. If
you will run the risk, there is my hand!"
81 ,UsW marry you, that is-if-if
you can show me evidence Of your re-
spectability-of your position Par
don me, but you know that
81 perfectly comprehend you. Ex-
pecting this demand, I am prepared to
meet it," and opening her reticule she
handed me a note. 1t was from my
uncle, the M. D. There was no mis-
taking nor forging his oddly-shaped
hand writing. 1t read as follows:
"DEAR JACK - The bearer 10 every way
your equal. If you marry her, you will not
compromise yourself - rzr7r
$50 then my uncle is in this affair.""
l said laughingly. "My friends mean
! shall put my theories into practice.
1 will marry you," I said, desperately,
almost fearing that she would change
her mind.
Let us exchange rings in mutual
pledge, " she said, behind the horrid
veil. .-......-.-..... ........-
The exchange was made, and I then
said,
evil you now let me seal my prom
Use on your fair lips 2"
"Yes - and she removed slowly
her veil, and started back with horror.
Never before had man beheld so ugly
face! I felt as if should fall through
the floor. l fairly staggered with the
shock not only to my nerves but to my
theory. "Who in Heavens name are
your" A loud and mirthful and tri-
umphant laugh from behind caused me
to turn round, and in the wide open
folding doors I beheld my uncle, my
fond Harry Hamilton, and my Puritan
aunt, and half dozen Of my friends
and relatives, who seemed beside them
selves with joy.
I stood amazed. I saw I had been
victimized. I regarded the stranger
before me with anger as the chief par
ty Of conspiracy against me, when l
suddenly saw the ugly visage, which
was an admirably fitting mask, fall to
the ground, revealing the lovely, beauti-
full, laughing, charming, mischievous
face of my fair cousin
When the uproarous excitement had
little subsidized, and every body had
laughed at me as much as they could,
I clasped the bewitching Fanny, my
cousin, Cher name was Francis Annie, }
in my arms and cried,
Let him laugh, my friends, who
wins! But, I added, with look of
doubt, "what about the Bible and your
mother, cousin 20
"Here is mother, let her speak for
herself" said Fanny, smiling, and
looking more beautiful (the pretty
footed witch } than I ever saw her in
my life! Confound that clever mask !!
How thoroughly it deceived me.
"Why 1 have found that it is not in
the Bible, only in the last part, put in
by nobody knows who, that cousins
shan't marry" said her mother; sand
only in the old English Bibles; so
when I saw how it was, and that Fanny
loved you, and you would have married
her if you dared, I gave my consent
and to please your uncle and some 9TH
ers We got up this little deception and
Mrs. Bracegirdle being let into the Sc
cret three days ago let us in by the side
door into the parlor."
eyes, Doctor, I couldn't refuse 'em,
so I unlocked the folding-doors and
slipped out the keys. You know l
asked you this morning if you hadn't
better take wife !"
The result Of this innocent conspir-
acy Of my relatives, heartily seconded
by Fanny, who knew I had loved her
from boyhood, was that l got the best
little and most beautiful wife in the
world, choosing her, after all. by her
pretty feet; and SO establishing my
theory, that (confound that ugly-vis-
aged mask, it well-nigh killed me on
the spot pair Of pretty feet can only
belong to pretty face and person, on
the principle that