Whig and tribune. [volume] (Jackson, Tenn.) 1870-1877, 1871-07-29

.1E4 f11 going 4I-at> -
No 1pfelts2,l n 5f ponspc-
~ AZ tasV. a. ~ u = skfH
Meg, her eyrsf hcgi9n . i5n-3ty gftlo.s
thyvgh her face was perfet,sy SOBER 3
Miss Martha hesitafsd, esStrnrif = ,
not satisfied yet, but almostnfraid
Esk the question that was tfesn-
bling on. her lips Out ID came VI
-"Yog,se Going 20 set married,
@Oh, / hope TO come tir,r; doa't
you, Miss Martha 70 laughed Meg
al. ...,.s-c. .s.- >es.-=s.. s... ...s-s. !. =
could scarcely help joining llcr /.
as the offended Lady drew hersctfup.
farewell Considering she was on
the shady side Of forty, and still in
a ssstate OF single blessednees.' Che
question scds almost an insult, nndI
felt In duty bound 10 take naughty
Meg to task, but she silenced mo by
declaring "she needn't como prying
into my affairs, then :" and no more
she needn't.
After this, whatever people said.
we heard nothing oft and ey-
erything being in readiness, Meg
named the third Sunday inIJuly for
her wedding. All this time she had
not made conddant of any ono
outside OF the house, believing
that ''if you want secret Kept you
must keep IL yourself" But on.Sai-
urday she called on all the relaffs,
asking them 20 come on the nor
row and see her married OF
course she had to encounter a rum
ming fire Of comments on her oddity
and reproaches for having kept it
so close but she bore IL brilvely, aud
begged them TO keep her secret one
day more, which they promised 20
do. ng ~
Coming home just before tea-tiIne,
the first thing that mot her gaze was
an elegant tea-Het, standing on she
I table in the sitting which she
at once OWNED must be from her
mother, and she was rushing of to
find this good mother, when Diek
raet her in fhe doorway, and, hasa-
ing her a folded paper, said, with
resigned air; 'sHere. Mcg, ] fclt
obliged to give you sons-thing, too"
just glancing at the lSpcr, and
seeing $500 in the biggest Kind Of az
ures, she threw her arms round his
neck and sobbed.
"Come now, don't take the starch
all out ofa fellows collar, I'D no (
idoa you would take g." 4
Don't you 1atter yourself" said
Meg, rallyiEg; call | can get out Of
you Is clear gain" e1
/, being only her maiden aunt, and
a "'poor relation az that, hail only q (
/ travelling case 20 ofer her, but The
dear child was kind enough TO say
il was just the thing she wanted.
4 Nnhra - that antrrHf a.
handed her a box, which, on being
opened, proved 20 contain beauti-
| ful watch and chain and just as we
we're going 20 bed came a messenger
| bringing pair Of cnhmeled brace
lets from her Aunt Maria, and a set
of carved coral from Tncle J ohm. So
Meg did not lack for presents, after
all. .r
| Sunday morning rose bright ard
clear, and IL the old proverb be true,
that Happy is the bride the sun
| shines OF" surely our darling Is des-
tined fer ahappy life. The sky was
unclouded, and the s-fr delightfully."-
cool for a July day, We had our
breakfast and family prayers As usn-
al. There was no hurrying TO and
fro Of servants, pastry cooks, for
lists, and all the little world that
| wedding usually sets revolving. nols
huttering and chattering Of brides-
maids flying about with frizzing
irons and hair pins, helping 20 dress
the bride and hindering every onu
else thereby. Meg don1ed her pret-
" silk, her white bat trimmed with
lavender velvet and white dni Isles.
| and her delicate lavender gloves,
| without help, save such as her moth
err lovingly offered, and then We left
her alone for n while
When she Joined us, IL was with
such q peaceful, "upliftedp express
sion on her sweet, grave face, that it
was evident she was not entering iu-
20 matrimony lightly or nnadvised-
", but "reyerenfly, discrectly, adj
| viscdly, soberiy, and in the fear OF
God" as the Prayer Book enjoins-
l couldn't resist taking her in my.
arms (there were no lacez and furbs-
lows 20 muss, you kug@) and giving
her a good "hng," she SO entirely
answered 70 my ideal of what . bride
ought 20 be. Then her mother took
her and cried over her a little--fOr
IL was very hard 10 give up this only
daughter, whom she bad hoped tOs
keep as the stay and comfort of her
old age-and Dick went whistiing
out of the room, q thing he was never
known to do ofa Sunday before. ~
/ We found John waiting for us In
the church porch, and Cousin Alice,
| who was the nearest approach 10
bridesmaid, and was TO Orange the
veil at the proper time. These sat
in the pew with Meg and her moth
err. while the rest OF the relatives
found seats as near as they could.
| DIR. Burdick sent word as he came
in, for the organist to play the We'd
ding March after the beDedicfion.
The services progressed a dsual,
aud at the close OF the last hymn DIR.
Burdick requested the congregation
to be seated again after the bcnedic-
tion. As he came down from the
pulpit, the organ struck up the in
dispensable "March," and we began
70 form into procession.
As i was the first to go up with
Uncle John, had ample time 10 oll-
serve the effect Of this "denoumenty
upon the congregation, and IL was
perfectly o0inical 70 see tb:s beNii-
dercd way in which they turned 10
each other with interrogation marks
in their eyes -el .f
Next came Uncle Harry and Aunt
Maria, Uncle Albert and his wife.
Mr.. and Mrs Milton, Charley and
Kate. Joe and Carrie, Fred and AL
ice, Dick and his mother, and lastly.
lJohn aud Meg, the dear child look
ing very sweet and "bride-y" under
the shimmering folds of lace which
Alice had hastily tossed over her.
We grouped ourselves carelessiy
about, and the good minister pre-
nonnced those oft-repaated yet ever
fresh words which make Of 'twaiSi
one flesh" Then we marched out
tagain and proceeded directly home,
the family friends accompanying NJ
and remaining short tiIne for con-
gratulations and explain ations.- As
they were all going away, Meg said
"WoH't you stay 20 dinner Mr..
Ware 20 90 e>
To which John replied, politely
"Thank you, Mrs. Ware, i think i
will" {. ~
So we settled down for a long.
quiet day, every moment OF which
| we begrudged as II passed, for
Il though John had promised to bring
his wife back 10 us for while, We
all felt she would never be quite the:
same.
Meg and her mother stole away
for an hour or two after tea, and
when they reappearcd, their red
eyes and flushed cheeks were 7clI-
tale witnesses Of what their "Sun-
day talk" must have been Then
we sang some OF the old, familiar
hymns, and Meg's wedding-day was
over.