Litchfield enquirer., 1871-11-16
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F--ss 2 sssE 5ss f this trance.like present. One day Arrie's wedding dress came home; and the next Maurice was to give her away in church =. the invitations had long been issued. Af. ter Guadalajara went away there spread among us four that awful hush known in a house before lhe corpse is carried out. Suddenly Arria and Maurice bent forward and gazed at each other, the bitterest woe upon the face of either. The maid beck. oEed ma from the door way; I passed Tre- fetheness walking in fhe long hall. aud found that Arria was wanted to try on her new array. Returning, Arria had left her seat and stood in the centre of the room, her hand upon her forehead, indecision and doubt in all her figure, and an agon- ized wildness in her eyes. H
 "Oh, Arria Aria Why heard.
 She made a half impulsive movement toward him, then seeing me, followed up stairs, turned . stream of cold water upon her head till the braids were deluged, or dered the maid to unplait and dry thens, and kept the dressing-room in confusion with commands and eonntermands, hot towels and means of friction, with droll speeches and cross-purposes. with busrts of meaningless laughter and snatches of tuneless song, f " t+& 9'
 ''I don'tsnppose every little girl has such life as mine" she said, at last. af. ter we had been at rest a while. ''She leaves school and comes home and lives in trifing. happy way, either singly or, by and by, as some quiet mans wife. sup. pose. though, there must be now and then hecatomb offered up to keep the peace, and. Iphigenia sacrificed, the other maid. ems marry and are given in marriage" l" She commenced humming an air at this. and unfolding her superb veil.
 "This is very lovely P she exclaimed, taking interest at once in her trousseau. ! II shall look like a ow.wreath--and, see it is going to snow o-night, the rain is clearing off in this red light; but there lies the bank in the west, and it is already cold. Maurice shall get me some holly frst-I would like it in my hair;" and l opening the door. she ran down with her 1 old. swift, girlish step to find him in the
 music-room. regardless of me close behind.
 She fitted up the drawing-room like va DOT, the white silks trailing after her in a l splendor that she loved, the airy gossa. mers shrouding her bushes and dimples like lowering cloud. and stood smiling
 and radiant before him. Just lifting with
 arm a corner of the veil, and suffering her dark soft eyes to gleam ont upon him
 with their vivid joy and sparkle, "Yes, ''
 she said, in tone as if repeating it to
 herself, while her eyes lay on his, "I have 1 decided."'' ........ | A color flushed up his face to the very temples; he bent intently toward her She
 drew back. and tue smile in her eye deep l ened to flash. ev ss,sa Do you retract ?" she murmured, | quickly.
 s'Arria ]" and he gazed at her earnestly.
 "Are you sure yon will never regret F' The smile broke over her face again, and
 as he gazed was reflected in his. But there
 on his came the old sunshine again-the I old sunshine--yet now with how passion
 ate an intensity !! They were unaware of my presence. said to myself: it was to be theil last hour together. and I stole away. ' a'