Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1878-07-17

rest OF the assembinge, and betrayed
his high rank. He stepped quickly
through the empty aisle, while the null
titude silently gazed at him as his steps
resounded through the church. This
man was Of middle height, and stoutly
built, of most proud and naughty car
riage. his complexion was very dark;
raven black hair and high aquiline
nose gave very commanding express
sion to his countenance, while long and
bushy eyelashes overshadowed his small
black eyes, which appeared to gleam
with wild passions. He was dressed in
a magnificent green suit, richly EN-.
broidered with gold, and on his breast
glittered star. The bride, who knelt
near HIM. was most carefully and even
sumptuously attired. A dress of sky
blue satin, embroidered with silver, en-
veloped her slender form, and hung in
large folds of drapery over her graceful
limbs. A diadem, blazing with magnifi-
cent diamonds, adorned her golden hair.
The highest grace and beauty could be
traced in her face, dlsfigured as it was
by terror. Her bloodless features
seemed immovably fixed; her pale lips
appearing death-like-her eyes half
closed-and her powerless arms dropped
helpless on her halfsinking body. So
she knelt, a picture of death, an indies
cribable fear and paralyzing horror APP
pearing to freeze both life and consci-
BUSINESS into the semblance of deep
sleep.
The pastor then, for the first time,
perceived hateful-lOOking old woman.
dressed in fantastical costume, and
her head covered with a red turban,
who grimly and even scornfully regard
ed the lneeling pair Behind the bride
groom, a man of gigantic stature and
dark, forbidding countenance had
placed himself, who standing there i'm
movable as a statue, glanced around
him in fixed and earnest manner.
The pastor paralyzed with fright, re-
NAMED for some time as ifstruck dumb,
until a savage glance from the bride
groom woke him from his trance.
What now puzzled him was the uncer-
tainty whether the bridal pair could I'M
derstand his language. This appeared
to him improbable, however, COM
posing himself, he ventured to ask
the names Of the bride and bride
groom.
"Neander, Fedora" answered the
latter in rough voice.
The pastor now begins 10 read the
form of the marriage ceremony, and as
his voice faltered and he made many
blunders in the reading, which the
bridal pair did not seem to remark, his
suspicion was confirmed that they did
not understand his language. But
when he asked "Neander. wilt thou
take Fedora, now kneeling beside thee,
for thy welded wife," and he doubted
whether the bridegroom, ignorant of his
language, could answer him, to his
great astonishment the latter spoke out,
Yes" in an almost screaming tone,
which resounded through the church.
Deep sobs bursting out simultaneously
from the crowd accompanied this ex-
clamation, and visible emotion, tran
sient as the distant lightning flash, ap-
peared to pass over the almost emotion
less features of the bride. The old
man then turned himself, speaking
louder, to the bride, as if he wished to
wake her from her Geathlike lethargy,
while he said "Wilt thou. Fedora,
take that man kneeling beside thee, for
thy husband, and honor him as such ?"
If SO, answer me in the affirmative?"
Then the lifeless bride appeared to
waken up, deep and awful shudder
appeared to move her pale features,
her bloodless lips moved, and quick
transient fire sparkled in her eyes, her
bosom heaved, while plentiful flood
of tears extinguished the momentary
sparkle of her eyes, and the word
Yes" was heard like the last word of
a dying soul. and appeared to find an
echo in the unrepressed cry Of sorrow
which simultaneously burst from all
present. The bride sank exhausted in
to the arms Of the old woman behind
her, and relapsed into her former state
Of insensibility, and so the ceremony
ended. The bridegroom rose up and
bore the lifeless form of the bride to
her former place. and the old woman
and the gigantic man followed them.
The pastors first conductors then ap-
peared again, and blindfolded his eyes
as before, and led him, not without
some trouble, through the crowd, and
having pushed him rudely through the
side door, they bolted it on the inside
and left him standing alone in the
churchyard.
Here he remained for some time be-
wildered and confused, uncertain wheth-
er all he had just witnessed was not a
dream. But when he had torn the
bandage off his eyes, and he saw the
church before him, still lighted up, and
heard the noise Of the people within it
continue, he felt convinced of the re-
atty of the mysterious event he had
been an actor IN Il, orllor Ia oLros,.a