Little Falls transcript. [volume] (Little Falls, Morrison County, Minn.) 1876-1894, 1880-06-04
Nothing more likely; but Whist hal
become ef 1T It's prolonged game Of

Nothing more likely; but Whist hal
become ef lit It's prolonged game d
hunt the thimble."
I ssAnds supposiDg it's q letter notifYing
you .of the existence OF d first Amhent."
put in Anne, ssor Of 9 legacy left BY your
'forty-fitth cousin in Alistralia-" And
then the door-bcll rang. 5s..s.s.ss
s.Well, after that I supposed j must
have accented Mr.. Amherst. Everybody
behaved IS if / had. I received congrat-
tilations and ring; and the parish begun
repairs upon the parsonage before 4 could
muster courage to tell Mr.. Amherst all
about Cedric and my mistake, and how
I wasn't at all sure could ever get over
it, and care for anybody else, but that.
! would domy best. And he smiled in
g sort of absent way when told him, but
seemed content to take me as was, for
better or worse; only it did strike me
sometimes that he was the most unde-
monstrative lover in Christendom; but I
hadn't much experience in lovers, and
perhaps they weren't as gushing in real
life as novels pictured. He used to kiss
my hand when we parted; that
was ALL He was very gentle:
but little sad. I fancied, with a
look which might mean that he was half
afraid OF so much happiness, Dr. that te
marry the woman he loved wasn't all
that fancy had painted it. And often I
thought l. had perhaps done wrong to tell
him everything about Cedric SO tinreserv-
eddy; yet: I had only meant to be honest.
But the day was appointed, and sudden
ly Cedric appeared among US, when I
thought he was at the worlds end, and
the girls decorated the little church with
white field daisies and grasses for the oc>
caslon. You MAY believe that avoided
Cedric in the interval before the wedding
as much as possible, but somehow was
always stumbling upon him; he seemed
to be perpetually at my elbow; he sur
prised me more than once with traces OF
tears on my face. The sound of his voice
made my heart turn and culver within
me. If l had dared TO withdraw at this
juncture, I'm afraid I should have done
SO; but it was toe late; and though felt
like hypocrite whenever Mr.. Amherst
appeared, his looks of sober satisfaction
which reminded me of those lines o.
Matthew Coyden on Sir Philip Sidney,
| "a full assurance given by looks,
Continual comfort in face,
The linaments of gospel books
might have taught me that all was vel
! with him. =,
| "You are the oldest sweetbearts eve
saw" gossiped Susette. II wouldn't give
a straw tor such lover; and as for you
Adrienne, you resemble ghost more
than bride.''
In short, thousand years of puIga
tory would i'll represent my suffering
during those last weeks before my wed
ding. Well. to crown the whole, Aun,
Brown said Cedric must give me away; ht
was tie only male relative, the head o.
the family, SO to speak, and he could d.
it 80 admirably.
"We shall see,' said he. I'm afraid
should make poor figure at givin1
Adrienne away" and he stroked bus trist
moustache as he spoke and looked at m,
just as he looked that day we gathered
the laurel for Susette's fete--I could have
sworn he did. l didn't answer, for fea
MY voice would be husky, and the tear
would start.
The wedding was to be quite private
only relatives. Aunt Browne arranged
everything to sult herself and the propri
cites; it didn't become clergyman
bride to make great parade. At tn
church, l remember, my veil caught u
the carriage door, and an orange blossom
tumbled from my wreath, which Cedri
| MI h011
Then he drew my halt-lifeless arm with
in his, and directly the wedding marcl
pealed forth in great resounding wave
OF melody. My grandmother's Indi
muslin blew out in abundant cream,
folds behind me. and Cedric and
were standing before the altar and NJ,
;, Amherst was reading the marriage ser
wee!
I do believe that Aunt Browne faint
ed or she would have forbidden th
banns. -.
"You see, it was impossible for m
to give you away, Adrienne,'' said c.
dric, later, when we were steaming GU
of town. "Amhe1st is trump; and ma.
he find wife as sweet as Mrs. Brown
If it hadn't been for him. should hav
been Of all men the NEST miserable to
day. What do you think he dido Why
| he wrote me all that sad little story 20,
thought right to tell him, and added tina
he was making sacrifice; that in re
neuncing you he rcnounced all that mad
life lovely to him, except his work; We
he felt it was better one should fail of
heaven on earth than Two should suffer
and that if I love you, as had once sait
would I take his place at the marriage
and allow him to solemnize it, It was
within of his to have it so ito avoid expla
nations he said. I couldn't believe il
my luck, you know, Adrienne. W
banded letters to aud fro, canvass
ing the subject. I feared he had made 6
mistake, as had renewed my, offer som
little while before, but had received n,
reply; still dozen things happen to let
tiers every day. =,
eyes. and something happened t.
yours" said.
Years after, when Susette and Ann,
were married, when Adele's husband hat
taken the children home to new nam
ma, and Aunt Browne had gone to ''the
land of the hereafter" when Cedric wa
repairing the old house for summe
residence, in ripping away the ancien
: dado in the music room, which had al
ways warped away from the wall il
warm weather, leaving little crack, tn
carpenters unearthed my lost letter
Had it slipped down there, or had Aun
Browne given it push? We give he
the benefit of the doubt.-.harper's b
z1r.
Yes, He Could.