Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1881-09-23
THE WEDDING MARCH.
AN ARTISTS STORY.

- -ssNo. 329-A Wedding March" Such
was the number and name of a picture in
the Academy of certain year which shall.
for polite and personal reasons. be left
undesignated. The picture was one of
my paintings; and I. Reginald Tracy, had
been fortunate enough to attain three very
important ends by its production. First
ly, it was deemed excellent enough by the
Hanging Committee to be placed on the
line, and it faced you in very prominent
manner as you entered Room No. 5. Sec
oddly, disappointment position secured for
my picture large share of attention,
which resulted in finding a purchaser
almost as soon as the Exhibitions doors
opened. But thirdly, it served the actual
purpose for which l painted it, and which
led me to choose my suject. That purpose
involved just the least bit of romance; and
although the clever critics praised the pic
ture, and even limited that ''Mr. Tracy had
been singularly fortunate iq his treatment
of somewhat unusual and difficult
theme'' etc not one of them so much as
guessed that it was picture with pur-
pose. AS the sequel may serve to show,
that purpose sprang from and ended in
what l am pleased to call my little ro-
nance.
1t was charming day that on which l
went to Northampton to sketch the water
meadows and to see my old friend DR.. JAS.
Brooke-Jlm, generally called him-who
had settled as a pr actitioner in that town.
The whole place was stepped in sunlight;
and the deep shadows cast by the old
houses in the narrow streets by the water
side reminded one of nothing so much as
the blackness of the shades in some old
Dutch town, where Rembrandt must have
learned the special art that bears the i'm
press of his genius to-day. The old
church at Rockhampton is a fine bit of
Norman architecture. Rising architects
declare that there are no purer pillars of
that style or better preserved arches, with
their queer faces squeezed into the corners
thereof, and which seem to impress the
northampton juveniles on Sundays quite
as much as the service. Passing through
the churchyard, found myself at last at
the church. With little hope of finding
the door open 1 lifted the latch, when at
once it yielded to my touch. AS passed
within the green baized doors within the
porch, heard the sound of the organ; so
stealing quietly into the graceful shade
and GOODNESS of the church, I ensconced my
self in the biggest pew could find and
listened. How soothing was the effect of
the music and surroundings on that glori-
GUS day l could not see the player, who
was concealed by the curtains in front of
the organ loft, but intuitively guessed it
was lady who played. [ imagined that
made that ''Kyrle' speak in these tones;
and there was more gentleness than power
in the ''Stabat Mater into which the
player glded. Then I remember the
wedding March" succeeded, and, after
half an hours private hearing of the aaas-
ters, 1 quietly slipped out of church. once
again into the glad sunlight that played
around the gravestones, and made the
world so fair to see.
After lunching at my hotel, the Red
Lion, 1 went to see DR.. Jim. 1t appeared
that the fair player of the church was
Miss Spalding, and the only daughter of
well-to-do retired merchant who had set
tied at Rockhampton some eighteen
months before: and Jim, found had been
paying his address to the young lady. Her
20 ho1 e., &Lo \
had thus gwen Miss Spalding step-mo-
Their. The old gentleman, as Jim called
him, was an easy going man, kind-hearted
in every way, generous to fault. and
looked kindly enough on DR.. Jim's suit.
But as to Mrs. Spaulding, Jim pronounced
decidedly unfavorable opinion. She was
an ambitious and. as he expressed it,
scheming woman, who thought that Nelly
should look somewhat higher than DR..
Brooke, of Rockhampton-and that she
should at least marry money-with which
latter commodity Jim was, as young
doctor, of course by no means overburden-
ed. Without actually discouraging jim s
attention, Mrs. Spaulding made things
decidedly unpleasant for the lovers. Mr..
Spalding. good, easy man, was completely
under the dominion of his wife. Hence,
Jim confessed, he was in a somewhat I'M
settled state of mind.
.s'You see, Regy,'' said Jim, NELLY will
not disobey her parents in any way. That
she cares for me she has confessed to me
more than once. But when press her to
i - id ok r. 10