St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1881-10-21
The wedding March.

shall, for polite and personal reasons,
be left undesignated, The picture was
one of my paintings and |, Reginald
! Tracey, had been fortunate enough to
attain three very important ends by its
production. Firstly, it was deemed
excellent enough by the hanging COM
mittee to be placed on the line, and it
faced YOU in very prominent manner
as YOU entered Room No. V. Secondly,
this prominent position secured for my
picture a large share of attention,
which resulted in its finding a pur-
chaser almost as soon as the exhibition
doors opened. But thirdly, it served
the actual purpose for which | painted
| it, and which led me to choose my sub
iect That purpose involved just the
least bit of romance; and although the
clever critics praised the picture, and
even limited that ''Mr. Tracey had been
singularly fortunate in his treatment
of IA somewhat unusual and difficult
theme" etc., not one of them So much
as guessed that it was picture with
purpose. AS the sequel may serve to
show, that purpose sprang from and
ended in what | am pleased to call my
| little romance.
| IL WIS d biiAb VII
| went to Rockhampton to sketch the
water r-meadOws, and to see my old
friend Dr. James BrOoke-Jim | gen
orally called him-who had settled as
Il practitioner in that town. The whole
place was steeped i'll sunlight and
the deep shadows cast by the OldhOuses
! in the. narrow streets by the water
side reminded one of nothing so much
| IL ssl.. al
old Dutch town, where Rembrandt
must have learned the special art that
bears the impress of his genius to-day.
The old church of Rockhampton is II
fine bit of Norman architecture. Ris-
ing architects declare that there are no
purer pillars of that style, nor better
preserved arches, with their queer
faces squeezed into the corners thereof,
which seem to impress the Rockhamp-
ton juveniles on Sundays quite as much
as the service. Passing through the
churchyard, found myself at last ut
the church. With little hope of find
ing the door open | lifted the latch,
when ut once it yielded to my touch.
As | passed within the green baize
doors within the porch, heard the
sound of the organ so, stealing
quietly into the grateful shade and
GOODNESS of the church, | enscOnced
myself in the biggest pew | could find,
and listened. How soothing was the
effect of the music and surroundings
on that glorious day ! | 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 only II wo-
mans delicate touch could have made
that "Kyrie" speak in those tones; and
there was more gentleness than power
in the "Stabat Mater" into which the
player glided. Then | remember the
''Wedding March" succeeded and af-
ter half an hours private hearing of
the masters, quietly slipped out of
church, once again into the bright
sunlight that played around the grave
stones, and made the world so fair to
see.
After lunching at my hotel, the Red
! Lion, went to see DIR. jim. 1t ap-
peared that the fair player of the
D church was Miss Spaulding, and the
only daughter of a well-tO-do and re-
tired merchant who had settled at
Rock Hampton about lS months before
and jim, | found, had been paying his
addresses to the young lady. Her IA
r ther had married for the second time
and had thus given Miss Spalding a
4 step-mother. The old gentleman, as
, jim called him, was an easy-going
man, kind hearted in every way, gen
, erOus to a fault, and looked kindly
!. enough on DR.. Jim's suit. But as to
+ Mrs. Spaulding, Jim pronounced a de-
4 cidedly 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-a
T. that she should at least marry money
: with which latter commodity jim
+ was, as young doctor, of course, by
] no means overburdened. Without act
n ually discOuraging Jim's atteptiOns
k Mrs. Spaulding made things decidedly
r unpleasant for the lovers. Mr.. Spauld
! ing, good, easy man, was completely
!. under the dominion of his wife. Hence
;, Jim confessed he was in a somewhat
!, unsettled state of mind.
t "You see, Regy," said Jim, "Nelli,
5 will not disobey her parents in an!
l. way. That she cares for me she ha
confessed to me more than once. Bu
d ried at once, and to make me happy
q she won't hear of it,"
"My dear Jim," | responded, i'll m,
= new found capacity of guide, counsel
lor and friend, "she is not the first CIR
e. who has had to struggle between low
'r e and duty or at what she conceives t,
he her duty"
"She is so thoroughly conscientious,
rs replied Jim, ''that fear even to pres
a. her to take the step which would max
r. me happy man for life. When as
: her in my despair whether she vii
= ever choose between her step-mOtheI'
r. wishes and my love, she implOres IN
not to tempt her, and sO," added jim
"here am miserable as need be-"
or All this interested me exceedingly
Ill She was evidently girl of sterlin
pit worth, with Il high sense of the dut
10 she believed she owed to her parent
ia wishes thought over Master Jim
le- love affair as lay in bed that nigh
re-. and came to the conclusion that til
co case was Il difficult one. | cOnfesse
as | rolled over to sleep that | did nC
see my way clear to help them. Littl
did | think that the morrow was
,r bring the means and the man. tn
~ man was Josiah Blagden, Esquir,
irOn-fOunder, of the firm of Blagdel
Bilge 4 Co., of Birmingham and els,
where the means was-my humbl
io self.
II The day after my arrival at Rocl
hampton Jim proposed that | shoul
drive with him on his morning roun,
- and added he : "We'H call at MouI
Earye On nur UaV hnn,a Man,