The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1881-10-21
THE WEDDING MARCH.

3 1AE w EDDlNW MARCH.
"No 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 painting and !, Reginald Tracy, had
been fortunate enough to attain three
very important ends by its production,
Firstly, il was deemed excellent enough
by the Hanging Committee to be placed
on Che line, and it faced you in very
prominent manner as you entered Room
No. 5. Secondly, this prominent 20
sltion secured for my picture a large
share Of attention which resulted in its
hnd1nga purchaser almost as soon as the
Exhibition doors opened. But thirdly,
1t served the actual purpose for which /
painted it, and whichled me to choose my
subject. That purpose involved just the
least bit OF romance; and although the
clover critics praised the picture, and
even limited that, " Mr.. Tracy had been
singularly fortunate in his treatment of
a somewhatunusuala and difficult theme,
etc, not one Of them so much as guessed
that it was a picture with purpose.
AS the sequel may serve to show, that
purpose sprang from and ended in what
J. am pleased to call my little romance.
1t was charming day, that on which
/ went to Northampton to sketch the
TqGer meadows, and to see my old friend,
DR., James Brooke-Jim, [ generally
called hin--who had settled as practi-
toner in that town. The whole place
was stepped in sunlight; and the deep
shadows cast by the old ..ouses in the
narrow streets by the waterside reminded
one OF nothing 30 much as the blackness
OF the shades in some old Dutch town,
where Rembrandt must have learned the
special art that bears the impress of his
gnius to day. The old church of Rock
hampton is fine bit of Norman archi-
lecture, 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
Roc6hampton Juveniles on Sundays
quito as much as the service. Passing
through the churchyard, I found myself
at last at the church. With little hope
Of finding the door open I lifted the
latch, when at once it yielded to nv
touch. AS l passed within the green
halze doors within the porch. [ heard
the sound OF the organ so stealing
quietly into the grateful shade and cool
ness of the church, / ensconced myself
in the biggest pew could find and lis
toned. How soothing was the effect of
the music and surroundings on that glo-
rious day / could not see the player,
who was concealed by the curtains in
front OF the organ-loft, but intuitively I
guessed it was lady who played.
imagined that only a woman's delicate
touch could have made that "Kyrie"
speak in these tones and there was
more gentleness than power in the Sta
bat Mater into which the player ghded.
Then | remember the "Wedding
March succeeded and after half an
hours private hearing of the masters. I
quietly slipped out of church, once again
into the glad sunlight that played around
the grayestones, and made the world SO
fair to see
After lUnching at my hotel, the Red
Lion, went to see DR.. Jim. Tt an
peared that the fair player Of the
church was o Miss Spalding, and the
only daughter of well-to-do and retired
merchant who had settled at Rocl1hamp-
ton some eighteen months before and
Jim, 1 found, had been paying his ad-
dresses to the young lady. Her father
had married for the second time and had
thus given Miss Spaulding a step
mother, The old gentleman, as Jim
callod him, was an easy-going man
klnd-hearted in every way, generous to,
fault, and looked kindly enough on DIR.
Jlm's suit. But as to Mrs Spalding, Jim
pronounced a decidedly un}avorable
opinion. She was an ambitious, and as
ho expressed it, scheming woman, who
thought that Nelly should look some
what higher than DIR. Brooke of Rock
hampton and that she should at least
marry money-with which latter COM
modify Jim was, as young doctor of
course, by no means over-burdened.
Without actually discouraging Jim's at
t9nuohs, Mrs. Spalding made things de-
cidedly unpleasant for the lovers. Mr.,
Gpnqlng, good, easy man, was COM
pietely under the dominion of his wife.
Hence, jim confessed, he was in O. some-
what unsettled state Of mind.
" You see, Regy," said Jim. "Nellv
viii not disobey her parents, in any wav.
g That she cares for me she has confessed
to me more than once. But when |
press her to consent to be married at
once, and TO make me happy, she won't
hear Of it,"
my dear JIM" responded, in my
new-touud capacity Of guide, counsellor
and friend, "she is not the first girl who
has had to struggle between love and
duty on at least what she conceives TO
be her duty" E#*
"She is so thoroughly conscientious "
replied Jim, "that I fear even to press
her to take the step which would make
me a happy man for life When I ask
her in my despair whether she viii ever
choose between her step-mother's wishes
and my love, Sue implores me not to
tempt her; and so, added Jim, "hera
am; miserable rs need be-.
all this interested me exceedingly.
She was evidently oirl of sterling worth
aud with q high sense Of the duty she
believed she owed to her parents wishes.
thought over Master Jim's love affair
as | lay In bed that night, and came to
the conclusion that the case was q diff
cult one. You can not always mould
human minds to your own bent and pur-
pose by simply speaking. Hence T came
to the conclusion that Miss Spalding's
love for my old friend ought to lie tested
and tried in some way. As my expe.
rience of human nature goes, there
seems nothing like putting love, of all
human emotions, to some rigid test.
But how the test could be applied to the
case in which [ had thus been led TO feel
a special interest / knew not.
confessed as I rolled over to sleep
that / did not see my way clear to help
them Little did L think that the NOR
row was to bring the means and the
man. The man was Josiah Blagden,
Equiro, iron founder, of the firm Of
Blagden & Co., of Birmingham and
elsewhere /; the means was-my humble
self.
The day after my arrival at Rock.
hampton Jim proposed that should
drive with him on his morning round.
and added he: Wen call az Mouni
Grove on our way home. Mount Grove
was the residence of Mr.. Spalding and