The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1881-08-12

large scale. The ladies met from house
to house, came early and went home
late. They had supper at six O'Clock,
to which the minister and the other gen
tiemen of the parish we're invited, and
the evening was given to music and
games and fun. The gentlemen soon
learned of the new work that was i'm.
parting such renewed vigor to the So
ciety and increasing so largely its at
tendance. And from week to week we
all had glimpses of some parts of the
wedding wardrobe. Article after article
was exhibited to the visitor; comments
were made upon this or that. Imagina-
ton was excited to the utmost as to how
Miss Pickett would look; and one even
ing. when the articles were nearly COM
pleted, one of the young ladies dressed
herself in the bridal costume, and amid
peals of laughter personated Miss
Pickett.
And so, as the weeks rolled on, the in
terest increased, and expectation reached
fever heat. Rarely has marriage in
high life excited deeper interest, and
hundreds anticipated the rare pleasure
of being numbered among the wedding
guests, and privileged to behold the
marriage service. But now again new
cares and anxieties were awakened for
Miss Pickett, and once more I worried
for her sake. How frightened she would
be, 1 thought, if she knew of all the ex-
element awakened by her expected
marriage. If all these eager friends
who had worked for her, and enjoyed
the toll, were present, neither she nor
her intended husband would be
able to do their part in the marriage
service. And so l decided, notwith-
standing the Disappointment it might
cause, that Miss Pickett had better be
married privately; that would 60
down to her snug little rooms, so neat
and home-like, and there tie the golden
knot; and when had made in my own
mind this decision, my anxieties were
Quoted, and the time drew rapidly near.
At length Miss Pickett herself came to
see me. She said Mr.. Jones was too
busy to call, and she had come to make
the arrangements about the marriage.
She would like to be married at eight
O'Clock on such an evening; and she had
always loved her church so much, she
would like to be married in the church.
Had Mr.. Smith any objections?
What could / say? Icould not wound
that sensitive little nature by any objec-
tons. Had she not as good right as
any one to be married in church?
"But," I said, s'my dear Miss Pickett,
would not mention to any one that your
wedding is to take place in church, nor
would l mention the precise date to any
one. Sometimes, you know, q great
many people come at such times-just
out of curiosity; and if there should be
q great many present, it might prove
very ENTHUSIASTICALLY to Mr..
JONES'" added. I further especially
charged the sexton to preserve the
strictest silence. And thus in the conf
dent assurance on my part that every
thing would be quiet, and that only two
or three would be present, the eventful
evening arrived.
About ten minutes before the ap-
pointed hour l walked around to the
church. To my establishment, it was all
ablaze with light. Carpets were spread
upon the sidewalks; policemen were
keeping open passageway from the
street to the main entrance; carriages
were constantly arriving, and fashiona-
bly, attired ladies were passing in. 1
entered, and the spacious church was
crowded. The grand old organ, as if
conscious of all the associations that
clustered around the hour, was sending
forth-never more triumphantly-the
strains of the Wedding March. Gentle
manly ushers in white kids were in at
and conducting to their seats
the beauty and fashion of the city.
While I had been fancying that 1 had
the ladies of the sewing socie-
ty, they had quietly outwitted me, and
had planned this brilliant scene as the
fitting close of the weeks and months of
fairly trembled as
of Miss Pickett. How could
she endure all this? Nay, I thought,
with all that had gone before, if any
mistake should occur, the feelings of the
excited crowd would not be restrained
either by the sacredness of the place or
their natural sense of decorum. Never
in all the public ministrations of my
whole ministry was I so anxious, never
did I tremble so much as in the few
minutes before the appointed
hour.
At length the doors were thrown open,
and up the aisle marched Mr.. Jones and
Miss Pickett. He was the tallest of
men, more than six feet in height, and
she so small that she could barely reach
up her little hand and clasp his arm.
He was evidently painfully conscious of
he terribleness of the ordeal through
which he had to pass, and he came up
he aisle with the strides of mountain
ger, which Miss Pickett could match |
only by an occasional skip and run.
But there she was, just as our fancy had
painted her. There was the new hat,
he new dress, everything which had
become so familiar to us ali; and, in |
'pite of all repression, smiles were audi
Die.
Can dasfrihe that MARRIAGE ceremo.