The sun. [volume] (Morris, Stevens County, Minn.) 1882-1895, 1882-10-14
A WEDDING GOWN.
rom Our Continent.

| Blank horror ana QlSfnav were QeplCt-
ID upon the face of my small African, az
,he stood upon my threshold with up
raised hands and eyeballs that seemed
starting from their sockets. Her pause
vas not of preparation, for with the iu-
ate consideration of her race she sought
D break the news gently to me but the
urden of it was too great for her, and
18th the next breath she exclaimed:
Dem pigs done chawed up Miss Lyd-
VS. wedding gowni"
"Glory,"I exclaimed (She had been
hristened Gloyiana,) "Glory, how did
thappen?"
"Duuno!" said Glory. "'Pears to me
lem pigs has got Satan in 'em. Guess
ieys 'scended from de ole lot what run
-&own steep place inter the sea. Illgo
nj fetch We a piece"
She sped out and instantly returned
With tattered shred of India null that
al once been white, and still bore some
resemblance to gown. Poor Miss Lyd-
| .1y! This was all that remained of her
'lream of wedding splendors. 1t was too
pitiful. | felt at once that the bonds OF
good neighborhood had been irretriev-
ably broken, and that Major Hawthorne
must be made aware of this last.and worst
degradation of his unseemly pigs.
But who would break the news to
Miss Lyddy?"
GLORY" said l, where is she?"
I Gone over to de burryin' place to
| tend to de ancestors" answered Glory.
Poor, faithful soul; even in those last
| days of her maidenlood, with the vague
terrors of matrimony and the still more
appalling responsibilities of unsaved
heather souls hanging over her, she did
not forget the ancestors. Long lines Of
Ludkinses lay buried in little sunken
hillocks in the family burying place,
which lay just in sight of her sitting
loom window. She herself was the last
of her race, and until within three weeks
it had seemed that the only fate which
awaited her was TO live out her little
space under the ancestral roof tree and
then take her place In the silent ranks
OF those who had gone before. But a
change had come. 1t came in the per
son Of 4 returned missionary from the
M;cronesian Islands, who had buried
the first and second partners OF his JOYS
and SORROWS somewhere under the palm
-rees of those tropical lands, and had
come back to the scenes of his youth to
-recruit his health, serve the cause, and
look up partner No. 8. He met Miss
Lyddy at a woman's missionary meeting
He called the next afternoon and was
invited to stay to tea. He accepted the
invitation, and next morning Miss Lyddy
roc5p-fbrT 10 lOl
under the Ludkins roof tree, for con-
straightforward, with much hesitation
: and many faint and delicate bushes, in
formed me that she had promised to
share the future lot with the Rev. Nehe-
nldA Applebloom. to take care of his six
children, and to support him in his ard
urous labors among the heather OF the
Aicronesian Islands.
was struck dumb with amazement
Miss Lyddy," l said at length, have
: you duly considered this project"
Her thin figure quivered, and her
white face that had yet delicate remem-
brance Of youth in it, grew tender with
feeling.
YES" she said; 81 think have. 1
have always had presentiment that I
shall marry minister or missionary"
Admirable and prophetic faith! and
-'-4' -A!'HICDiOOIl SttN liz hiIt" lllt Illp-
moment he set eyes on me that | was
ordained to be his wife; SO you see it is
not the surprise to either of us that it is
likely to be to our friends
l knew that her mind was fully made
up. [ demurred no longer, but lent my
elf to the discussion of the wedding,
which plainly saw was what Miss Lyd-
dy desired of me.
You will be married in church, 1
suppose?"
decision. 81 am the last of the Ludkin-
ses All the Ludkinses have been mar
ried at home. | will go out from under
my own roof tree. If | must seem to
forsake the ancestors"-she paused :,
regulate little choking in her throat
Il will at least not forsake their tradi-
tons. | shall leave little money with
the parish clerk, that he may see that
the graves of my dead are kept in prop
er order, as | always have loved to keep
them, and | hope they will forgive my
departure; but l will at least 60 as a
Ludkins should. 1t is my desire to be
married In my grandmother's wedding
gown"
Miss Lyddy's voice trembled, and
: there was a humidity in her eyes, at
which did not wonder, for it was like
funeral, after all.
81 thought perhaps" went on Miss
Lyddy, ':if l brought the venerated relic
to You, you would tell me if anythin.
were necessary to be done to fit it to me
/ don't care for the fashions, you know.
and my grandmother, as 1 remembei
her, was about my height, but still, You
know-some changes might be advisable"
Certainly" | said, edo bring it to
me. | should so like to see it."
at is spriggcd India (she called it In
gy) null. My grandfather, Captain ST.
mon Ludkins, brought it home from
over the seas. I'll bring it,
Like some pale and gentle ghost she
rose then and went to bureau drawer
and unroled, from folds of linen that
Q smeit of lavender, the frail relic of Mrs.
Captain Simon Ludkins' wedding state.
1t was fine embroidered null, the I'M
doubted product of Indian looms.
at is lovely" | said, "and So we'll
you. Will you try it on? We can tell
then just what it needs"
Miss Lyddy proceeded to disrobe her.
self and put on the spider net gown. AS
she did SO, the changes in fashions
mandates became only too evident 1t
had no waist to speak of, and just little
lace trimmed puff for sleeves. Miss
Lyddy was evidently surprised. She
bad no thought of this. l knew well
what the troubled look upon her face
meant, and pitied her maiden sensi-
bili:ies. Could it be possible that her
grandmother Mrs. Captain Simon Lud-
kins, had ever worn such gown as this?
She said not word that could indicate
the depth of her modification, but her
face was a study for an artist.
"There must be sleeves" she muir
INJURED, after a. few moments of silent
and embarrassed contemplation.
eyes" ! replied, cheerfully as my
constrained gravity would allow. "And
the bottom"
She looked down. She had not before
realized that the skirt OF the venerated
relic lacked full quarter of a yard of
tou hing the floor.
However could theyw she calculated