Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1882-06-22
STOPPED BEFORE TOO LATE.
Bride Refuses at the Altar to Complete the
Nuptial Ceremony.

Bride Refuses at the Altar 90 Complete the
Nuptial Ceremony.
a certain dean Of Chester, England.
was called upon to perform the we'd
ding ceremonial for a pair of happy
lovers. The position of both parties
was Of the highest rank, and the guests
who were hidden to the church were of
the most fashionable and exalted. The
day arrived, and with it the hour. The
edliice was packed and all was in readi-
ness. The dean, expectant, awaited
the coming of the bride, and the groom
with his best man was in the vestrv
The hours passed on and still the bride
did not arrive. After long delay she
drove up to the church door, and with
her bridesmaids swept up the large
middle aisle toward the altar. In the
meantime the groom advanced to meet
her and receiving her halfway escorted
her to the dean. After the opening
words of exhortation, the dean turned
to the man and asked him the usual set
questions whether he would have the
woman for his welded wife, etc, to
which he answered, Il will" The
question being in turn asked of the
woman, to the establishment and amaze
ment Of all, she distinctly said, looking
the groom in the face, II will not"
The next instant she said in a low voice:
''Mr. Dean, no one can more regret the
words have just uttered than myself,
and if you will dismiss the congregation
and take me into your vestry room. |
viii apologize, and at the same time
fully and satisfactorily explain what
may seem to all my strange conduct"
The dean, seeing that she was in truth
earnest, In a few words dismissed the
bewildered congregation and directed
the bridegroom to await him. The con-
gregation having departed, and the lady
and dean being together, she said: II
can not tell YOU how badly | feel /
bad loved my fiance truly and deyotedly
and had looked forward to Il life of per-
feet happiness and Joy. This morning.
as you know, | was late at my marriage
ceremony; but it was not through any
fault of mine. | arrived as soon as /
could. Instead of receiving looks of
love and words of full happiness from
my future husband, he paralysed my
beating heart by saying, when he met
'iAN h'A- ""J up VIC asst, u IL
you. if you expect to begin life this way
by keeping me waiting for you, YOU
viii find out after You are my wifer
My decision was instantly made. |
have been told that, sooner than suffer
unhappiness through my own actions,
1t were better to renounce even at the
altar Il union that would bring misery
and grief thereafter. Had | turned
back he would have followed me; there
would have been n scene, and he might
have persuaded me to return and marry
him. 1t also might have looked like
temper. and | had fully time during
your few words of prayer to make up
my mind. know that l have disap-
pointed friends, my family, but no one
more than myself. DO not ask me to
reconsider my late action. Inform my
would-have-been husband of my de-
termination, and let me GO The
dean, seeing she was resolved, could
not but approve, and gently led her
through the church back to her anxious
parents, not as smiling wife, but as a
woman whose present is shattered and
whose future is blighted r. Chjcngo
Times