The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1882-09-30
Select Story,
From Harper's Bazar.
The Unceremonious Wedding.

';One thing I am determined upon, re-
marked Mrs. Sue Hathaway, decisively.
''You. Fan, shall have decently ceremo-
NOUS wedding. When I think of the ha-
rem-scarem way in which Charley and [
were thrown at one another, the wonder Is
not that we haven't quarreled since, but
that We were really married at all.
Tell me all about it, Sue, dear, coaxed
Mrs Hathaway's youngest and pet sister,
as she folded and replaced in their boxes
the dainty articles which she was prepar-
ing for her own trousseau. "Iou have al
ways spoken of your wedding day as the
most unhappy day of your life; but I can
not conceive how that can be, when you
and Charlie love one another so dearly"
"And if we had not loved each other be-
yond all possibility of quarreEng, we would
certainly have broken our engagement an
hour before the ceremony was really per-
formed. I sincerely trust, dear, Fan, that
your marriage life may be as happy as
Lime has proved, and that heaven may de-
fend you from wedding day as chaotic as
mine"
"My remembrance of the affair is that it
was perfect success. You are such
manager, Sue, you are always in request
for tableaux and private theatricals. l
never knew an occasion which you were
not equal to-from a charity bazaar to the
state dinner the ladies gave the foreign
deputation. 1 was only eight years old
when you were married; but I remember
that l was your bridesmaid, and that l wore
a puffed null, with pink kid gloves. They
were the first kid gloves ever had, and l
was as proud as a peacock of them. l
wouldnt carry a bouquet for fear of soiling
and hiding them, but marched In, arm in
arm with Isabel's oldest boy, with my
hands displayed as conspicuously as posi-
| ble."
"And do you happen to remember what
a scamp that boy was? He was the cause
of more than half my tribulation. He was
a regular little Ishmael- hand against
every man, and every mans hand against
him" And when [ think what Bohe-
mian Isabel has been all her life, and of
the wildly preposterous way in which she
was married, 1 don't wonder. She was
studying abroad when she met her hus-
band. They had both gone to Europe for
a number of years, and they concluded to
be married at the American consurs and
continue their foreign residence, instead of
coming home for the ceremony. They
were married in the evening and took a
steamer Immediately after for some Medi-
terranean port Isabel's trunks had been
sent on board during the afternoon, but
when they drove down to the wharf at
night they found that the ship had moved
from its anchorage, and they were obliged
to hire waterman to row them out. The
water was very rough, and in sudden
lurch of the little boat Isabel was thrown
overheard She was promptly rescued by
her husband and got safely on board, but
in completely drenched condition. Now
comes the ridiculous part. 1t was cargo
steamer which only carried limited num-
Der of passengers, and it so happened that
there were no other ladies on board. lsa-
bells trunks were buried in the hold where
it was impossible to get at them, and the
valise which had fallen into the water with
her had gone to the bottom, and Isabel re-
tired to her stateroom to improvise toilet
out of some flannel underclothing of the
captains and two Marseilles bed-spreads. y
aHow very dreadful" exclaimed Fan
choking with laughter.
aShe succeeded, too; she basted up q
wrapper of the bed-spreads with Wat
teau plait in the back, trimming the front
with a Turkish towel torn In strips, anG
breakfasted the next morning In that cos
tune. Her husband told me he never saw
her dressed so becomingly."
II always thought Isabel was genius,
Fan remarked, admiringiy.
ayes, but what very singular proceed
ingl Isabel is FIVE years older than | am
and I look up to her for certain qualities
But she has no idea of ceremony or eti
quette. and she utterly abhors convention
Now say that getting married at all is ;
concession to conventionality, and it you
are going to acknowledge the claims of so
ciety so far as that, you might as well dc
the thing respectfully and in good form
| I am manager, as you say, and it was fol
that very reason that the entire arrange
ment of my wedding was left to me- W.
were living in the old family mansion il
the country, two miles from the church
and of course the wedding had to be at ths
house. This troubled me from the first
for the ceremony IS always so much NOR,
solemn and impressive before the altar, ant
| I wanted to think Of it as sacrament, t.
really feel the sacredness of the vows wa
taking; upon myself. Instead of this,