The Sunday herald. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1866-1887, 1882-06-18
TEMPORARY ALTERATION.

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Betty clnsped her hands under her mead
and yawncd little MS she looked at pretty Emily Ash
ton.
indifferent ?'' she said; " well, really, Emmy,
IT'S such an old story YOU knows we've been brought
M on II, Bob and | how can we lie enthusiastic -
Mrs. Ashton sighed.
''Nou are the most impossible couple, ~ she said
An Rabcttc, how time changes everything. Five
years ago You child, hob was In college, aud |
was bride; now You arc the bride and I am widow
at twon,y- three. ~
Z" I am not q bride yet, ~ said Betty aggrCssvcly.
ono, but You win hc TO- morrow. IL ihero another
girl In tho world I wonder, who would insist upon
spending the afternoon before her wedding day out
IN the woods with parcel OF noisy children. Have
YOU 10 romance, no sentiment, no Imagination ?
why, child, for weeks before was married was In
perfect dream 10 YOU never feel like that Have
you no regrets for the life OF giish freedom You will
leave behndp''
Betty looked up at the blue october sky, 1t shone
between the yellow hecChc9,
az shall not lcnyc It behInd, she snid Bobby
aud get well together, andmy life viii he little
changed only to go from house the street
to Bob'si the homestead Is his you know, since his
mother died, As Ia getting married want II done
quietly. l hate fuss. aud hob Is y regular wem-
mick; he'd like to take me walking and say, 'laloo
hc,e "a. ch" ,Sn, Let's ss, got mnrr'cd
the river and slender cedar boat shot Into sight
There were two Young men In II. ono held the iul-
der cords and flung cigarette Into the river they
came IN; tne Otnel was pung the boat anu looking
back over his left shoulder to make landing.
"Catch the painter, Betty said Rob.
"ltow late YOU arc; wo are ravcnous,' replied
Betty rs sire obeyel him.
When the boat was tied aud B ib had introduced his
friend Joseph Hardy, the young builta nrc. and
Betty male coffee, and Jack and Rudolf aud Lottle
were called from their beeChnutting, aud everybody
was very lively and witty and automatically hungry
and altogether they had very Jolly picnic, and Went
home ut last I'm u high state OF satisfaction
There was nothing very particular about Hardy: he
was negative SOFT Of fellow, but he was different
from any young man that Betty had ever seen, and
sho thought II was pity Bob was unlike his
friend,
Tho wedding day was peerless, aud the old par
sonage where Betty lived noisy aud CHEEKY with
the wedding hustle
Plump Mother Browne, between smiles and tears,
was nrlngg out her great white loayes OF
wcbbed bottles OF cutrant wine, golden with age,
which GRANDMOTHER Browne had long since set apart
and labeled " For Betty's wcdding.n Mrs. Ashton
was trimming the breakfast table with ferns. and
bitter touched by the frost, ami the children
they were wanted Every one was busy but Betty,
and where was Betty?
Nobody could hnd her and 1t certainly was time for
her to dress. The family became distracted. Even
Hardy expressed concern, AMI Bob laughed and snr
gested Young Loclinvar, and then, in the midst Of
all this confusion, Betty appear ell In her cotton gown
with hts Of straw in her dark hair a sane and sni
ing Opielia.
"Wlat do You think ~ SHE cried. Even now
tho rabbits have buiiowe1 ont of the hutch AMI YOU
know how deep Jack sunk the fence -
Then. before tho wrath of the family had found
speech ~ an faiEun Browne appeared with rnlpI,g
IN HIS hair and an opened telegram In his hand
"Nour great great-uncle I1hen rs dying lie an
nouncod. 81 must 20 at once; catch the nine
thirty EXPRESS,
60 hnd tho wedding ?' gasped MIS- browne.
''Iou' II hav. to get brother Gilman.
e nHver, - said BETTY firmly: uwiI, bc marrIo,,
by anybody but father. Wen wait lin You come
back; It will make no llTeronce''
Betty and are always here We can he martial any
So II seemed after all that there was to lie no we'd
Tho brlde-cako was nut away aul the rour vounr
| people stood tho SHADY plaza looking at eacI,
other bhnky. Mr.. Hardy seated himself on the
railing and rolled cigarette.
lilo was happy fellow, In that he was never at loss
What to do next; lie always made n cigarette.
'What shall we do now oskei nntir. IS vo
| ought To do something
eyes. 1t Is Nat to do nothing when we expected To
lie married. said Bob.
~ VIII tell you, ~ cried Betty "Iet us take the
double wagon and 90 to Bald Mountain Mother will
give us lunch, AMI we can haye picnic.''
earth, " declared Bob.
bob Ia certain that am horribly disappointed
not to lie married " she ietorted, and the two went
| off 10 consult Mrs. Browne.
| 60 who would ever Imagine those two people 10 bt
in love with each other - asked Emily Ashton n
| comic despair.
Hardy shook the blaze from q match and droppef
| 1t over the railing,
90 Nobody would, - no replied: 'they are not
| ing day. hut that night when Betty brushed her hail
she thought again that 1t was pity Bob was 80 IN
l
| she would he married 10 Bob, of course but if
| Betty put ont her Hight aud opened her blinds
Across the street ON tho plaza of Bob home (woul
| 1t lie hers tomorrow y somebody was walking an,
smoking. Hardy, of course. bob was sound asleep
Bob had no romance.
Betty bowed her blinds and crept into bed
All the same 1t was Bob who paced The pIazza an,
smoked in the dark. ''''""' NV
Ut Is confOunded pity, he said, Int he did no
| say what a pity.
Well rarson Browne would he back next day. an,
/ monty nico g,rl-but--
| lie threw away his cigar end and went In to bed.
| liut Parson Browne did moi come back ncxt Inv
nor next, next In fact three weeks went by, and
poor old Eben Browne stI linrrrrd ,,yIng daily :,
and would let his nephew leave his sIs for la,
| an hour.
| Both Mrs. Ashton and Hardy declared IL WINS nb
Surd to stay and still they STAYED from day tn Jay
They passed the time In riding and driving and RON
Ing, In tennis and music and All manner If inyon
| devices, and yet they were not ioyoIs gometj,In
had gone wrong somehow. The leaves had fallen, In
| mountains far away were capped with snow: IL WA
| November; tho very sunlight was hollow glare. IN
| world was out OF Joint completely one afterno"
Bob found Betty alone In the old fashioned pnror Ic
| fore u little wood fire. She hnd not been crying, q
course. What should Betty have 10 rry faro A m
yet her lasics were wet. ~ W. ~"
As he came In she looked M and then looked dawn
and sighed. She had thought it might be Hardy
who had come In to lounge awhile before the fre ai
tease her and scold her and laugh at her and trour
lent custom In those days. or course Betty was no
| in love with Hardy: she was only ont Of love vii
| Bob, and so she sighed and looked into the lre
"Wheres Emily?'' asked Bob.
ized Bob and Betty in tho old DAYS at tbe hcnIemv
she was younger than Bob hut TIrIs hay, n wny I,
tronizng boys in their school days in spite Of age
bury Mills with mother and Jack to buy herself som
| new widows caps.'
| CON- said Bob, ~ should have thouybt al,
| might bc leaving OH those things by tlIs tine, he
| been dead three Years. ' $40
81 Four years. - Betty corrected; but she says MI