The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1882-03-24

with our slow old Pilgrim Just - the
conductor had given the signal for start
ing. Charlie was on the rear platform
waiting for me. He pulled the cord
violently and jerked me on, while Ned
gave me parting push. My elegant
travelling costume was torn half off me.
How every one laughed! and Aunt Sue
made . spectacle of me by producing
her housewife and sewing me up before
the assembled multitude. Then half of
the party went to the same hotel that
we did, and it leaked out that we were q
newly married couple, and altogether
it was the most completely Notifying
and disheartening day of my life.
You poor thingr' laughed Fan. IF
you had only had nice competent sister
as l have, to take all the worry off your
mind, then you could have resigned ev-
erything to her good providence. as l do.
and have calmly awaited your fate with
folded hands"
"Yes; if / had had some one to rely
upon l might have given my thoughts
to more serious matters. Or if Charlie
had been more conservative in his ideas,
more punctiliOus in matters of etiquette,
he might have helped me out; but he did
just as every one else docs, left every
thing to me, and / had the satisfaction of
making grand fiasco of it all. But /
will do better by you. Fan. You are not
to be married until June; that will give
us plenty of time to complete arrange
ments. The ceremony shall be at st.
Andrews and will give you the most
rechere of receptions. / am very glad
the Professor has decided to spend his
vacation abroad; it is just the thing for
a bridal tour. You can have your selec-
ton of the young men from the gradua-
ting class, with whom you flirted so un-
considerably, for your ushers. TOthink
of your receiving all that attention from
the undergraduates, and then marrying
grave Professor! 1t does seem so funny.
+" But he is not grave at all. Sue; and
he is very young for his hOnors. Only
thirty, and am twenty-three, real old
girl. You don'trealize how time flies"
6. We'll, if he is not old, he is at least
dignified and formal-good material to
work with at the start. He would give
a certain prestige to any occasion.
shall have the satisfaction of seeing you
married in good style. You will redeem
the family"
Mrs. Hathaway left the room with a
futter of draperY, and Fan fell into al
muse. Her father and mother lived alone
now in the old family mansion, Isabel
was in Europe again. Ned and the other
boys were out West, whilst she was
willing away the winter at Sues beau
tiful home in the city. She was weary
of society, and she wished that summer
was nearer, when Aston could leave his
college duties and claim her. She
cared as little for ceremony as her Bo-
hemian sister Isabel; she wished it all
over, and herself settled in a home of
her own. Home! What a delightful
sound! Should she ever realize the |
word?
There was airing at the door. The |
oostman had brought her letters from |
Ter Professor and her mother.
DARLING FANNY" twrote the tirst-''I can't |
wait. June is q long way of, for the winter is |
'nly just begun. Moreover, there Is no need |
# waiting. We were idiots to think of it. Mrs. |
Delaney has gone South for the winter, and |
las advertised her lovely home to let, furn- |
shed. You remember it, do you not? 1t was |
It a sociable there, behind the garnet plush |
curtains i'm the bow-window, that you told me |
. The house has had its associations for me |
'ver since. never go by it in the evening ane
zee the light streaming through the stained
lass over the hall door without fancying that
says to me: know your secret; I've q
weakness for lovers That house Is to let, or,
ather, it was; it is SO no longer, for have
ented 1t. Don't start and drop this paper.
The house awaits q mistress. rye told the
iitchen girl that you will appear Monday
morning. Now don't say you can't for have
ust received letter from your mother, and
he thing is to be. She thinks it decidedly the
most sensible plan she has heard of lately.
Why should spend my evenings in board
ng-hOuse for six months longer. when might
cast my toes, instead, at my ain fireside? The
hing is preposterous. Iinclose your mothers
sitter to me, in which you will see that she
that bring you to her next Saturday
vening. we can then be quietly married at
an start for our own home by the early train
fOnday morning, which will land me at the
ollege In time to attend to my regular classes.
D make a social event of our marriage: but
ave a horror Of events and, besides, l can't
Tait She must come with you, and see the
not properly tied. / will meet you both at
he Depotat half past four Saturday p. m"
The letter from Fans mother re-en-
orced the Professors plea, and gave a
Maternal sanction to the hasty marriage.
an ran to her sisters room, only to as
ertain that she had gone out in the car
iage, the maid did not know whittier.
was Saturday, and half past three in I
ne afternoon; and scribblng a hasty
ote of explanation, which she left upon I
er sisters dressing table, Fan packed q
and departed. She reached ,
he station little too early. and sat in a |
orner of the waiting-room, enjoying j
the people come and 90, trying {
, imagine their histories, and wondering /
neither any were going on brands like
er own. At last the train trundled in.
here was the usual hubbub of embrac- S
e friends, importunate cab-drivers, and
urTying travellers. She eagerly scanned
ach passenger who emerged from the
LIS. Her Professor had not come. In :,
kperienced in the ways of travel, she y
cyan to be nervous. She still sat in =
le corner of the big room, outwardly !
I'm, but inwardly quaking. An old y
sntleman by her side, who, like her, .
I'd watched the crowd with meditative ,
u