Martinsburg independent. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1875-1900, 1883-03-17

life as novels pictured. He used to
kiss my hand when we parted-that
was all. He was very gentle, but a
little sad, / fancied with look that
meant he was afraid of SO much hap.
piness, or to marry the woman he
loved was not all fancy had painted
it; and sometimes | fancied had
perhaps done wrong to tell him all
about myself so unreservedly: yet |
had only meant to be honest. But
the day was appointed land suddenly
Cedric appeared amongst as, when
l thought he was at the worlds end,
and he and the girls decorated the
little church with white field DAISIES
and grasses for the occasion. You
may believe that | avoided the sight
of Cedric in the interval before the
i wedding as much as possible, but |
somehow was always stumbling up
on him; he seemed perpetually at
my elbow; he surprised me more
than once with traces of tears upon
my face; the sound of his voice
made my heart turn and culver
| within me. If had dared to with
draw from this juncture, Pm afraid
should have done so: but it was
too late and though I felt like the
hypocrite when Mr.. Amherst ap-
peared, his look of sober satisfaction,
which reminded me of those lines of
Matthew Roydon on Sir Philip Sid
ney:
IA full assurance given by looks,
Continual comfort in face,
The lineaments OF gospel books
might have taught me that all was
| right with him.
"You are the oldest sweetheart l
ever saw" gossipped Susette. /
wouldn't give straw for such a
lover; and as for you, Adrienne,you
resemble a ghost more than bride"
In short, a thousand years of pur'
gatory would i'll represent my suffer
ings those few weeks before the
| wedding. Well, to crown the whole,
aunt Browne said Cedric might give
me away; he was the only male rel
alive, the head Of the family, so to
speak, and he could do it so admir-
ably.
1--WE shall see," said he, 81 am
afraid I would make a poor figure at
giving Adrienne away" and he
stroked his moustache as he spoke,
and looked at me just as he did that
day when we gathered the laurel for
Susette's fete-I could have sworn
he did. Ididn't answer for fear my
voice would be husky, and the tears
would start.
The wedding was to be quite pri-
vate-only relatives. Aunt Browne
arranged everything to suit herself
and the proprieties, it didn't become
a clergyman bride to make great
parade. AT the church, remember,
my veil caught in the carriage door,
and an orange blossom tumbled from
my wreath, which Cedric picked up
and put in his buttonhole. Then he
drew my half lifeless arm within his
own and directly the wedding march
pealed forth in great resounding
waves of melody. My grandmoth.
er's India muslin blew out in album
dant creamy folds behind me, and
Cedric and l were standing be-
fore the altar, and Mr.. Amherst was
reading the marriage service!
/ believe that aunt Browne faint
ed, or she would have forbidden the
bands.
"You see, it was impossible for
me to give you away, Adrienne,"
said Cedric, later, as we were steam
ing out of town. Amherst is
trump, and may he find a wife as
sweet as Mrs. Browne If it had
not been for him, / should have
been of all men the most miserable
to-day. Why, he wrote me all that
sad little story you thought right to
tell him, and added that he would
not deny that he was making sac
rifice, that in renouncing you, he re-
nounced all that made life lovely to
him, except his work; yet he felt it
was better one should fail of heaven
on earth, than that two should suf-
fer; and that if / loved you as l
had said, would l take his place at