Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1883-10-18
and, though the idea was horrible as

On my seventeenth birthday, my
guardian came to me, and said:
"Alice, my child, it is quite time for
you to begin to think of your marriage.
Shall we set the fifteenth of November
for the wedding day."
| said Eyes" in my usual quiet way,
and then was again alone with my
| thoughts and fears. As the day drew
near became more reconciled, perhaps
owing to the fact that. being woman,
l could not feel Indifferent toward an
event which would bring me so many
new dresses and bonnets; and our old
home really seemed quite gay. with all
| its furniture draped IN bright colored
articles Of clothing. which were thrown
| upon any convenient chair and table
during the exciting hours of packing.
Still, when the morning actually ar
! rived, L awoke, feeling very solemn
and very lonely, and was more glad
! than sorry to hearthe rain falling up
on the leaves of a tree near my VIM
| dow. / arose, and after breakfast
which | was too frightened to eat,
went with Briggs and servant 20
| church, where / met and married John
Finger. And the only part of the ser
vice | remember, and which wiki always
| seem to me portion of the marriage
ceremony, is the sound of the rain
| drops, As they fell through hole in the
roof, down to a pool already formed on
| the floor
| Something in the splash of those rain
drops made me feel very much like cry
| ing, and when my guardian took my
| hand and congratulated me, l looked
up and tried to smile, and the sun tried
for moment to break through a cloud,
but the smile and the sunbeam died to-
gether. g e-
| Soon after, we arrived at our now
common home, and We're met at the
door by the housekeeper, grim-look-
ing female, who had evidently entered
the house on its natal day, and had no
| intention of ever leaving ii again alive.
Internationally. at once made her
my eternal enemy by passing her with
out a greeting. | saw a peculiar glance
! pass between the two, however. so L
| was prepared to use some policy and
! smile as sweetly As | could when my
husband introduced me to her some few
minutes after.
One look about the hallway WAS suf-
ficient to allow me to take in every
point; the stairway turning to the east
from the lower end; the statue at the
foot of it that held light in its right
hand, which it tried to shade with its
left; door at the very lower end
seemed to open into a library: and
round to the west of the entrance way
was q door which l supposed opened
into the parlor; but on the wall of the
east side there was no door. and, while
looking at this place, L said, in sur
prised manner:
"Why, how strange"'
"What is so stranger" said Frau
Stable, with sinister look in her eve
Why" faltered 1, 81 think it very
strange that there is no door in this
wall, knowing as l do that there must
be a room there"
"Well, it's my opinion that the less
you pry into things in this house the
better you'll please the man you've mar
ried,' and with many an eplinous
muttering the old creature limped out
to some part of the house unknown to
me then.
looked inquiringly at my husband.
but he had evidently been 50 occupied
in hanging up his coat and in smooth
heard nothing of the strange conversa-
ton.
That night, you may well fancy, was
a sleepless one. The wall without q
door haunted and terrified me. and be-
fore morning | was as nervous regard
ing this wing on the east side of the
house as was the wife of Bluebeard
about the forbidden key.
AT daybreak | arose, and, dressing
myself.in Il soft, bright-colored wrap
per, went down stairs and opened the
front door. 1t was not yet seven O clock
cold. dark and wet; but my curiosity
was forcing me almost against my COM
mon sense; and l held my skirts up
high above the wet steps, and picked
my way round the muddy pathway to
where [ could see the outside wall of the
wing. I stood on tiptoe and pulled the
vines aside from several places, but
could see no door, nor any windows;
and [ went shivering into the house
more mystified than ever.
Opening the door into the parlor 1
went in and found a long, dreary-look-
ing room, furnished in black hair cloth.
Between the two front windows was an
old-fashioned pier glass, in which saw
myself at full length. For the first time
in my life did not care to look at my
self. My face was too long and color
less to please me, and my eyes had dark
rings under them which [ did not like;
but my soft cashmere dress, which fell
in loose folds on the floor, pleased me,
and | turned and walked down the
room, looking back over my shoulder,
pleased as child to see my train sweep
the floor behind me. 500
But, alas! while smiling at myself,
and not observing my footsteps. l STUN
bled over a hassock, and fell from my
high dignity in heap on the floor.
l looked up from my humble position
just in time to see John Finger. his thin
lips set in a scornful smile. My youth
and spirits seemed suddenly to die with
in me.
When / had once more come to my
senses and regained my dignity, went
out into the hall and followed my hus-
band to breakfast.