The Press., 1884-09-04
THE BRIDAL ROBE.

| sunrlses and wild forest winds. It was difficult to imagine how he ever came to be related to the sour little old woman who was paeling harvest apples for pies on the doorstep-a woman whose countenance bore an odd family resemblance to one of those walnut-shell faces which children cut out at Christmas, and whose mouth turned mournfully down at both corners.
 SWell, mother" said the young man, cheerily, as he set the bucket down on the we'll curb, 'how goes it?"
 l Mrs. North heaved Borean sigh.
 My dear one, said she, 'this is 8 world of change and sorrow, Andrew"
 ''So have always heard, said Andrew, with undiminished cheerfulness.
 "I knew something was going to hap pen, ,' sighed Mrs. North, ''when heard you singing before breakfast this morn ing"
 'Did I sing, mother ?''
 ''And says to myself, T do hope there ain't nothing in store for us ! But I've most always noticed that when I have that sort of forboding creep over me, some thing is sure to happen"
 "Well, mother, and what has happened now ?' said Andrew, pleasantly.
 ''I was down to the store this morning, said Mrs. North, mysteriously. sWell, what of that ,?
 sI was buying skein of carpet-thread and two eight-ounce papers of tacks," sigh ed Mrs. North. 'sAnd the telegraphing machine had writ out the message. And I ain't one of the peepin' and pryin' sort, and never was but couldn't help seein' it over her shoulder. And it was from a young man down in York state to Fanny Cleveland" -a
 ''Hush, mother P said Andrew North, l reckoning to the very roots of his hair. "Don't tell me any more. It is not for us to examine into Mrs. Cleveland's private affairs"
 "But it is my bounden gospel duty to tell you this, Andrew" said the old lady, with mild persistency. 'No young wo- man has any business to deceive man as Fanny Cleveland is deceiying you. The bridal robe is finished, was what the young man telegraphed. Come and see it at once ? Don't look so struck of heap,' added Mrs. North. "Oh, my poor An drew, women are deceitful and I never did put no confidence in that Fanny Cleve- land from the first moment set eyes on her at Deacon Dolph's tea party, with her hair dressed with ropes of pearl beads in that queer, outlandish fashion, and 8 straight up and down black velvet dress, when all the other company was wearing puffs and frills and founces. Yes, you may depend upon it, she is going to be married right off, and to some young man in the millinery business. I don't know what I should ha' thought, if your poor father had meddled with my dresses and pelisses and caps, as men folks do now adays p
 But the last words of the old lady's lu- ,lo, 1<o4 IL her son, as he strode away under the ap- ple-trees toward the hay-feld. "Poor Andrew ?" she sighed. ''I'm afeard he'll take it hard. But its better to find out the truth before he has got any further entangled. And I never did think it right for widow to marry again. I never did. know, although I've always believed that Elder Dedlew would have proposed, if I'd given him the least en- couragement, the year after my poor, dear honest husband died"
 And Andrew! Very different were his thoughts as he stood out in the middle of the great level field, where perfumed waves of buttercups, daisies, and delisious grass followed the sweep of the merciless blade.
 "I don't believe it p he said aloud, as he examined the edge of his scythe, not knowing whether it was sharp or dull. ''I can't believe it |! Fanny is not woman who-And yet what a fool am P (sud- denly finging down the scythe.) ''Is there any woman in the world who is free from deceit And, after all, we never have been formally engaged. loved her and was idiot enough to believe that she loved me !! do not think that shall be likely to offend again in that way until the end of time."
 r :cx n 4<, o1ro1 hi mind that he will forget woman-that he will put. behind him forevermore all the follies and madness of love. But to carry out that resolve is quite a different thing, as poor Andrew North found to his cost. While the old lady went around among her friends relating the horrible story of the "telegraphic message" under solemn promise of secrecy, and in twenty four hours everybody in Lindenville knew all about it-that Mrs. Cleveland, the pretty young artist who had taken "Wild Rose Cottage" was to be married very soon, and that the bridal dress was already con- pleted at fashionable emporium in New York. Indeed, so fast did the story grow, that the very fabric price and trimmings were confidently talked of. And the bride groom, it was boldly asserted, was fa- nous man -milliner in the great metropo- lls, who had accumulated large fortune by charging exorbitant prices to the elSle.
 "Fanny Cleveland is just like other wo- men, after all, said Miss Prim, the viii lage apodiste.s '.She is dazzled by money!' , And after. all her carrying on with An drew North, ," added Mrs. Gadabout, ele- vating her fine Roman nose in the air.
 Fanny Cleveland herself, as is frequent ly the case, was entirely ignorant of the tide of gossip that ebbed and flowed around her. She pursued the even tenor of her way, all undisturbed by covert glances and furtiye looks, and all that surprised her was the unusual absence from her side of Andrew North, the stalwart young farm CT whom she had learned to regard with 8 tenderer feeling than that of mere indiffer ence.
 ''It is very strange" said Fanny, to her self. But I dare say he is especially busy during having time. All farmers are. And how handsome he looked when pass