Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1884-01-04
CHAPTER Nv.
~ mourning or n funeral,
A wedding mr. a fCeftynI .


One afternoon, close upon Christmas,
Margaret harrington sat by herself i'm
her drawing-rOom nj Beck bridge Abbey.
and abandoned herself to her renec-
tions, which were of anything but an
agreeable nature.
10 was n cold. dark day. Winter had
set in early after q short and stormy
autumn. A hard. black frost had
bound the earth in letters of iron. The
sky was like a mournful gray pail; foot
steps rang upon the hard earth; and
skaters in warm bright costumes
thrOnged all the available ponds. Mar
garet was in no outdoor attire. She
was just then adorned with n splendor
and in a festive style which i'll accorded
with the hour of the day or with her
own frame of mind. A dress of velvet
and satin, costly lace falling about her
neck and wrists. Jewels on her bosom.
bracelets on her armS-all betokened
that some festivity either had happened
or was about To come of. Indeed, that
which had taken place that morning
hal been n wedding Marion Percivars
wedding. which Margaret had resolved
should be from her house.
She had carried out her resolution.
The bride had been only too pleased 10
be married with cciat from Miss Bar
rington's house. The bridegroom had
displayed no unwillingness. Perhaps
he had felt somewhat at Miss Barring
tons mercy; he could not quite have
forgotten n scene which had taken place
between him and her. one night in May,
by the light IF the stars and of the
Chinese lanterns. in Mr.. Pierce's gar
den. BE that rs It may, be had yielded,
with every appearance Of good grace;
and the wedding had been brilliant. il
small one; and though Marion Perci-
val had looked very pretty. very charm
ing and very pcnsive in her brides at
tire. Margaret harrington had looked
every inch the Lady OF the Manor. the
splendid hostess, the first lady of the
occasion. The bride and bridegroom
had started on their travels almost i'm
Immediately after the wedding break
fast. Margaret was not giving any
evening party. and the last Of the not
very numerous guests had departed
scarcely half an hour ago. The invalid,
Miss Percival, had gone to her room to
rest, and was not likely TO appear again
that evening.
Margaret had one other visitor-Tom
Pierce, namely-who had come to spend
his Christmas holidays with her, since
she declined TO spend hers with his faith
err and mother and their family at Irk-
ford. Tom was no that moment ont of
doors. Alter having made n second and
a highly successful speech at the we'd
ing breakfast, he had FASTENED out. and
was now dispOrting himself on one of
the ponds before spoken of, and was not
likely To return TO the house until the
irresistible mandates of hunger should
summon him to dinner.
Miss harrington had left Blackford
Grange two DAYS after her bitter ouar-
rel with Louis. Baldwin. Until now she
had contrived to keep herself so busy
so constantly occupied-as to leave no
time to give to reflections upon the past.
Now, in amoment of sudden loneliness
perhaps also of unguardedness-it all
rushed suddenly over her; how she had
gone into the house on that miserable
afternoon. after parting with Louis. had
scarce waited 10 have her wet things re-
moved in her impotence to see Mrs.
Lascelles, and tell her all, implorinp
that lady to forgive her, il not for her
own sake. then for Rupert's. She had
told Mrs. Lascelles Of her weary and
dissatisfied life amidst her uncongenial
surroundings; she told. without reveal
ing names, of Maurice Biddulph's offer
70 her. and how its GOODNESS, and his
evident desire to have her because she
was a desirable heiress and n woman
of position. rather than the woman he
loved, had turned her heart cold. had
reused her into cynicism, had made her
repel him and mock him. How she had
come TO the Grange. in at ease with the
whole world. and her entire lot, and
how Mrs. Lascelles' first words had fall
en- graciously on her ears; how she had
found there love and peace. and had
known that the love was for herself
aud that the peace arose from untrnm-
meled intercourse nth noble and I'M
selfish natures. II could not give il
up," Margaret had said. IT could