The Londonderry sifter. (South Londonderry, Vt.) 1883-19??, 1884-11-27

MISS lnurSton, ne Salu, II was IN
terrible earnest when l said what |
did last evening. In proof Of which I
have procured license and minister.
Will you be my wife, for funp"
The very demon of recklessness took
possession of Miss Thurston. If Carl
son had asked her, before them all, to
marry him for love, she would have
turned away-but for fun; yes, she
would dare as much AS he, and she
cried in laughing tone: "Yes, Mr..
Carlson, l will marry you for fun"
At this moment the minister, whom
Mr.. Carlson had secured, stepped ont
of his tent, and the young couple took
the place which had been prepared for
them when the mock ceremony had
been in view.
BY the time the ceremony was fin
ished the audience had concluded that
the affair had been planned before and
in secret, and that they were the dupes
of the joke. Accordingly, never was
company gaysr than theirs that night,
and the merrymaking was continued
into the Il morning hours.
Two weeks passed after their return,
in which Arthur saw but little of his
wife. Judge Thurston's summer resi-
dence was number of miles from the
city, and the gentlemen could only run
down for over Sunday. On these days
the two were as uncomfortable as
possible in each others presence and
avoided being left alone together.
But on one Sabbath evening Arthur
came out Of the judges library with a
pale face and set lips. Ascending the
stairs with faltering steps he sought
his wife's room and knocked at the
door. "Come ill.," said a low voice.
Entering, he saw Margaret sitting in
a low chair. with her light brown hair
falling about her shoulders in great
profusion. lie had never seen her so
before, and some great mental emo
tion prevented him from noticing the
look of glad surprise which flashed into
his wife's face as she perceived who
her visitor was. Mr. Carlson checked
the impctuous words which rose to his
lips. Margaret he said, advancing
to her side, "you and l made great
mistake. take my due share Of the
blame; but even l would never have
dared to do this if had not thought
but no matter what thought. We
were married for fun, of course, and
now we do rot find it so much fun as
we anticipated. l have been speaking
with your father. He will not hear to
a divorce.nor is there sufficient grounds
for one, if we desired it. But he agrees
with me that you and l cannot live
in this mutual state of unhappi.
ness. 1t is necessary that one member
Of our firm should live abroad. l shall
have all my arrangements completed
by next week to sail for Europe. This
is not so hard for me, for am man,
but for you-God forgive me for
WHAT"
"You mistake, Mr. Carlson" inter-
rupted his wife. at is the easiest and
most appropriate thing that could be
done"
rthur waited a moment as if to
hear some word OF farewell, but the
figure before him never moved or
spoke. Then, gazing intently at his
wife, he turned and left the room.
All night long Margaret sat in the
little, low chair. Only once she
stopped to pick up crushed flower
with which he had been playing and
pressed it passionately to her lips.
i X 4
Two years now passed away and
the following winter found Judge
Thurston and his daughter under the
gentle skies of Florence. The Judge
was suffering in health, which some
said was due to Margaret's unlucky
marriage.
Several days after their arrival Mar
garet met her landlady in the hall,
just coming out of the room opposite.
Stopping to inquire if any one we've i'll,
the kind but gossipy little landlady
began 10 tell in broken Italian of the
young foreigner who had come to her
a few weeks before, and who shortly
after had been taken i'll with a fever,
and now was very i'll indeed. She
conducted Margaret into the room.
The curtain was closely drawn, and
coming from the light into the dark
ness she was blinded for moment.
Not so with the sick man. Looking
up to greet his visitor he uttered a
sharp cry aud the one word "Margier'
Margaret stood as if stunned, and
then advanced rapidly. The sick man
was Arthur Carlson. He raised his
thin. wasted hand and tenderly stroked
the bright locks on the pillow beside
him. "Poor little Margie," he said
family. you will soon be free now."
Then. Margaret never knew how,
she forgot everything connected with
the past; she only remembered that the
man lying there, sick unto death, was
her husband. At last the proud spirit
was humbled, and she confessed what
she had kept so jealously guarded in
her own breast for so long. "Oh, Ar
thur" she criel in her agony; "oh, my
( r II