Daily Republican., 1884-05-03
BESSIE DANES WEDDING.
BY ALICE DALE.

"Jvory white satin, and duchess
lace pearls and the inevitable orange :,
blossoms Bessie dear, shall be q
vision of dazzling loveliness impossibleI
TO describe -
And Lima Wetworth, q stately blonde
laughed gravely.
Bessie Dane gazed upon the wedding
finery scattered about, upon the Ded,
upon the chairs and tables, qnlte
chaos of beauty and elegance, and as
her dark eyes wandered from one
costly thing to another, little sign
tiuttered from her lips.
Lima gazed at her friend with her eyes
full of astonishment. Could 1t be that
Bessie was enviOus
"Why, bless you, darling crleo
the fair beauty, what is the natter
S.e here !" and Lima threw herself down
upon a velvet ottoman, and gazed lhto
Bessie's downcast face, why don
Won and Mr.. Worden make up yonr
minds TO be married at the same time
that Mr.. Stanhope and are 10 be made
one 90
Bessie started with quick, nervous
movement.
"Oh. Lima" she cried, "do you
really believe such thing lhat !
am engaged to Mr.. W"rden ? he Is Ola
enough to be my father !"
81 know it. But then, he IS rich
enough to make up for all that ! hes
sic, YOU would live like princess
" 1t is out of the question = cried
the girl excitedly. ~ would sooner
die than marry a man whom l neither
| love nor respect. If you care for me,
Lima. YOU will never mention the SUD-
iect again. When is Ed-Mr. Stanhope,
/ mean, coming ?"
Wednesday morning, just in time
for the ceremony. The journey mere
will occupy two days. Bessie, l have
ltold Mr., Stanhope that you and MT.
Worden are engaged, or as good as en-
gagged !"
Igive you - ~
Bessie's face had grown very pale
Iher dark ewes were full of suffering; and
her slender figure trembled perceptl,
Ibly. She arose without another Word,
and left the room, and the house. has.
tening down side avenue which led te
small gate, she passed through ano
entered the adjoining grounds. here
Bessie Dane lived with her mother AND
their one servant. There was o smal
summer house near, covered with trail
!. ing vines Bessie darted inside, anC
throwing herself down upon seat, GOV
cred her face with her hands and wep
. long and bitterly. q,
y "How can he look me in the face 2
!. she painted, angrily at last, wiping tn
tears from her eyes. "How dare Edga
Stauhope treat me in this way: he
who only six months ago told me tina
: he loved me, and asked me to be hl
, wife. Yet, he has the assurance to ex
r. meet me to be present at his marrlag
r with another woman Oh, can sue
a perfdy exist'' ,,
,t As sbe uttered the words an elderl
:, man drew near he parted the clambel
y ing vines and entered the little summt
$50 house A dark, saturnine man with a
u unpleasant expression. 1t was M
v Worden.
r :" M ISIS Bessie !" he began, IN a lo'
~ tone, drawing near respectfully, WI
1. YOU listen to me? have overhear
your soliloquy, and can understan
= the situation. Bessie, you have bee
y wronged by Edgar Stanhope l b
~ y |ieve that be has asked you to be h
or wife, and then calmly engaged himse
d. to another woman He will be hel
on Wednesday next from his dlstal
=. home ; he is coming TO marry yol
~ ~ dear friend Lima Wentworth. Bess
to YOU refused me once | offered you m
49, heart, hand, and fortune you said tn
Il wealth could not allure you. Bu
would it be no object to you, Bess
- Dane, to prove to Edgar Stanhope th
n YOU care nothing for him? You ca
mt punish him we'll for his outrageous col
or duct by marrying me and, let the Ger
mopy take place at the same time. 4
soon AZ Edgar Stanhope and Lii
lE Wentworth are made husband ar
ey wife, you and can enter he chur'
he and a second ceremony will follo'
,e' Bessie, it will make me the happiest
- men and swear to be good hu
IF band to you, darling. Will you co
!e sent 2"
X, She was hurt and wounded beyol
, endurance. Edgar Stanhope, her I
: trothed husband, after writing SUI
SD loving letters to her-letters which hi
at onlv ceased few weeks before-w
) about to be guilty of this, the most Il
: pardopable of sins-he was going
IN desert her to marry another womal
sT' sn desert her without one word of expl
. nation or excuse.
1t was a strange situation. and Bes'
'nnn could not understand how any In
f could be 30 base. How dare he col
ha knaW
wv course, that he would meet her.
~ W Lima was quite ignorant OF all tn
: ss'' had taken place, and the engageme
. that had existed between her friend a
HIT Mr.. Staphope. Bessie knew this, a
TO she rejoiced to think that her friend "
u not wilfully wronging her. Well,
III. hour passed, and Mr.. Worden argu
Al. his cause with silyery eloquence,
It thorough student of human nature,
-, knew lust what argument to use, a
hM inS how 10 sting the girls pride. He v
y W bad, scheming man, but Bessie
- lieyed him to be upright and honorab
Oh She did not love him, of course, a
,aid even had her heart not been previou'
!nt engaged, she would never have CIV
. lit to Mr., Worden. But he engineer
80 as to touch her sympathy and
arouse her pride, and by delicate
~ situations and dexterous managem'
he at last contrived to gain his poi
Goaded, desperate, half madden
Ressie Dane consented to be his wife
He begged the privilege OF present
Re. the wedding-dress-there was so IL
time to spare for preparation
Bessie turned coldly away, and wo
we not listen to his proposition. she
,ch, in her wardrobe pretty white nn
yelling, never yet worn-that sho
ling be her wedding. dress, she declared,
no persuasion on his part could a
her determination.
'' The days drifted by all too raplt
lust Ressie shrank from each sunrise