Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1884-03-21
A COMMERCIAL EPISODE.

A COMMERCIAL EPISODE.
A sound Of rcyclry. hut not by night.
The clock has Just struck twelve. and
the sun Is shining vertically upon the
protcntiOus roof that houses Mr..
Humphrey Dawson and family. BE-
meath that roof are now complete the
extensive preparations for the marriage
ceremony that IL to make tine only
daughter Of the house Mrs. Thomas
winfield The parlor is full of guests;
the perfume of an elaborate floral dec
GRAFTON pcrvades everything; and from
certain quarters Of the establishment
proceed the savory Odors of spread
feast; for the wedding is TO be an event.
Upstairs, in the dOwny environment
OF her own apartment, stands the pivot
OF the occasion i'm bridal array. The
toilet Is n marvel i'm it, way; n frail en-
bOdimcnt Of monumental expense and
labor. rs such things are apt To be. but
petite Miss Alice is so beautiful i'm n
that only churl could bowail either ex-
pcnsc or labor in the presence of such n
result. She Is surrounded by bevy of
admiring friends Of the same sex, who
chatter necessarily. and manifest their
anxious interest by sundry little touches
here and there upon veil or drapcry, for
the groom has not yet arrived
Presently IL is n qua ter past the hour
aud he has not come vet. hut no account
Is taken Of this circumstance. for who
ever heard of wedding being cele-
bratcd with anything like percision in
regard TO time?
Uncle Poyt1n pauses nj the door To
remark in iocular vein that this ''sccms
20 be one Of the occasions when we
Finger shivering on the brink aud fear
90 launch away, and To deliver him
self of numerous malign prophecies that
arc ilatly cOntradictcd by the look of Of
fcctionatc interest and unqualified adj
miration IN his eyes.
Another quarter slips away. II is
now half-past twelve and still the dclin-
quent does not appear. Up the broad
stairway comes the murmur Of impa-
ticnt expectancy. and the face under
the filmy white veil wears n shade of
vexatiOn. When 10 is nearly one o'clock
Mr. Dawson comes to the door and
softly calls his wife. In the hall out
side they hold consultation, and
Alice, with alert eyes upon their faces.
divincs that something Is wrong. In n
moment she has separated the crowd
about her like nm arrow, and is before
them demanding The latest intelligence.
whatever IL may be-. lit is postponed.
my dear say her mother. choking.
That's II, my dear postponed"
echoes her father rs he stands abscntly
twirling u crumplod note around his
finger.
Alice secs the note. and before he can
prevent her. has taken il. She opens h
with brcathlc>s Gag rncss. II is soon
Rad. andums thus:
n can't do %. uncc-not for t,vic, vour
fortune. have srcu hcr. nul wonder tbnf
1Vv ,Wu'l tNVt hsh ~ 81 me. Duas you please
nephew. m w"
IL Is malicious. inhuman. crushing.
why dFl hc wait until this moment9
Shqturns back To- the room with n white
lace. throws herself upon the lourye I'm
reckless disregard ot flowers and per-
ishablc cuufcctions. AMI lies there with
her face buried In the pillow i'm an
agony of humlia. ion.
byc-and-byC the situation Is commu-
uicatcd tO the assembled friends. who
take their leave. marveling greatly. and
g. home To- speculate i0r davs with
greater or less accuracy upon all that
has rot been given them o. know.
Where n few hours apo there was
laughter. congratulate on and anticina.
ton. all is now sorrow. indignation and
resentment. There Is mockery in the
flowers scattered everywhere. and hit
ter, intolcrahlc remembrance in the
Odur Of baked meats.
Tho afternoon passes. and still Alice
lies with her face among the pillows
thinking how IL must all como ON,
finally; how everybody will know about
That brutal note. and how they will pi,v
her. She wishes she might die nn,,i -,
that the time would never come for hcr
To lit up her head and face the world
with is knowlcdyc of this dreadful
anair' and its soul-s;ckeuing com
miseration. Ono thought i alwovs
uppcrmost. to fly from the scene of ber
humiliation and the oflicious sympatbv
0t her friends. Filial ties. inxu,ious
surroundings. the pcr.ls and bardsbins
ot hight. every consideration wbatso-
ever dwndles into invisibilitv In the
presence OF this great indipnity. Hor
mother comes and sits by her. and. after
several hours Of rcmonstrance and
persuasion. induces her 10 po to he'd
but when she comes in the morning
hoping TO see her somewhat soofbe5
she hnds only an empty room and a
hasty note.
IL Is seven n. m. and the mammoth
retail dry-goods house of GRAY a
Eordon begins TO show signs of life
without and within. For the last half.
hour continuous stream of salesman
shop-girls and cash-boys have been
pouring into the great building like so
many swallows into chimney. hut
tnat u Is the wrong time In the dav'
shades are raised. covers taken OF and
simultaneously in every part of I've
mouse begins a vigorous dustinv and
putting to rights ""u
The new cashier. young man with
line eyes and pleasant manner. WIZ
has Teen some three weeks in the estab.
lishment comes in aud goes behind HE
desk. As he does so he notices that
there Is now girl at the glove counter
Just opposite. Only her head is visible
above tho pile OF boxes she 4 dustino