The Warner weekly sun. (Warner, Brown Co., Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1885, 1885-05-15
4IH B BULLION s BRIDE |

moonlight. A globe of reddish pear
slowly assembled out of the east-tht
shadows of the great bridge resting
softly on the mirror-like surface of the
Hudson river. The sound Of a flute
played softly afar of, and all of a sud
den the keel of my boat coming sharp.
ly in contact with somebody else's
a
Halo, you'll" cried out a clear, incis-
i've young voice. Where are you going
to? Why don't you look which way you
are steering?p
Charley Dresden !" cried out I, Little
needing the torrents of ~obloquy he was
beginning to heap upon me.
"Old Mottimore, " he responded joy
ously. "Why, who on earth would
have thought of finding you dreaming
on Harlem river? Herei Come into
my boat hitch on your old craft be-
hind, and let me introduce you to Miss
Sophy Adriance."
/ looked as sharply at Miss Sophy all
the moonlight and my own modesty
would let me, for / knew that she was
the especial admiration Of my friend
Charley Dresden.
She was pretty, slight round and
rosy with china-blue eyes and a dimple
in either cheek, and golden brown hair
worn in long, loose curls. There was
something fower-like and delicate in
her Notwithstanding unconscious
ly imploring in her way of lifting her
eyes up to your face.
We rowed home together-or, at
least, as far. on our way home as the
Harlem river would take us. Sophy
sang little boat ballads. Charley
roared ont tenor barcorolles. / even
essayed a German student song which
/ had learned in Heidelberg no one
knows how long ago, and we parted the
best of friends.
A week afterward Dresden and i met
face to face on Wall street.
"Hallo, Mottimoreln said Charley,
his honest visage lighting up. "What
do you think of her?"
ohihh ohO 40 d POoARd JOWcA-a
princess among women!" / answered,
with c perfect sincerity.
Congratulate me, them" cried Char
ley, beaming all over "for I am engag-
ed to her. Only last night! Look herel"
opening a mysterious silver case which
he took from his inner vest pocket
What do You think of that for an engage
ment ring?"
"a fine diamond" said i, putting my
head critically on n side, "and fanci-
ully set"
We're to be married in October, |" said
Charley, lowering his voice to the most
confidential tones. "I might have been
sooner if / hadn't undertaken that
business in Europe for our firm.
But / shall be sure to be back
by October, and the money I
shall make will be acceptable toward
fitting up and furnishing Jul new home.
Because, you know, Mottimore, Tn rot
rich.'
Ispent an evening with her afterward
at the genteel boarding house where
she and her mother-a nice, bright
eyed little woman, the full brown rose
to correspond with Sophy's budding
lovliness-dwelt in the contest of apart
ments, furnished in dark blue reps,
with a turn up bedstead, ingeniously
disguised as a high-backed sofa, and
canaries and geraniums in the VIM
dows.
cts SO kind of you to come" said
Sophy, with a gentle pressure Of the
hand when / went away. II am SO
glad to welcome Charley's friends"
And I felt that ! could cheerfully sit
through another evening of common
place chit-chat, and photograph albums
for such o reward as that.
Well, Charley Dresden went away,
and as he didn't particularly leave Sophy
Adriance in my charge, / didn't feel
called upon to present myself at the
g%enteel boarding-house. / supposed,
naturally enough, that all was going
right, until the day / received a note
from my old friend Bullion, the banker,
a man Of go, who wears a wig and spec
tacles, and counts his income upon the
double figures.
Bullion wrote from Saratoga, where
he had gone because he didn't know
what else to do with himself in the dull
season. He asked me to be his grooms-
man. Bullion was going to be mar
RED.
"Of course, you'll think it foolish
thing for me to do" wrote Bullion "but
even at sixty a man has not entirely out
lived the age Of sentiment; and when
once you see Sophy Adriance you will
forgive any seeming Inconsistency on my
part"
i went straight to the g~enteel board
ing-house. 1t was possible that ]
might be misled by q similarity Of
name, although even that was unlike
iy.
us Miss Adriance at home?" / asked
of the slatternly servant girl who an