The Abilene reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1883-1888, 1885-06-18

that last journey snail be fool. And
save Footwear. too, and time. 1t
wants rubbing up a bit. that : all; AMI
that easy done. Lucky nobody came
this way before met might have got
, stolen"
1t is hardly too much to say that the
winning Of Patience Blackthorn had
given HIM no greater happiness than the
IindjngOf ring TO marry her with for
nothing. 1t appealed to his very in
most soul, to which little else could eX-
tend: and it was the best of omens be-
sides. Only to Fortunes choicest IA
vOrites do such chances as these ever
occur. He looked at the ring all over
once more, then put it into his waist
coat pocket. and went back whistling,
in the ightness of his heart, some
thing meant to be tune.
It is all very well toplan quiet we'd
ding: but though it is quite as possible
to he as Stingy m country as in town, it
is not so easy to insure auietness there
by. Everybody knew Enoch MarriSh;
everybody knew Patience Blackthorn;
and, above all, everybody knew old
Tom. 1t was not a romantic match,
considering the bridegroom looks and
age; but against its reasonablenesS no.
body could say word. ''Old EnOch' 5
money-bags is Just the manure for LeyS
Croft" was the universal comment;
and they thought that Patience Black
thorn had done a decidedly clever
thing.
And so, if marrying for money il as
clever as the world pretends not to
think it, she had done clever thing. 1t
is true she would rather have starved
had she been all alone, and considered
herself a widow for the rest of her days.
As things We're, she would not make
| any pretenseS to herself or dignity what
she was doing with the name of duty.
However, it was hard to 20 through
the ordeal of the village stares. When,
dressed as plainly as she dared. and
taking her fathers arm (he had taken
hers along the meadow-path) she
reached the corp5e-gatc of the church.
yard, she found quite a crowd to scrape
and courtesy in ner honor. 1t was quite
as if none of them had ever refused to
do DAVIS work for them at pinch
not that she remembered anything of
that kind then, unless il were as anoth-
er incentive tor carrying her task
through. What she could not forget
was tnat this was the very church where
she was TO have become the wife of Ste
phen Harlow, who had fled from his
wedding Ike a coward, to die in Spain
ike a decently brave man. However,
she had been schooling herself against
memory ever since she had risen that
morning. There was nothing but the
village stares for which she was UMPIRE
pared; and they were not the hardest
things she had to bear.
Never did bride come to the altar
with fuller resolve to keep all the vows
she was about to make, save only the
chief of them. She did honor EnOch
MarriSh, with all his faults. The very
fact that he, being what he was, had
never scrupled to give his time, his
labor, his money, for friendships sake,
showed what friend he knew how to
be. The very fact that, being what he
was, he was about to marry Il pennileSs
girl, showed that gold was not his
ruling passion, aftef all. And she would
obey him. not only with a good will.
but with an eager desire; his life should
be hers, and to sweeten it little
for him ought not to be hard. As
to the lOVe-well, she had warned him
honestly. and he should not miss the
want of more than needs must be.
Then, as the broken old man leaned
more and more heavily upon her
through the fields, now chatting gayly
and now falling into reverie. she grad
ua!ly rose into that exalted mood
wherein sacrifice becomes always joy
and self sinks lower and lower beneath
the rising wings till it becomes unseen.
He had nothing left but her - she,
nothing left but him. Could she fail
him at his need? Why, if this were Il
marriage of hate instead of a marriage
of duty. still j. must be made. And
then, after to-day, she would think of
Stephen--Save rs one who had been
dear to her and was dead-never again.
In very different spirit did the
bridegroom prepare for his wedding
morning. He was really in love; though
il is but fair to suspect that love alone
would not have been enough to make
EnOch Marrish marry girl without a
penny. Where his further interest
might lie. he alone could tell; but then
he was his own sole confidant, and was
not likely to take another at his time of
day. But, whatever it was, first
passion had given it a zest, and victory
over i rival i more intense flavor still.
He dressed himself in the suit of clothes
he had had made at Manchester five
and-twenty years ago to attend the
funeral of an uncle who had made
will; and, as he had never pvt them on
since, they were as good as new, and
their being somewhat out of fashion
was no matter at all. 1t was true the
moth had attacked them. but the mis-
chief had not gone fatally far. Then,
feeling himself so fine. he could not
help being the least bit nervous, and
added to his water-gruel as much
brandy as might fill an acorn-cup, to
make it 90 down. He went round the
house To see that all was ready for the
new mistress Homecoming. armed
with a duster and 4 broom.
Some of his thoughts are best not set
down. But business was never far
away from the deepest of them. NO"
said he to himself, half aloud, according
to the way of men who live too much
alone, no; that miserable old idiot,
Tom RlaoEthorp nan't lost 1Opr DOu-