Iron County register., 1885-06-04

thanks to his money, there was scarce a
man there who would not have stood in
his boots. or woman who would not
gladly have stood in those of his wife
to be.
Then came the parson-not the rec
tor, who lived at Oxford, and edited
Greek plays, and held six other livings,
of which he had once or twice visited
one or two-but very young and very
nervous lad from Manchester, whom
nobody knew, and who knew nobody at
Merlham. 1t was sort of relief to Pa
tience to see stranger behind the altar
rails. She walked up the aisle, pale,
indeed, but more composed than it is
held fitting for a bride to be. Bride
groom. and even parson, were the more
nervous of the three. Ii the foreign
curate had been more used to his work
he must have seen at once that what he
was going to celebrate was no true
marriage at all.
As for old Tom Blackthorn, he looked
round him proudly, as if he We're mas
ter of all, and was already feeling in
the parish at large. They were not
as Patience became Mrs. Marrish, they
would come.
Dearly beloved, we are gathered to-
gether here"
Patience Blackthorn would soon be
Patience Marrish now; for better for
worse, for richer for poorer-for richer
pair of chances. Nobody answered to
the charge that any impediment should
be confessed at that eleventh, or, rather,
twelfth hour. Enoch Marrish. so that
everything should go smoothly, and
that the clerk should have no claim to
an extra shilling on the score of looking
after him without occasion, got ready
the magic ring from his waistcoat
pocket while the parson was asking him
whether, forsaking all other, he would
keep with Patience Blackthorn as long
as they both should live. But. if he
wished to dispense with the clerks Off
ces, he should have read up the clerk 5
duties; and, seeing the brides fingers
move-for she could not keep them
still-he, naturally enough for a man
without practice, took this to be the
moment for the ring.
Il will!'' said he, and reached out his
hand for hers.
But plain gold rings, from their
shape, material and size. are slippery
things in themselves. though they hold
people so tightly Not for the first
time in the history of marriage the
ring, as if inspired with an Il wilr' of
its own. jumped out of his anxious fin
gers and danced merrily over the floor.
Perhaps a ring bought and paid for
would have behaved better. But a ring
one picks up by the wayside may be eX-
pected to have a grain or two of vaga-
bond in its gold.
Every gem. jewel and piece of metal
work, such as a ring, or horseshoe, or
so forth, and more especially every ring,
has its occult spirit, which may be
angel or may be demon. So much
every student knows; though how he
knows it would take too long to tell. 1t
must. however, have been neither angel
nor devil. but an imp of mischief, that
inspired this particular ring to plague
and battle its owner for the time being.
The parson, not being used to such in
terruptions, stopped short at:
Patience, wilt thou have this
And the clerk made dash with his
foot at the dancing imp, which, how
ever, eluded him, and went rolling on.
"Let'n CO." said the blacksmith s
wife. ''I've seed that trick afore. Here,
Master Marrish; I'll lend We mine. 'Tis
a bit biggish; but, Lord, I've known
'em properly married with brass cur
tain-ring before now
1t seemed the best thing to be done.
Had not Enoch himself wished for brass
instead of gold? He was, indeed, for
tunes favorite; his slightest wish
seemed to fulfill itself now. And. of
course. the gold thing would be found
hereafter. with searching. Not even a
can eat gold, for all its
And forsaking all other, keep thee
only unto him.
by jingo," cried out a voice from a
dark pew, with too much impulse in it
to respect times and places, THAT poor
devil of a sergeant couldn't have kicked
the bucket after all. Why-it's his
ring,"
The nervous curate dropped his book
with bang. The clerk was petrified
where he stood: Enoch boiled with rage
at this scandalous interruption. Even
L Slllttu, ShO hthN
schooIed herself against any surprise,
and, in spite of herself, turned round.
The voice she would have known, if
it had not been for her eyes. For what
she saw was NOT any possible owner of
the voice from the dark pew. 1t was
in another shadow that she saw a form
dressed in ragged regimentals; and be-
fore their wearer could avoid her
glance, and shrink farther back into the
Patience the bride, and Stephen the
corpse, were face to face once more.
He had not been able to return to
Spain without seeing her once more,
though it was only to watch her becom-
ing the wife of villain and traitor.
So for a whole moment they stood, none
needing them in the greater scandal.
He read in her face such sudden de-
spair, she in his such heartbreak, that
they could hardly bear to see. The
church vanished from their sight; they
We're face to face, alone.
TO BE CONTINUED.
INTEREST RULES.