Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1885-04-23
Champagne helped NE. After q

Champagne helped NE. After
while | said to myself:
Idiot! 1t is some little bill she
wants to hide. A shoemaker's per-
haps. Her father lives up to his in
come; and no doubt she has had hard
work to get her things ready. Poor
child! I've been cruel to her.
SO when she had gone away to get
ready for the journey, and it was time
for me also to go, hurried to the room
appointed for me, and knowing it was
next to hers, softly opened the door
and peeped in, meaning to kiss her,
and tell her she should always have
everything she wanted after this. The
room, however, was empty.
Her wedding-dress lay on the bed,
and ghostly veil and wreath floated
from a gas fixture; but paper, pens, and
ink were on desk, and l saw that
even in this hurried moment she had
taken time to write Il letter.
1t lay finished, but not folded, be-
side an unaddressed envelope, and |
tiptoed eagerly across the room, hop
ing to read that she would settle that
little account rs soon as possible, and
read this:
Indeed, sir, you are right. l shall suffer
miserably through all my honeymoon, and
1t IS your fault not mine.
81 could hardly keep my tears back at the
altar for the pain. My husband must not
know, but l shall be a martyr until | get
back. On the very day of my return | shall
see you; but as for forgiving you-never!
Il relied on you so implicitly. How could
you? How could you?
PHGBE PALMER"
| glared about the room, looking
wildly for the letter to which this was
a reply. | saw wisp of pink paper
on the floor and caught it up. The
patter of little boot-heels was ON the
floor of the hall, and closed the door
behind me Just in time.
Trembling with wrath--had | not
reason for it'll unfolded the paper
1t was only a small piece of the note;
but | read what it contained over and
over. 1t was this:
81 did not think it would give you pain;
but can scarcely expect you to forgive me
for breaking my engagement with you. |
am SO sorry / cannot see you before you go,
but your husband"
There the fragment ended and left
me in state of mind that threatened
congestion of the brain, to put myself
into a trayeling-suit and start on my
wedding journey with bride | believ-
ed already false to me.
Yet what could doP Make a scene
before the wedding partyP Get into
the papers, perhapsP
NO" | said to myself, "I'll have
revenge, but | won't disgrace myself
publicly" l put the fragment into my
pocket-book.
Jane had been the children nursery
maid. | had promoted her to Ph@be's
own waiting-maid, and she was to 90
with us. There she was already, and /
thought of all the diabolcal maids in
French books rs | looked at her
We got into q carriage and ratified
furiously away toward The station for
we were late Phoebe was in tears
sat leaving home, she said. / made
no attempt to console her. / sat stifily
on my seat, with hand on each knee,
James round little bullets of eyes star
ing hard at me, as though she saw some-
thing was the matter.
My heart burst, and my head ached;
| wonder was not seized with apo
plexy, being of such full habit We
got into the train at last, and Phoebe
looked at me in her dove-like way, as l
stood beside her, looking Heaven only
knows how.
"You mustn't be angry withme. It's
so hard to leave mamma" She said
pleadingly. Il won't cry any more"
You are at liberty to cry as much
as YOU like, madame" | said. II
should think that you would feel like
shedding many bitter tears.
With this | strobe away into the
smok.rg-carriage.
All through that wretched bridal
journey | never gave my wife civil
word or kindly look.