Omaha daily bee., 1885-01-24

OAh UNIV 1870
porary residence with an aunt in the
and 1 was In the vestibule Of
Paradise. We were to be married in q
month. No one could see any possible
for delay.
About q week before the day appoint
ed for our wedding l received a letter
from Horace which threw me Into con-
sternation. The seasons OF my life and
love had advanced once more, with all
their Joys aud beauties, their opening
flowers, and their ripening grain, and all
the glories Of the perfected year
Just at hand, when that letter,
like q cold wind from the north landed
with sleet, hall, and bitter chill, swept
down upon me, threatening blight and
ruin. The plane of my elliptic, and the
exile OF my soul, seemed to have forgot
ten that they had anything to do with
each other, and August threatened to
step back to March. Horace wrote In
the highest spirits and In the brightest
hopes. The first number of the paper
issued under his editorshlp had created
quite a stir. A number Of people who
had never cared for it before came in to
subscribe. New advertisements had
been secured that lifted the heavy end Of
his running expenses, and he was about
to introduce q novel feature which he
was sure would help him more than
anything he had done. He would print
every week q first-claus American story
which had never appeared before.
Country papers could not, ordinarily,
afford to pay for such stories, but he had
made o contract with o literary agent
who could furnish them on exceedingly
easy terms. He gave me the name of
this agent. 1t was the man to whom /
had sold my story.
No one will wonder at my consterns-
ton. The new feature was to begin i'm
mediately, and it was very likely, in
deed, more than likely, that, among other
stories, Horace would receive the
narrative lof his own peculiar mis-
fortunes and predicaments. If, In the
midst of his many duties he had not
time to read the manuscript, 1t MIGHT
even be put In type and hurried into his
paper; and In this case the whole re-
markable chain of events would be por-
trayed In one of its links. Horace was
such a sensitive man, such q passionate
and impulsive man, that [ knew not how
his impetuous spirit would break out If
he saw this story, Belle, too, was as
high. spirited as her brother. I trem-
bled for everything for which 1 hoped.
The great point now was, to get mar.
ried. Once united to Belle l felt that I
could defy even this fate, and my ankle.
ty for the ceremony must have appeared
ridiculous. l even proposed to Belle
that we should be married on Monday
instead of Thursdsy. But at this she
only laughed. She could not possibly be
ready 80 soon, and, besides, it was too
absurd.
On Wednesday Horace wrote that he
had every possible desire to attend the
wedding, but he had 80 much on hand
which must be done he really did not see
how he was going to do it. At all events
he could not expect to arrive before the
hour appointed for the ceremony. 1t
happened, fortunately, at this time that
u village was peculiarly healthy, and
that | was little called upon In a profes.
aional way. Had 1t been otherwise, l
fear that my reputation would have suf-
fered.
The day arrived; the thunder cloud
had not yet broken, and the wedding
party went to the church. Horace had
not come, and now 1 hoped with all my
heart that he would not come. His very
appearance would unnerve me.
Our good old pastor proceeded very
slowly with the ceremony, and he actual
ly stopped for a moment, when at the
words, "When the secrets of all hearts
shall be disclosed" 1 hastily murmured
81 will" and with a %reproving glance he
recommended the sentence. How could
l help my feeling of haste when
into my mind there continually came the
figure of Horace bursting into the church
wildly waving O newspaper over his head
and %forbidding the ceremony to proceed?
But apparation appeared not. We
were safely married and left the village
for a short bridal trip. When we re.
turned 1 took my wife to the home 1 had
prepared for her and all would have been
perfect happiness for both of us had it
not been for anxiety on account of that
unfortunate story, And yet l could not
call it unfortunate. Had 1t not been for
its aid / should not now be married. If
il had only been some other story! But
I never could have thought Of anything
so odd, 80 acceptable to an editor as that,
My uneasiness in regard to this matter
was greatly increased by some remarks of
my wife very soon after We had settled
i'd our new home
"Our life is charming" she said, shut
when | think in what q queer way all
this came to be, and how 1t depended on
such a funny string of things, it seems
perfectly ridiculous, aud 1 wouldn't have
anybody know of 1t for the world. The
idea of u marriage deepening on your
buying a heel-turner, and somebody else
going into the ministry. How every
body would laugh were it known2 But as
nobody will know 1t does not matter, and
we will put the model of Horace's ma
chine on a bracket in some quiet corner,
and cover 1t with laurel wreaths and any.
thing else that looks pretty"
How people would laugh If they knew
it! And what would Belle think if she
read it In her brothers own p,psr-that
journal 80 eagerly perused every week
And even if Horace did not print it, liza
would be sure to see it In scme of his TX
changes. How to avert this certain
danger 1 knew not. I had thought OF
writing to the literary sgent, and asking
him not to sell the story to Horace. But
this would be of little use, as 1t would
appear In other quarters. snd
besides, any request of that kind would
connect In the agents mind, my brother.
in-law with the matter. Any one In my
place, possessed Of sufficient means,
would have instantly endeavored to buy