The state journal., 1885-01-17
The best man held a hurried tonfetekts

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The best man held hurried conierekte
with the startled group.
Il certainly saw him quarter of an
hour ago; then lett the Vestry for mo.
ment to speak about the carriages, ard
when | returned he wasn't there. It's
very strangel'
There was much murmuring and con-
sultation, during which the poetical
bridesmaid, looked at the best man and
his gardenia, and whispered to the star
tied sisters.
"Twere better by far
To have matched our fair cousin with
Young Lochinvar.
But no bridegroom, dangling his bon.
net and plume" or his Lincoln 81 Ben
nett, was to be found high or low, the
time was ebbing fast, and then the Ad-
miral lifted up his voice. and gave utter
ance to strange words not understood of
the many, and that ancient mariners eye
glittered wickedly, and he roundly swore
that his girl should be married. Send
out and scour Londonl Where's the
lubber shirking3 String me up at the
steeple if she goes back from church,
"She sha'n't go back from church,"
said the best man quietly and grayely.
cit was my duty to bring the bridegroom
here, and as he's not here. it's my boun-
den duty to provide substitute for him.
You will observe there was touch of
the Gilbertian ethics about this self -sacra-
ficing young man.
Fright, sir, by Cad but where is the
substituted My daughter was to marry
Lord Arthur Lanton, and"
"And if you will accept him she will
marry him, said the slave Of duty with
loving glance at the bride, to whom
he said halfa dozen words in whisper.
Spoken like a Briton, sir - almost
roared the Admiral She yours if she
consents"
''As 1t is your wish, dear father"
meekly muImured the bride; and then
the Vicar has little to say. Bad the
banns been put up? How could he per-
form the ce remony thus abruptly?
Here, reverend SIR" said the best
man, sis special license, directing you
to marry Lord Arthur Lanton, of the
Regency Mansions, to this lady, and that
is my name and my address" and then
he produced a document bearing red
seal, and before the mystic ED. Can
tuar," the Rev. Robert Cantley naturally
felt it incumbent upon him Gas Incum-
bent of st. Dunstan s-in-the Lance to do
his duty, and he promptly, and without
further protest, married the handsome
pair before him.
There was pleasant little breakfast,
at which the bride looked bright and the
bridegroom brave, and the Admiral
blended blessings and round dozens in his
speech; and have heard that they were
all very happy, and that when tbs bride
was dressing to go away, she whispered
to the poetiCal bridesmaid Il shall be in
no hurry to return home, dear; Pm
quite, quite happy. And remember, if
anything does happen, I know nothing
about it. And now goOd-by, dear; and,
of course, Ill write to you every day,
and send me some cake to Paris.
And below Art waited for her, with
the few astonished guests; and in a mo-
ment they were driven off, with much
joy in their young hearts and much rice
down their young necks.
AS to how it all came out, am not
quite certain. The Reverend Bob is wont
to declare that he got a telegram from
Dover that afternoon bidding him Look
after the triar" Other folk say he knew
all about it; but this he stoutly denies.
At all events, he and the little old lady
jointly and severally discovered that even
ing one Abernethy biscuit, one deCanter
that had once contained sherry, and one
Malvolio- like old gentleman fast asleep
in the refractory friars penitentiary of St.
Dunstan's.
There was nine days laugh, OF course.
Lord Malvolio bore it with Lyceum-like
grimness, and now swears he was well
out of it; but the story 80 tickled the
Duke that he forgave his prOdigal son for
the sake of his sweet daughter in-law,
who, by the way, has turned out an ex-
Cellent wife.
The little old lady could tell the story
if she liked, but she doesn't; and her
mysterious silence has been rewarded.
Bob Cantley and the Admiral both tell it
well; but the poetical bridesmaid tells it
better than anybody else, and she told it
TO me,-L0ndOn World.