Morris tribune., 1886-04-07

ana you are 10 po nailiou hoAV
ION the NINTH" Harvey rejoined.
"Of course you will all be thereP" he
added rather obviously.
by no means, said his father
shortly.
"You could hardly expect it," said
Mrs. Seely reproachfully.
Every we'll; If Mohammed won't
you've heard the observation.
We shall pay you visit Immediately
ON our return from our wedding-tour,
with your kind permission. You must
know Dora"
When he left the house an hour later,
he had the required permission.
His mother and the girls had even
kissed him goodbye, in an injured and
reproachful way, and his. father had
shaken hands coolly.
But his ears still rang with that
odious assertion, at could not be
worser' and he was thoughtful all the
way back to the city
The Seelys were in state of sub
dued excitement.
Harvey's wedding tour was COM
pleted; and they had received tele-
gram that afternoon to the effect that
he would be ION hand tonight with
his new wife.
The dining-room table was set for
dinner; and Mrs. Seely wandered from
one end of it to the other ncrvously.
Her husband sat under the chande-
lier with his evening paper, but he
was not reading it; Kitty and Margery
fluttered about uneasily, watching
through the window for the return OF
the carriage from the station.
81 hope" said Margery with ner-
vous attempt at cheerfulncss, THAT she
will be barely presentable.
Think of the people who will call! ]
hope she won't be worse than were
prepared to see her.
'.She couldn't be- said Mrs. Seely
dismally.
There was roll of wheels, and the
twinkle of the carriage-lamp at the
door, and the bell rang sharply.
Kitty and Margerv clasped hands In
sympathetic agitation; Mr.. Seely drop
ped his paper and rose; and Mrs.
Seely advanced toward the hall-door
with dignity. =,
1t opened wide before she could
reach it, and Harvey entered, his face
suffused with genial blissful smiles.
This is my wife, he said proudly;
''my mother, Dora; my father, my SIS
tiers, Kitty and Margery.'
And with caressing touch, he took
by the hand, and led forward among
them
! What!
Mr.. Seely gazed at the apparitio1
with startling eyes; Mrs. Seely drop.
kped the hand she had started to hole
Tout, with her face growing ashy; ant
Kitty and Margery gasped.
For what they saw was a woman o.
apparently forty years, with tac'
powdered and painted in the most I'M
blushing manner, with thin grey hai
crimped over a wrlnkled forehead in 9
sickening affectation of youthfulness
and with a diminutive gaily-trimmed
bonnet perched thereon, with an at
fected, mincing gait, and a simperinE
smile.
'sThis is my wife" Harvey re-
peated; ':have you no welcome FOL
her?"
The bride Uttered.
':Mebbe they think | amt goot
enough for 'em, dear?" she observed
tartly.
Impossible, my pet" Harvey re
sponded, and patted her falsely-bloom
ing cheek affectionately; ''besides,
YOU were but shadow-a caricatur'
of your own beautiful self, they woult
not have been surprised. They Wer
prepared for the worst"
He looked at his Mortified relative
meaningly.
The truth of his words flashed owe
them.
Yes, they had all said repeatedly
that sit could not be worse. !" But thi
wretched. wrinkled, bedizened crea
ture-.had they dreamed of this?
Harvey watched them with an IN
disturbed smile-his father, turnin,
away at last, and rubbing his forehead
with his handkerchief weakly; Mrs
Seely, gazing at her daughter-in-las
with q dreadful fascination, and tn
girls, sinking into chairs in dismaye
silence.
"Well, mother" said Harvey light
", ''of course n new addition to tn
family is an object of interest; bu
don't forget that I have an appetite
and getting married has rather in
proved it. Take off your bonnet, m
! ! own. Here, Kitty.
Kitty came forward with set fac
and tightly-closed lips, to receive tn
marvellous combination of beads an
silk flowers held out to her with a dis
gushing air of sprightliness. She wa
afraid to trust herself to speak.
Poor Mrs. Seely, sick at heart, ha
made her way to the bell and rang il
and dinner came down presently.
'sTurtle soup!'' the bride observed
looking round the table with a girls
smile; saint nothing l admire SC
Just pass that celery, father-in-laW
Delicious! amt it, darling?''
Extremely, my DEAR" said tn
bridegroom complacently.
Ignorant and vulgar! What dreat
full thing would they discover next?
1t was an evening they never forgot
The unfortunate parents sat with pal
faces and unsteady hands, staring int
their empty plates, or looking at eac
. other with fresh horror at each simpel
!, ing, senseless, ungrammatical remar
of their terrible daughter-in-law-
j, Kitty and Margery excused then
selves during the second course, an
: flew to their rooms to cry themselve
to sleep, in an agony of dismay an
! modification.
: II sha'n't think of setting up" sal
the bride, rising from the table with a
apologize giggle, and with the la'
2 desert held aloft. 'I'm too wore on
If anybody calls-of course, everybod
will call-just tell 'em I'll see 'em t.
morrow. Come on, DEAR"
And she tripped upstairs, with
Juvenile nod over her shoulder, san
with her beaming young husband TO
: lowing.
J Mrs. .Seely wrung her her hands d
spairingly. s
1--WE said it could not be worse,
Q she said family. ''But thisi Ho
= 81 I'll xxva ardrro ;+pi1