The Warner sun. (Warner, Brown Co., Dakota [S.D.]) 1885-1???, 1886-03-26
BETROTHED IN A CELLAR.

From Household Words.
BY making a gigal &C effort l had at
last succeeded in pushing up the
heavy sash of the old-fashioned guillo-
tine window, and now, sitting in the
broad window-seat, l was enjoyingthe
scent OF the great syringa bush, which
grew so close to the house that it
pushed its branches inside whenever
it had the opportunity, so that sit
ting in the window was almost like be-
ing in an arbor. Twas in Germany, OF
course, for g~uillotine windows, Is we
call them, are still the fashion in Eng
land, | hear.
Yes; | was in Germany, and it was
the day before Whit Sunday-a lovely
May day-and / was just 10.
/ am a good deal more than 16now,
but still, often, when the syringa is in
blossom, and the delicious fragrance
comes floating round me, the whole
scene rises again before my eyes, and |
see the old-fashioned garden, with its
quaintly-cut yews and box-hedges, and
the apple trees loaded with blossom;
the wainscotted room, with the faded
red carpet, and Anticipated furniture
and ornaments; and, looking through
the folding-doors into the dining
room beyond, / see the long table
decked for some festal occasion, two
chairs wreathed with flowers, and be-
fore them, on the table, two bouquets
composed OF sprays ofmyrtle.
/ see, too, sitting opposite me in a
capacious armchair, my grandmother,
a little old lady in a white lace cap,
with a prayer-book on her knees,
which she was reading here at home
because she could not get as far as the
chapel beyond the town gate.
/ had been there myself that morn
ing, all in a hurry, just TO see how it
looked before | brought Granny to the
house, and / had seen that it was beau
tifully decked with flowers, and that
there We're wax tapers enough to daz-
zie one.
After that / had come back to the
s'wedding house and waited, for /
could not leave granny quite alone;
and while / waited / puzzled myself TO
make out why Uncle Dernau, as we all
called him, and his wife should have
chosen 30 celebrate their golden we'd
ding in the little country chapel in
stead OF in the large town church,
which seemed SO much more appropri-
ate.
Then. too, I wondered what could
be the meaning OF sundry mysterious
illusions which / had heard made in
the course ofthe evening before. They
had seemed to amuse the rest very
much, but I could make nothing OF
them.
Uncle Dernau' s little wife was afavor-
tie little woman, with bright eyes,
brown hair without a touch of grey in
it, and had vvry small hands and feet.
How we had all admired her the night
before. when, for 1.-THE very last time, =
as she said, sho had danced the
charming minuet, which had been ar
ranged in her honor. I can see her
now IN her old-tashioned, marvelously
abort wasted dress of silk. with q
three-cornered fichu crossed over her
chest, little shoes without heels, wide
ribbon sandals, and embroidered
stockings. Uncle Dernau himself was
her partner, and at the close oil the
dance he made her a low bow, saying
with 8 gleam Of fun and mischief in
his eyes
MADAME, you dance like a French
woman, and l believe / made q mis-
take after all in carrying you of from
the French monsieur
Everyone laughed at shis, and Aunt
Dernau blushed like a young girl
What did il all mean? Could / ask
4rannyf + wondered She had told
me once that Aunt Dernau was hel
oldest and her dearest friend, and that
some day she would toll me her his