The Maryville times. (Maryville, Tenn.) 1884-1944, 1886-08-18
A WEDDING PRESENT.

A WEDDING PRESENT.
Its History After Its Rejection by . Wise
Young Couple.
For several minutes had been read
ing in our little society paper an ac-
count of the wedding of two young
people whom l both knew and adj
mired. l could not but feel friendly
interest in this pretty wedding, for l
had seen them grow from childhood to
youth and had often thought what a
truly ideal pair they were.
In compliance with the usual foolish
custom. a long list of handsome we'd
ding presents made an important feat
ure of the wedding report. Many were
elegant and ornamental, while not a
few were useful as well. One item in
the list, however, struck me as being
neither lovely nor good; that was a
wine set, and feeling sure that this
young couple were too high principled
to allow wine glasses to figure con-
spicuously on their side-board or din
ing table. l determined to trace the
history of those things and see just
what did happen. Will you listen to
the story?
Well, on bright, sweet morning
when these young people had returned
from their wedding trip, there was
great stir and mcrriment in the pretty
new cottage home as the furniture was
put to rights, dainty bric-a-brac taste
fully arranged and the bare little
rooms gradually made to assume al
air of comfort and loneliness.
Out in the dining-room the little mis-
tress was polishing MP the pretty silvel
and glassware, and giving littl,
shrieks of delight over the shining
beauties. Suddenly she came to thu
wine set, and the least little bit of ,
frown ruifled her happy brow. "Se'
here, love-" she called to her LEG,
lord, who was perched on step-lad.
der in the adjoining room, "we dom
need wine glasses in our home, for we
are not going to begin our life in an,
such way. What shall we do will
them?'
Thus questioned. her adviser bound
ed off the step-ladder and appeared il
the doorway with several yards o
picture wire trailing about his features
but still with an eye to business.
Trade 'em off for something else,
he said. Folks are always expected
to exchange wedding presents whel
they please. Don't YOU remembe
when Bess married and fourteen pickl
castors graced her board, how sh
changed them for spoons and-an'
things? Well, my dear, these cam
from Hartman's no doubt, and III jus
slip on my coat and see if l can't ex
change them for set of inger-bowls,
and behold! in twinkling he wa
back with the finger bowls and thu
little lady of the house never saw tn
dainty things on her table. all filled wit
sparkling water and aglow with pink o
fairy green where the sunlight touched
them, that she didn't rejoice at tn
change.
But what of the wine set? To fol
low it, we must say goodbye to tn
happy and wise young couple and onl
be sure. that like the good people i
the fairy tale, "they lived happily eve
after"
Before the summer was over the re
jected wine glasses were adjoining an
other side-board i'm another part of tn
city, and were not infrequently in us
on the table or in the pretty parlor.
don't think they felt very proud O
their mission in life. In fact, I'm pref
ty sure that any one of the dozen woul
have changed places with the shiny ii
dipper in the kitchen; for, strange a
it may seem, they knew what evils fo
lowed in their trail, and shivere
through all their little glass anatomie
when the sparkling drops were i
them.
One night something unusual har
pened. There had been little con
: pany i'm the evening, some music an
gayety, and then the young wife, wit
her own hands. filed the wine glassc
and passed them laughingly to he
guests. The servants in their littl
aprons served the fruits and cake, br
the hostess, with merry eyes, declare
: that only the blue blood of an autocrs
must flow near to the purple blood {
the grape; and so. with prett
mods and smiles, presented eac
glass, glad that the variety of tn
wine called forth praise from even he
. handsome young husband, who,
make good his words, drained man
glasses. When the guests had lief
, and the maids were hurriedly gathe
ing up china and sorting silver, til
head of the house still fingered nes
the sideboard, slipping the wine, till h
wife, coming in for moment. W,
Mortified at the unnatural light in h
eyes, and his trembling hands tilliu
and reflling the glasses.