The Ketchum keystone. [volume] (Ketchum, Idaho) 1885-1899, 1888-11-03

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hands and feet ever seen.' cried Fanny,
''as you have now.''
"And I've heard grandpapa say that
you were the belle of the country, and
there was many broken heart when
you married him." laughed Nell.
IL was thoughtless girl!'' sighed
grandmamma, land caused a deal of
trouble by my vanity, as you shall
hear
swell, the dress was made, and very
proud was, as arrayed in it | turned
myself before the great mirror; and
when the dressmaker assured me that
no such face and form had been reflect
ed there since the days of my great
grandmother, a famous belle and
beauty. was almost content.
''Almost-not quite. For the gorge
Gus gown put to shame any slippers
that | possessed, and nothing would
satisfy me but new pair made of the
same material. So next day father
rode to T, twenty miles away and
ordered the slippers of a fashionable
shoemaker, my brother agreeing to
call for them the following week.
"But that very night began storm
of snow and sleet. which lasted for
days, and the roads were not open for
travel until the day before the wedding.
Then brother Jim started for r,
with long list of commissions from
| both families.
! "John,' said /. standing at the door,
"1f you let anything happen to my
| slippers I'll never forgive you.'
"Tll be careful, Fairy, run in," he
answered. They used to call me Fairy
because | was SO light and small.
SAT noon the next day l was
anxiously watching the road, for the
wedding was to be at o'clock, and
John had not yet returned. But soon
saw the sleigh drive up, and rushed
to the kitchen where John was stamp
ing the snow from his boots.
80! where are my slippers?' Icried,
tossing over the parcels.
They're there, all right said
John.
''But could not find them, so mo-
ther came to my aid; but we hunted in
vain. John looked on in growing dis
may and perplexity, but suddenly cried
in a tone of despair: i have it! was
to get them this morning. as the man
was out last night, but as l had SO
many other errands I forgot. I'm
sorry. dear, but it's too late to go
back.
81 burst into storm of tears, be-
wailing my disappointment, and VOW.
ing that | would not 90 to the wedding
in those old slippers. Turning just
then. / saw Guy Burton in the door
way, and fled to my room, where l
sobbed till tired out. Soon l heard a
horses feet on the ice as Guy rode off,
and thought angrily of standing up
with him that night in my old white
satin slippers. Guy was Sally's only
brother, older than herself / had
thought him cold and reserved lately,
though we had been good friends in
the days when he took me coasting.
But he had been at college for four
years, and l had seen little of him, ex-
cept that he always seemed to be about,
book in hand, during the last few
weeks when l had called to see the
girls.
Mother came to console me, and by
5 o'clock / was in a pleasanter frame
of mind, though painfully conscious of
the old slippers, on which I could not
look with equanlmity.
ARRIVING at the Burtons, I found
the girls in a great futter There was
the usual number of things to be done
at the last minute, so it was only at
the hour of the ceremony that we be-
gan to look for our escorts All were
ready but Guy, and he was not to be
found; in the general confusion his alb
sence had been unnoticed.
"'He must have gone on some er-
rand at the last minute, said Mrs. Bur-
ton in worried tone, looking into the |
darkness outside, for heavy storm had |
come up.
"We waited in growing uneasiness
as the servants were questioned, and it |
was found that his horse. Saadi, was |
gone, and that Guy had not been seen
since morning.
"As an hour passed and he did not
come grew angry at the thought that
was the only one to be annoyed by |
the detection of my escort, and l al
most wished something might happen
to him. Sally declined to be married
in the absence of her brother. AS it
grew later and later, she sat weeping
with her bridesmaids, while her tiance
began to fear that some serious acci-
dent had detained his friend.
Outside the cold was intense, and
the storm ragged with increasing fury;
it was one of the worst known for
years. Inside, as midnight drew near,
a gloom settled over us all, which it
was impossible to dispel.
'All thought of going on with the
was abandoned, and we be-
gan to organize parties to search for
Guy.
'sSuddenly we heard La loud Whitney.
We sprang to the great door and flung
it open, and Saadi walked into the hall;
On his back, a shapeless mass covered
with ice and snow, was Guy. Lifting
lim of. the men laid him upon the
sofa, and began to take off the stiffened
wrappings. Sally and / clung to-
yether, too much frightened for tears,
Is we looked at Guys white, still
lace.
"As they opened his coat to see if his
1eart still beat, little package fell to
he floor But he was not dead, and
after little while seemed quite him.
'elf, though stiff and lame. AS soon
Is he could stand he felt in his breast
or the fallen package, then, seeing 1t,
matched it from the floor and present
ID it to me. [
"You can fancy my feelings, girls,
or it held these;" and, opening the
,ox, grandmamma showed pair OF
iny, rose-colored slippers. /,
'.As he knelt to put them on, the :
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