Waterbury evening Democrat. [volume] (Waterbury, Conn.) 1887-1895, 1888-02-14
CHAPTER XIV.
WHAT ARE WE WAITING FOR


The bay span were tossing their heads i'm
patiently OF the gate, and still the young
bridegroom delayed in his house. 1t was the
evening he was to be married, and when he
entered the nrched doorway again Bertha
would DO with him. So he must make
one final tour of his home to see if there
was any last finishing stroke of work
necessary to make it worthy Of his beautiful
bride he found all his servants the new grace
full maid to wait upon the door, the portly
butler to wait upon the table, and all; and in
stvssrted them carefully IN their duties. The i'll
tricate domestic mechanism must work with
not one Jar or rattle to disturb the new mis-
tress. He went into the drawing room and
looked about him. The grand piano that
had been closed and locked SO long was open,
and the music pl,ced on tho rack as if it were
but yesterday that Bertha had sat before it.
Flo remembered how her round. white arm
had outdazzlcd the ivory keyboard the last
timo he had seen her here. The chintz cover~
had been removed from tho furniture, whose
blue darEask upholstery seemed fairly smil-
ing with delight to have escaped from its
mask. III the embrasuro Of the window look
ing out to the street, where the three laborers
had stood the evening our story commences,
lay little volume Of exquisite engravings,
as if some adnirer had just put it down.
Philip glanced at the page where it was open
It was a Maglalene; and shadow passed
over his face ut the suggestion. He turned 6
few leaves and spread the volume open again
This time it was Marguerite Inpatient,
he closed the book, which seemed to have III
beautiful picture but it would insult his bride
lie had not mato the slightest change III
tho study--h;s fathers roon,--where he had
al %<o TO eel ,;,,;%, I.
It would be proclamation to alter one feat
ure Of the room; it should be always as it
was the day Ezekiel Breton tlial. Philip
opened the door and looked in for q moment
then with full heart he made his way up
the oaken stairs. The room he next entered
was furnished in tho shade of blue that
Bertha loved best, the silk upholstered lounge
that made drowsy to look at it, the
sleepy hollow easy chair, the dressing table
and toilet set. Over the windows hung
lambrcquins Of darker tint, softened again,
however, III tlo flowing curtains below.
Even the drop lamp had blue porcelain
shade SO that such thing as white light
should ever enter Bertha's boudoir. Philip
imagined her sitting in tie easy chair lifting
her eyes wonGeringly to him, her husband,
who never grew tired of telling her she was
, eeautifui or he pictured her asleep Oh the
lounge ono white hand by her side, the other
beneath her cheek How much of his
thoughts were vague dreaming: Could it be
sho was at last to be his; lighting the gloomy
old house with the radiance of her presence!
ALI his other life faded i'll his memory at the
brightness OF his JOY in her. 1t seemed q
saau thing to him that he had lifted
1000 lives into new plane Of existence
that he had given hope to 1000 desperate
| l.earts-coinpared with the hope Of making
this one woman happy and Of living in hel
smiles
| But he suddenly started from his fond rev.
cry, aud passed into another room, all as
white as sorno cave In a mountain of snow.
| The mantcl was Of marble, the curtains
cloud like masses of snowy lace: and even the
upholstery of the chairs, and the carpet Was
white danlask. His heart beat fast as he
stood for q moment n tho chamber, then he
went softly out and locked the door behind
Kim, so that no foot shodld cross its sacred
threshold till its mistress came.
1t was to be q very quiet we,ldinS-no
| guests, no cards, DO banquet. Tho shortest
| and simplest form that could make a man
| and woman ono was enough. But the hour
was past, and yet there was no wedding: the
bride, all dressed, waited to be called from
her room; the young bridegroom paced to
and fro across the parlor floor. There was
no minister.
| The clock struck the half hour. It was
half past eight Mr. Ellingswarth sat in TIE
parlar reading tho evening paper In unhro,len
tranquility, Philip was wondering where
Jane could be; whether she was indeed PIE
pairing terrible blow for the whioo bosom
OF his bride What could she Goa
sAh! l think / hear tho carriage, re
marked Mr. Ellingswor5h, laying ass..o ks
paper witt, q littio yawn
"Frbm which direction" asked Phi,.2.
listening oagnriy, wfdlp tho fuvel';sh hioo,!
| r:1.;hed i,:to his free.
To 30 ,pH1INtis.,.