Waterbury evening Democrat., 1889-08-17

Marcia hung the key in its accustomed ring
 with the air of one who has won the day by I ] rash, but nevertheless complimentary, method.
 Outside the Hall the winds were whis- pering in tho great elms and signing in the ! dark, gloomy yews, predictive of rising storm.
 Not one of the inmates, however, had ! noticed the gathering of the threatening el- ! sments, so in tense had been the weird ex- citement within. A sudden and heavy peal
 of thunder drew their attention to the fact,
 and they hurried up the staircase as fast as ! their almost helpless master would allow. He had be come in these latter days of his life terribly frightened whenever thun- der-storm came on, and they wished to get him into his own apartments before the tempest burst over Heatherleigh. ! But he was not to be hurried. He slowly mounted the stairs murmuring: ''So proud 1! so cold! so dumb! Ohl Miriaml No pity; 1 no lover'
 Suddenly there came vivid and blinding ' flash, followed by a peal of heavens artil- lery that reverberated through the Hall, | and seemed to shake Heatherleigh to it's ancient cornerstone.
 Sir Rupert staggered and fell prone on | the landing without cry; the servants | vcafelessly extinguished the tapers i'll their | terror and Peggy shrieked out that tho "God
 above had taken Marcia at her wurrud." HAPPIER XVII. Wedding bells rang out clear and sweet on the soft, breezy September air. It was
 the morning of Patty's wedding. All nat | ure vied with the merry making of the in-
 mates of Fairfax Place to make the day one
 never to be forgotten for it's beauty. | Mme. Montcalm, the mother of the l,s- r girl, in silks and diamonds, had como down | from London to take part in the festivities. The Fairfax family not being yet out
 of mourning, the wedding was a quiet one, and dId not take on the air | of grandeur Mime. Montcalm desired | it might. She was rather vain and fond of display, and this being the occasion | of the marriage of her only son, she was a | little disappointed that the momentous af- | fair did not come out in the blaze of social glory she deemed necessary. Nevertheless ! she was sure that her son Hollis was mar rying into very aristocratic family, and ! that his wife was model of good breeding | and beauty of the pure English type, and | that was something to be proud of. | They had lost their property, to be sure, | once, but now they were, if any thing, bet
 ter off than formerly; though people did | say that it was mainly through the super human efforts and wonderful business tact | of the dead brother and son that the Fair fax house was again recognized in polite I society
 ! 'T am so glad that it happens to be such Ia perfect day, it portends a happy life, you know"
 | Mime. Montcalm was speaking to one | of the guests in the handsomely decorated rooms at the Fairfax home.
 "Yes," answered the one addressed. "I | sincerely hope the second marriage of the Fairfax house will prove a happier one than | the first; though that one was happy enough | had not its first years been clouded with hard, grinding toll, and the last by the l falling health, and finally the death of the | husband.'' '1 understood they were very much de- | voted to ono another" said Mime. Mont calm, avoiding the mention of toll, Hhich | grated on her aristocratic ears, and devot- ing herself to the heart-side of the subject.
 "Ohl certainly" was the rejoinder. | "Arthur Fairfax was devoted husband to ! a most devoted wife. By the bye, his | ding. She is just recovering from long
 Illness and, although able to be about, will | not undertake the trip"
 ! And other guests having arrived, came | up to claim the attention of the speaker | and get an introduction to the very aristo- | cratic madame. the mother of the groom, whose vanity was very much flattered by | the attention she was receiving from Pa. ! tricia's friends.
 No, Miriam could not go over to attend ! Patty's wedding; she felt that she had no part in happiness now, but the day was | beautiful, and Patty, sister Patty, would be | very happy. It was not far over to Fairfax Place, lonely country seat, just outside a | dreamy, quiet village, nestled among the hills, some few miles up the shore. Patty United States Hotel,