Custer chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, Black Hills, D.T. [S.D.]) 1880-1890, 1889-10-19
SELINA'S DOWRY.

BIZ - J
tidy WIFE"
'.You know her then?"
''By sight and name, sir, that is all;
she has been in service with one of our
leading men at this church; an or.
phan she is-a founding, | believe"
"Ah, good servants are sometimes
got from the Founding Hospital!' |
remarked as / paid the fee for the
search l had been making in the reg
lister of the Church of All Hallows in .
queer old City court.
There had just been a wedding. A
stalwart, handsome young fellow, neat
and clean. with u shining face, and a
posy in his button hole. and a petite
trim-looking girl, in a new dress Of a
pale shade of grey and a bonnet tied
with white ribbons, accompanied by
two friends very humbly dressed. we've
the entire party. Very poor they all
were, evidently, but, judging from their
faces, very happy. / came TO know
afterwards how it was they were so
very poor. The bride had been in
good service, and had left her wages
in her masters hands for her wedding,
and the furnishing such articles for
her home as belonged TO her share of
il. 1t vas quite safe, of courses; but
there came M of the panics that some
times shake the commercial world to
its foundation, and the well-to-do mer-
chant woke up one morning and found
himself penniless.
Not only himself, but those about
him-everyone in his house shared in
thu Uanare1 r.ntn Thara xuaa nAfhtn~
for the friendless girl who had served
home nor friends save the man whose
home she was to help TO make. The
home would have TO wait now, and
she must seek another service and lose
her savings and the wages due to her;
but her lover babe her be of good cheer
and come at once.
eve can work for the furniture
together" he said, and Selma agreed,
and they were married, driving to the
church in a greengrocer's cart instead
of the carriage she had promised her
self when she should have bought the
pretty silk dress she had set her heart
upon, which would serve for her best
almost for the rest Of her life. She
could not have looked prettier in the
smartest silk that ever was woven,
and could not help standing and
watching them for a moment as they
drove slowly along the street, evil
IDENTIFY bent on a days outing some-
where after the momeDtous ceremony
of the morning. There was a little
difficulty in their getting along; some
thing was being done to the street that
made the traffic a little slow, and as
he cart with the pretty girl stopped
,ehind "A big van, unable to get on, /
saw a woman watching it from the OPP
posite side of the road.
/ say a woman. for she had the cloth
ing and semblance of one of the softer
sex, but ii was difficult to think of her
as OF the same flesh and blood as the
pretty bride. Her hair hung down
upon her shoulders from under a
frowsy bonnet, and her face was bloat-
ed and bruised. A crowd of BOYS fol-
lowed her, rs she reeled along, for the
mud on her dress was fresh and the
blood was oozing from n cut on her
cheek. She was a horrible object,
with hardly anything human left in
her; bnt the sight of the party coming
out of the church and getting into
their vehicles seemed to waken some
chord of memory, and bring her back
to the world out of her drunken degra-
dation.
"A wedding!" she shouted. with a
burst OF hideous laughter. ''Oh, Lord!
oh, Lord! Let's give 'em a lift. Here's
luck!-luck! The muddier the better.
I'll send 'em luck!'
She steadied herself against the wall
and pulled off something that might
have been a shoe once-it was a latter
ed mass of dirt now-and hurled it
with all her might at the girl in the
cart. i saw it strike her and spoil her
pretty dress, but the party turned a
corner and disappeared just as a
terrible cOmmotion arose round me
where / stood. The woman had ut
tered a frightful oath and a shrek Of
laughter as she saw the shoe reach its
destination. and then in nm attempt to
execute a triumphant dance she had
fallen backwards in the street, right i'm |
front Of a huge "a that was just COM
ing up. The driver saw what had
happened, and did his best. but his
horses had kicked the PROSTATE form,
and a wheel had gone over il before |
he could pull up. There was plenty of
help at hand, and the wretched crea-
ture was conveyed to the hospital
without loss of time. My way led me
past the door not many minutes later,
and ] knew the house surgeon, SO 4
made inquiries.
dead" he said. didn't live to be
put to bed. Did you know herp"
i told him what l had seen, aud went |
and looked at the poor heap of NOR
tally that had once been a woman,
and agreed with him that ii was better
that the earth should hide it as soon as
possible.
Later in the day. strolling through
the Aquarium. / met the wedding party,
the little bride wearing = shawl that
spoiled the effect OF her wedding gown !
completely, and looking very trisie and |
sad. could not resist tho temptation
Of speaking to them, and telling them
! had seen them married that morn
ing, and giving them my good wishes. |
Eyes. sir, we was married there, |
sure enough" the young fellow said. |
rather sheepishly; ''and we was going
into the country for a bit of q drive,
but we had our day spoiled for u.s."
''Indeed!" / said; show, IL l may