The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1891-03-27
DECEPTIONS.

When, before the altar, the priest
asked her, care you content?" it wac
with all her soul Comma had responded,
"Yes."
On, yes; she was content indeed.
Through the cloud of costly lace which
enwrapped her in its snowy transparency
she saw the vast church all dotted with
lights, Respondent in the dark CLEAN of
mosaics upon golden backgrounds, ami
mated by the slight movement of the
very elegant crowd that filled it, lighted
by oblique rays descending from the
nave, all a glitter of gold, silks and brill
iants, and it was her own future that
she seemed to see thus-the years of
luxury and wealth which her rich mar
riage was preparing for her. And had
it not been the dream for which she
sighed? She, the ideal blonde, of 18
years, with the tall and proud figure;
the pure, disdainfui profile under heavy
curls like those of an archangel, with
naughty eyes sparkling like blue gems
under the golden fringes of her long eye
lashes.
She had been for long time poor
girl, the daughter of citizens who had
seen better days, that marvellous human
lily. She had experienced all the petty
troubles, all the cruel daily sufferings of
misery that conceals itself The poor
and inelegant gowns, painfully remod-
eled every year; the insolence of credit
ors; humiliatiens; continual and tor
menting thoughts of money-she had
experienced them all, and in her little
heart, eager for pleasure and enjoy
ment, swollen with unsatisfied longings,
dream was arisen little by little, oc-
cupying all the room, rendering her in
sensible to all the rest-the dream of at
last becoming rich.
She wanted it, absolutely; she was
born for it; she was rich now. That
Eyes," which she had just pronounced,
had, by its three magic letters, changed
her destiny; and she was so content, SO
happy, that it appeared to her it was all
a dream, that her Mechlin veil was a
cloud that transported her into the
realms of the impossible, across a sidereal
heaven, Of which the diamond pins
thrust among her laces formed the fam
ing stars; and, in order TO return to
reality, she must cast her eyes toward
her husband, Luigo Marchis, kneeling
beside her in the mystic, velvety shade
of the altar, lit by the tremulous bright
ness of the candles.
An, there was nothing ideal about
him, poor fellowl In vain he straight
ened his correct person of an elegant
man, with his accurately shaven face,
with slender brown mustache, and a
still fresh color that gave him something
the look of an actor; he remained none
the less old, with his powerful shoulders
little bent, with his eyelids grown
heavy, and crows feet toward his tenn
pies, with the gray locks that appeared
here and there among his brown hair,
with his forty-seven years, of which the
WEAKNESS was more conspicuous beside
that radiant and blonde spring.
Forty-seven years! How was it posi-
BILE! he felt his heart SO palpitating,
full of tears as in youth And he could
not comprehend how so much time had
passed; he could not persuade himself of
the incredible fact-forty-se years
passed without knowing Gemma.
For they had been acquainted with
each other only two months. Marchis.
however much he had frequented society,
drawn there by his banking connections.
had never let himself be talked to of
marriage. What! A wife, children,
troubles, cares, disappointments! Not
even by idea.
And at AZ years one evening, present
from motives of curiosity at a ball to
which the employees of his bank had in
vlted him, he must needs be smitten by
the exquisite, vaporous grace of that
blonde girl, dressed simply in white. en-
tering on the arm of funny little man
with baby face and big, silvery
beard-her father, a modest clerk in the
bank; rather ridiculous little old man,
who, beside that divine spparition. slen-
der In her robes of snow, made one think
OF the gnomes of folk tales, always
crouchlng at the feet of fairies.
All, weakness Of hearts growing old
That apParitlon was enough TO shake all
the ideas of Luigo MARGINS concerning
matrimonv, and as the old gnome. de- |
spite his absolute nullity. was an honest
citizen, incapable of resisting the assidu-
ities of the director to his pretty daugh- |
ter. the sutton had been greatly pleased |
with the consent of that little maiden of |
is. that beautiful creature, that blonde |
being, TO become his wife. Now he I!
trembled with JOY. His eyes were misty |
with vivid emotion-not perceiving that |
that, teo, was a sign of old age-and it |
was voice choked with JOY that to the
question of the priest, Are you con-
tent replied, ''Oh, yes!"
Now 1t is done. United, forever united. |
Having arisen TO their feet, she with AN
elegant and hight impulse, like a lily
wind lifted on its stem, he with little |
effort and difficulty. wearied by emo
non, they go down from the altar arm
IN arm. Now they pass through the |
church amid the murmurs of compli- /
ments which arise amid the shadows of /
The alsies, among the dull scrsping of /
feet and the rustic Of gowns; there on the |
peristyle, among the white columns, is |
living wave of sun and air which comes |
70 meet them, like recall TO real life |