The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1891-07-17
THREE TIMES A BRIDESMAID
BY HELEN FORREST GRAVES.

augusta Vivian! why, what on earth
are you crying about?"
Miss Vivian dashed the crystal drops
petulantly from her eyelashes.
"Cryingl What nonsense. I'm not
crying"
She sat there on the low, velvet COW
cred divan, with the exquisite brides
maids dress in her lap-white tarletan,
barred with shimmering lines of silver
while just beyond lay the wedding cards,
tied together with snowy ribbon, like
drifted snow.
And Aunt Bessie, seeing that remon-
STRANGE and argument would alike be un-
welcome just at that moment, went
quietly out of the room with the ivory
needle case she had come to seek, leaving
Augusta alone once more.
Three times q bridesmaid and never a
bride"
Was it, then, that there was actual
truth in the words Of the old saw which
people quoted agai--st her with so much
malicious fun? For the third time she
was to be a brides attendant now-and
herself! Why does no one come to lead
her to the altar also, to fulfill woman's
sweetest, proudest destiny!
1t is all sheer nonsense to say that
girl must not admit visions of love and
matrimony into her head. She would be
but lifeless, loveless statue otherwise: ::
the visions will come unbidden, and ex-
istence would be incomplete without
their enchanting glitter. So it was with
Augusta Vivian at eight and twenty.
People were already beginning to speak
of her as an old maid" the young. six
teen year old damsels thought her 'shock-
ingly old, and Lily, her married sister,
with two babies, patronized and pitied
her.
"Poor Gussie, said Mrs. Lathrop, "it
isn't likely she will ever marry now.
Why. I was engaged before 1 was
18, and Gussie is nearly 80. However, I
always wanted an old maid sister to live
with me and help about the children and
the housekeeping. /"
Yet Augusta Vivian was lovelier now
than she had been at eighteen. Not a
wrinkle marred the marble smoothness
of her brow, the gold bright hair waved
in luxurious masses from her blue veined
temples, and the bloom on her cheeks
was red and ripe as that of peach-and
yet she never yet had had one offer.
1t was hard, too. Augusta Vivian had
all the wifely instincts belonging to every
woman worthy of the name-she had her
aspirations, hopes, and dreams, and it
was dispiriting to see them blighted one
by one.
Nobody cares for me,' thought Au-
gusta mournfully, and not without a
spice of bitterness in her detection "No
man ever spoke to me of love-no home
ever yet opened its portals to greet me as
its queen. Why not, wonder? Am
unlike other women? Am I unworthy
of the destiny that fate has reserved for
them? Here / live in my little cottage
among the roses, solitary and alone, save
for Aunt Bessie and the kitten, and here,
for aught can see, am likely to drag
out the monotonous series of my days.
wish were man. Men can go out
into the world and forget all personal
trouble in that keen hand to hand con-
fiict which invigorates while it occupies
them; but women can only sit at home
with folded hands and aching hearts.
waiting for the day to come which may
never dawn"
And SO it happened that Augusta Wv
ian had let bright teardrop or two fall
upon the shining folds of silver barred
tarletan as she sat there all alone.
Augusta, said Aunt Bessie, presently
reentering and sitting herself down to
work in the sunny corner of the bay
window, show old is your sister Helen 2"
Sixteen next month, answered Au.
gusta spiritlessly.
Il thought so" said Aunt Bessie
sagely. do you know, Augusta, I've
got new kink in my head!"
"What is that?" asked Augusta, fore
ing herself at least to appear to take
some sort of interest in the subject under
"Major Culthorpe next door = don't
you notice that he comes here every
day?"
He never speaks to me, ," said Augusta
coldly.
"But he does to Helenl They were
out an hour yesterday looking at the
hyacinth beds. 1 do really believe he |
means something, Augusta. Helen is
young, to be sure-only 16-and he must
be more than 3d."
"Thirty-one, said Augusta with lit |
tie sigh, SO soft that it was scarcely per.
ceptible.
~But he's very rich and very handsome
"a great deal more brilliant match, in a |
worldly point of view, than Lily's hus-
band. Helen couldn't do better than to |
accept him if he should happen to pro-
pose, and SO shall tell her.
Augusta dare not answer. Marrying |
and giving in marriage-how naturally |
they came to every girl but herself.
Here was little Helen, wearing short
dresses still, and scarcely out of the
and Major Culthorpe, one
in thousand, handsome as Apollo, and
polished as Chevalier Bayard, had al
ready singled her out to be his wifel A
keen pang of envy shot through Augusta
Vivian's heart, none the less keen in that
she felt how base it was thus to grudge
the royal crown of welded happiness to
her young sisters lover.
Helen is the last of the flock, added
rrn& TQosesn w..a.1.k.,k.xalxx 0a-oo,.k xxnxx I