The Lambertville record. [volume] (Lambertville, N.J.) 1872-1968, 1892-08-17

DacK 10 ms quarters WITH MS daughter,
in something of hurry, there was talk
of trouble with the Indians. 1t was I'M
derstood that William Richie was to go
out in six months time to claim his
bride and bear her away before the very
eyes of all those envious warriors.
The major did not profess to be pleased.
That girl who could marry in army
society should choose "a civilian"
amazed him, he openly confessed. But
"a willful woman must have her way"
Cora was of age-full five and twenty.
William Richie is very NICE" Mrs,
Afford said.
mo doubt, the major assented. ssBut
Cora might have had general"
How glad Genie was when they were
Her mother opined that she had been
too gay that summer. Mrs. Richie,
who was broken hearted at her Viii
liam's choice, came in sometimes and
was apt to wish herself in the tomb of
her forefathers. But William never
came. He correspondent unanimously
with Miss Cora Standish, who made him
jealous of now one officer and now an
other, and he felt that he received little
sympathy at home.
At last the time arrived when he was
to go to claim his bride. Between hor-
ror of having her brought home, ito
ride over her head" as she expressed it,
and fear that they would induce "her
William" to take up his residence among
them, Mrs. Richie was quite distracted.
''She is your cousin" she said to the
girl one day, cor I'd say what think of
that creature. She might have kept
herself with her own kind, Why should
she carry off my boy9'
Then Genie felt so much sympathy
for the bereaved mother that they min
gled their tears,
Mrs. Richie would not go to Wills
wedding-not she, indeed!
She went SO far as to hope that when
he returned he would find her dead of a
broken heart. But she packed his trunk
for him and put in new Bible as her
wedding gift to Cora. Then Will de-
parted
What with Wills popularity, his moth
er's despair and the doubt as to whether
the young couple would come back to
live or settle down at the fort, this we'd
ding made great deal of talk, and when
time passed on and neither telegram,
letters, nor anything else in the shape of
news arrived, there was some excite
ment. Had there been ''trouble with
the Indians" the newspapers would have
revealed the fact. This silence was very
strange.
Old Mrs. Richie was sure that Will
was 'weaned from her already" and
consigned herself to despair. Genie read
over and over again a poem which began;
Married, married, and not to mel
| Is it dream or can it be2
and pasted it in her scrapbook, and was
reading it in the honeysuckle arbor
when an expressman paused at old Mrs.
Ritchie's gate and hauled from his
wagon one solitary trunk with "W r"
upon it. Later Will himself walked up
the road alone with his portmanteau in
his hand, and stood at his mothers door.
Something had happened. Genie
would have been an angel If she had
| grieved over the fact. As it was she
felt that her little bit of revenge was
ready for her. and revenge was sweet,
and with merry laugh she skipped
over to the fence that divided the gar
dens and called out:
"Why, how do you do, Will? Where
| is Cousin Cora?" n
Will turned and looked at her, anil
came straight toward her.
"When | reached the majors resi-
dence your cousin Cora had just eloped
with Colonel O'Shaunessy," he said.
GAS the major and Mrs Colonel q Shau-
nessy's brother are out hunting the
colonel, thought would return home,
though kindly invited to join the sport"
"Ohl' cried Genie, with all the hor-
ror of an innocent girl. "a married
man? Is she like that--as bad as that?'
cit is pretty bad" said William.
"But I'm glad found her out so soon.
Later would have made it tragedy for
me-and all your fault, Geniep
"Minep cried the girl.
"Yes," said Will. when you gave me
back my ring you threw me into her
hands. Before that it was only fiirta-
ton. / never intended it to be anything
else, for my part. But when you used
me SOL
II used you sol" said Genie. why,
William, heard you talking to Cora in
the arbor the night before gave you
back my ringp'
"No man ever talks that way to the
woman he loves" said William.
Then they turned away from each
other, but though Mrs. Afford wept over
the awful conduct of her sisters daugh-
ter, Genie was happier than she had
been for many moons.
You and may wonder whether Will
liam Richie told the truth, or whether
he told half of it, but Genie believed
him.
Before long the gossips Of the place
whispered that she intended ''to take
pity on him." and this was Genies view
of the matter.
Her petulant conduct she said had
driven him into the meshes Cora spread
for all men. She was to blame. 1t was
her duty to atone as far as she could.
She felt sure of that, and William insist
ed upon it also. Therefore she one day
married him.
In their case marriage has not proved
mistake, for they make very COM
Portable couple, and no one was happier
ON the wedding day than old Mrs.
Richie. Mary Kyle Dallas in Fireside
| Companion.
Tho Blue vetch.