Weekly expositor. (Brockway Centre, Mich.) 1882-1894, 1893-12-08
ASTORY OF BLOOD.
CHAPTER Iv.-CoNTINUED.

/ CHATTER lN.-CONIlNUED.
The ceremony was to be at ten. They
were a quarter of an hour too soon; and
/ Philip Durand, who loved the grand old
/ pile with the artists ardent love of tine
artistic work, walked in the shadowy aisles
with his painter friend, and eXpatiated up
ON the beauties of the building while Rose
walked by his side, proud Of her lovers
| learning and enthusiasm.
Kathleen and CASTOR waited nearer the
altar, the girl kneeling with bent head and
| hidden face, deep in prayer; the lover sit
! ting near, dreamily watching the graceful
/ figure in soft gray drapery, touched with
! glintings of colored hight from the old stain.
! ed windows.
| There were no other weddings at that par
| ticular hour on that particular morning.
! These two couples and their friends had the
mighty fame all to themselves. As the clock
struck ten the organ began to peal, and the
| priests came slowly towards the altar IN
their rich yestments-for the vestments
worn upon the humblest occasions at Nore
! Dame are splendid-and the ceremonial be-
! gan.
/ All was over in less than half an hour,
| and Kathleen and her sister went back into
! the sunshine, out of the gray shadows, the
! of gold, and splendor of chromatic color.
us that ALP asked Kathleen, looking up
! at her lover-husband. Am l really and
/ truly your wife?'
"Really and truly; and you would have
| been just as truly my wife if we had never
| gone further than the Marie"
mo, no, Castor; for then Heaven would
/ have no part in our marriage"
MY sweetest, | am content that you
should be content. Women love old-world
| fancies."
There was stand of carriages in front Of
the church. Philip Durand hailed two Of
them, and the wedding-party got in. The
! two bridegrOOms had planned the day be-
tween them. They were to breakfast at the
restaurant in the Place de la BOurse, chosen
| for the sake of its winter-garden, which
| gave an air of prediness to the sordid fact
| of dinner And just now, too, in this time
! of anxiety and ferment, the BOurse was the
central point OF Paris, where one could al
/ ways hear the latest news. just now Paris
! lived on tip-tOe, as it were, palpitatlng,
thrilling with the expectation Of great VIC
tores-an AusterltZ, Jena; the news
might be flashed along the wires at any mo-
ment Of the day or night The telegraph
clerks were waiting, fingels itching to re-
cord the triumph of Gallo arms. No one
thought of Waterloo.
The bridal-party drove across the river,
past the Louvre, into the Rue de Rivoli
What meant this new life and movement in
the streets-men running TO and fro, women
standing in little groups, laughing, crying,
hats waved i'm the air-the wild excitement
] of a race-course?
zone would think our happiness had
driven all the world out of their WITS" said
CASTOR, with his arm round his Wife's slim
waist
There was only Madame Schubert with
them i'm the carriage. She had insisted on
taking the back seat, and sat smiling be-
nignly on the happy lovers.
The cOachman turned round and shouted
to them as he ratified his horse over the
broad space in front of the Theatre Francois.
The pavement before the cafes was crowded
with the usual loungers, smoking, talking,
drinking; only the talk and the laughter
was louder than usual, the crowd was denser,
the air was full OF electricity.
"A victory" shouted the driver. looking
round at his fare, and cracking his whip
ferociously; ~ great victory! MacMahOn
has made mincemeat of those Prussian
dogsr'
"a victory and on our wedding-dayW eX-
claimed Kathleen joyously; and then the
sweet sensitive face clouded suddenly, and
she said, There can be no victory without
soldiers slain. Many hearts of wives and
mothers will be mourning to-day amidst all
this joyousne,s. o CASTOR how thankful
ought TO be that you were past the age for
servicer'
True, dearest, am better off here than
with the Moblots; but if the National Guard
were called out L should have to shoulder
my musket."
''But not to leave Paris said Kathleen,
nesting closer to him; land there can be no
fighting in Paris"
Heaven Forbid No, love; one or two
victories, and Prussia will give us whatever
terms we ask. What can herd of Huns
and Vandals do AGAINST the fine flowers of
our army, the heroes of Magenta and Sol
ferino, the graybeards Of Alma and AL
giers?"
They drove along the Rue Vivienne. The
narrow street was all in connection: people
at the shop-doors, people at the upper win
dows; Babel Of voices, a shrill uproar of
laughter and exclamation. But in the Place
de la Bourse, and on the boulevard beyond,
the excitement eliminated. 1t was the fever
Of EPSON when the Derby has just been
won-the stir and tumult of Doncaster at
the browning moment of the Leger; and yet
q deeper and stronger fever, for this had
the awfulneSs Of life and death.
Victory, yes; but where? Which Of the
armies was it--MacMahOn's or Bazaine's?
Or was it the two armies which had crushed
the Prussian forces between them-which
mad met and joined, like two living walls,
deadly, inyincible, squeezing out the life of
the enemy?
Every one was asking questions, every
one answering, stating, counter-stating,
denying; but in this tumult OF statement
and counter-statement there was adificulty
in arriving at any positive fact, except the
one all-inspiring fact that there had been a
tremendous victory on the French side.
Flags were flying at all The windows-flags
produced as if by enchantment; and here
came an open carriage slowly through the
mob-the carriage of famous opera-singer
In an instant it was stopped, surrounded 10y
that surgHg sea of humanity; and the Diva
stood up in her carriage at the entrcaty-
nay, almost the commander the public, tC
sing the "Marseillaise."
| no sr1n 1Iad