St. Landry democrat. (Opelousas, La.) 1878-1894, 1893-09-30
The LOST BRIDE.
By MATT LAMAR.

There was great crowd in the hall.
Everybody was talking in high key,
and the orchestra in the back parlor was
fairly convulsing itself in the throes of a
pot-pourri.
AT the top of the stairs was the bride.
She was symphony in lavender. She
was not conventional girl, perhaps, but
in the matter of wedding garments she
had felt bound to follow precede 1t, and
she looked so irresistibly charming that
nobody who saw her could believe for the
moment that ''going away" gown
should be anything but lavender.
They made way for her on the stairs,
and for the groom, with a tan-colored
overcoat on his arm, behind her. The
women began kissing the bride, who sub
mitted with flushed cheeks and dancing
eyes. One or two elderly men near the
door came in for a kiss, too. The groom
was shaking hands with everybody, the
young men all yelling "Good-by, old
fellow" as if the groom were GO instead
of "a.
For time it was almost impos sible to
get the front door open in the crush; and
when at last they got the couple out on
the steps twenty handfuls of rice hailed
upon the retreating figures. A fresh
chorus of giggling and shouts of Good
BY" and the coach door slammed and the
Watterson wedding had begun to be a
matter of history.
They reached the station at 10:45.
In fifteen minutes they were rolling away
in drawing room car. The bride could
still feel the sting of the rice on her neck
"a very pretty neck, cncircled by mar
row ribbon of lavender velvet. When
the groom took off his silk hat several
white grains fell to the floor, and the
groom covertly scanned the cars to see
whether the tell-tale sign had been de-
tected.
Charming innocence! AS if rice grains
were required to advertise the obviously
]ust-married condition of this radiant
pair!
Most of the car had been made up as q
sleeper, and only three human beings
were visible in unmade-up sections.
These charitably feigned to regard the
new passengers as i'll no wise exception
al, and did not appear to be taking very
much notice of them.
When the train conductor and after
him the Pullman conductor had been
around to collect the tickets, and the
groom had for the first time performed
that interesting function of introducing
to the world, as it were, himself and
wife, the pair tried to settle back in the
soft seat and appear indifferent. But
the bride had 500 things she wished to
say and so they got to talking in low
tone, until presently the white jacketed
porter came along.
The sight of this functionary startled
the groom in an inexplicable way.
"Make up the section, sir3" said the
porter, with what might be called an in
visible grin.
"N-no," said the groom, trying not
to appear startled, eve are only going
as far as Pittston.'
The porter looked for a moment as if
he disapproved of Pittston or of some
thing else and went back into his den.
For half an hour their low talk kept
in sort of harmony with the solemn
rumble of wheels. Her 4gloved hand
had fallen into the nearest of his. The
pressure he gave it contained the essence
of mighty embrace. There was nobody
to see if their hands came very close to-
gether.
Suddenly the groom sat upright and
darted at the inside pocket of his sack
coat.
"Great Scott" he gasped; II forgot
to tell the baggageman about that
satchel."
"Charlie!" She said no more, but
there was a world of distress in the
tone.
II shall telegraph for it in the morn
ing" he said.
"But, Charlie" she protested, "don't
without the satchel2'
A deep gloom began to settle about
Charlie. The train slowed up at sta
ton. II will get off and get the station
man to telegraph back and we can have
it by the midnight train"
She did not object in words, but she
half grasped his arm as he started for the
door. In moment she could see him
crossing the dim platform. 1t came into
her thoughts that it would be real trag-
edy if he should get left at the station.
Her impotence developed into agony
when it began to appear that the train
would soon start again. She knew it was
silly, but she got up and went to the
door. One or two passengers were get
ting On. Then the porter climbed up
with the stool used as mounting step.
Plainly she thought Charlie was going to
be left behind. She stepped out on the
platform and caught the vestibule door,
Excuse me, madame said the por
ter, "but the train is going.'
81 know it." gasped the girl, "and
my husband is over there"
The situation was grotesquely terrible
to her. With no satchel and no husband
it seemed simply absurd to stay on the
train. She would not stay on the train.
The wheels were already moving
when she eluded the porter and sprang
to the platform. AS she ran across the
platform to where the station masters
light was glaring, her husband, who had
hurriedly mounted the steps at the other
end of the car, was wandering in some
perplexity through the aisle. Could
he be in the wrong car 2 No, here was
her little travelling fan.