Smyrna times., 1894-09-19
Through Thick and Thin.
BY MRS. NJ. L. RAYNE.

b1 mhS. NJ. IL RAYNE.
The ceremony of marriage is at all
times solemn one, even when unat.
tended by any religious rites, as in the
case of marriage of clipping lovers by
a Justice of the Peace. There is q
sense of moral responsibility in the
| dullest and most frivolous mind when
life to life is wed, and they who have
hitherto been strangers to each other
are suddenly confronted with the
knowledge that they two are merged
into one, and the incomprehensible
| future stretches out before them.
The marriage cermony which is in
my mind at this moment was solemn
lied at sick-bed wherein lay a Young
man in apparently thes last throes of a
fatal fever, aud who personated the
bridegroom. A clergyman in gown
and bands Offlciated, and rosy Young
| girl of Is years responded to the quest
| ion wilt thou take this man to be
thy welded husband ?" There was a
brief prayer for the patient, and then
the newly made husband and wife were
left together.
The parents of the young woman, in
whose house this had taken place. ac-
cOmpanied the clergyman to the room
where slight repast was served.
| Very sudden, was it not?" he asked
while diVesting himself of his clerical
habit.
YES" answered the father; "we
opposed it all We dared, her mother
and me, but he was set on it-said he
would die easier knowing that Anna
was his wife, and she-well, sir, girls
are more rOmatic now than they were
when her mother and l were married
yes, and more self-willed, too. It'll
leave her widow, and perhaps that'll
be better than wife"
Perhaps" echoed this clergyman
softly; Il understand he is very we'll
Of-this young man"
And his money is all willed Anna. y
1t was the mother who spoke up
| eagerly, and then subsidized, ashamed
of her worldly speech in the ante
chamber of death.
But Horace Wingard did not die,
contrary to all precedents. His bride
sat by his bedside for several hours,
watching for the last breath to pass
through his withered lips, and then
saw him awaken to life, with sigh as
if the effort were more than it was
worth.
Anna Hemsby, now Anna Wingard
was very, very glad. No thought OF
worldly benefits had entered her un-
selfish heart She had wed Horace be,
cause he was the first man whom she
had been intimately associated, and he
belonged to another wOrld-he was a
New York club man, selfish, sordid but
with a charming exterior. He had
quarreled with his family, and finding
himself i'll at this farm house resort
where he was fishing and shooting for
a change from the places Of fashionable
rendezvous, he had amused himself
with making love to girl who weighed
nearly 200 pounds and believed every.
thing, himself included.
All, but did she really believe? He
had once addressed her flippantly, aud
received such a look of scorn that il
gave him a new sensation.
Airs, "he said, after thinking it over
"she is accustomed to rustic courtship
l must change my tactics"
He did, and she changed hers.
She was standing on slope Of the
farmhouse hill, a very substantial
looking figure, but not ungraceful as
she swayed with the momentum oi
poise and covered her eyes from the
vivid sunset light with one bare, rosy
arm.
"a queen of milkmaids," the man oi
the world said to himself, and he stole
softly up, and boldly passed his right
arm around her ample waist.
He never rightly knew what did
happen. There was stinging blow in
his lace, which made him see stars as
we'll as sunset, and he fell backward
into some friendly foliage and then he
was alone, and in furious fit of pas.
sion.
The incident had never been alluded
to, not so much as by a conscious
glance, and then came the awful fever
and such nursing from Anna and her
mother, as two competent, sympathetic
women could give, and a Pickering
sense of malice on the part of the suf-
ferer towards his family. That was
why he had married Anna. He de-
termined to leave his estate to strang.
ers, to bring down the pride of his
lady-mother by bestowipg his name on
a girl not in society. 1t was not done
with laudable motive. yet motive and
deed were better than many he had
oontriVed in the course of his lawles.
life.
Anna Wingard nursed her sick hus
band back to life and strength. H,
depended on her for everything. This
was no hireling service, but the one thai
love could give. He made petty ex,
actions every day of his life, and she
never Yearied of doing his bidding.
She had never had anything wholly
her own since her last doll. This
peevish invalid belonged to her, and
nobody disputed her right. She was
rapturously happy in her new posses
sion.
Horace Wingard was living such a
new, innocent, dependent life that he
was content with the novelty. He haG
been taught to respect his wife, and
though often moved to throw boot.
jack az her, as he had formerly done tC
his valet, he never did. Nor, after one
or two attempts, did he order her about
as if she had been servant. But be
had quarrel with life, and it ranked
in his bosom. He wanted to be avenged
but somehow he couldn't, he might not
even die when he wanted to, and
leave a cadical of his spite. When he
could sit up and be left alone he wrote
to an old friend of his ribaId days:
DEAR LAwRENcE.-For heavens sake
come and see me, for have married wifi
and cannot come to you. Yes, and had
fever from which nearly died. The gir
-she is a lady, old boy-weighs half ton
You know my penchant for thin women
the divine Sarah, for instance-and have
married bouncer who makes the house
tremble when she crosses the floor. l am
a rascal to say so, for l owe my life to her,
but it is not much of a gift under the cir
cumstances. l am as thin as a rail, but
they tell me that after having this fever
flesh accumulutes at a rapid rate. Well
Lawrence, my wife has enough of the com
modify for two She is q mountain; alas
that should be her Mahomet,
HQBA0E WIEaARn.
After writing the letter the GONZALES.
cent laid back in his reclining chair
and went sleep. He slept the sleep OF
exhaustion, and did not hear his wife
walk heavily in. stop at the back ol
the chair, and look down upon the
missive spread on on the table before
her.
The twain were one flesh. Fatal