Santa Fe daily New Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1885-1897, 1894-11-03
A MISSING BRIDE.


the inhabitants Of Cedar Grove were bust.
ly preparing for the wedding Of Georgia
Blake and Edgar Geland, which was to
take place that evening at 8 o'clock. Geor-
gia was an attractive girl and Edgar TALL
awkward boy, whose good qualities made
up for the lack of good looks Both were
great favorites at the Grove, and the people
looked upon the match as an ideal one.
The Grove had not celebrated o marriage
for nearly ~ months, and the fact of lat
last" having a wedding aroused much en-
thusiasm there and in the vicinity among
all, old and young, who looked forward to
the event of the evening with keen de.
light. BY o'clock the room was crowd
cd, by scarcely standing room for the
guests. Those from tho Grove were there
in full force, and the surrounding bayous
were represented by goodly number. All
were merry and chatting gayly, though
trifle impatient for tho coming Of the
bride. But when the little cricket clock
on the mantelpiece struck silence reigned,
and all eyes were turned and riveted on
the door Thorough which the couple were to
enter, and there they gazed full one hour,
for the clock struck 10 before tho latch on
the door made any sound. Then 1t raised
and the door opened-only to admit the
tear stained face of Mrs Lawrence, who In
an excited, sob broken voice told the guests
that Georgia could not be found.
She had left home early In the afternoon
for the purpose Of gathering water lilies
and other wild flowers and had not yet
come back. Her long stay did not create
any uneasiness until sunset, when
straightway man was sent to hurry her
home and he had just returned, bringing
with him only her hat which he found on
the edge Of the water One can hardly
imagine anything that would have given
the people so sudden shock as this. The
women wept, the men looked out of the
windows and doors, simply at vacuity,
fof y s Wss sn hqHs Wttahpt then put on
which was Joined in earnestly by every
man present.
The search continued all night, many In
their excitement going over the same
ground, until daylight convinced them
that there, at least, were no more traces
of her than those which had already been
found-her hat and a few tracks in the
soft sand near by. And thus was spent
the night that was to have been one of rev.
elry.
Bayous were crossed, and the searchers
went here, there and everywhere, to places
where there was and wasn't the least
probability of tracing her. But all in
vain. Then, one by one, worn out and
sad; loath to give up, yet believing further
steps as fruitless as the first proved, the
searchers-men and women-went home,
now surer than ever that Georgia had been
drowned and had gone on with the tide,
down Cedar bayou, over Spanish lake, out
then to the gulf
There was one, however, who would not,
could not give up-yet That was Edgar
ICELAND. He went from place to place,
looking, praying, hoping that he might
yet find some trace of her, for as yet he
could not believe she was drowned Weeks
went by, and his long wearying steps, his
eager, watchful eyes for anything that
would bring him tidings and his listening
car for any sound by which he might be
guided were all in vain. Hope was dead.
In his despair he gave his home-the
one which was to have been hers also-to
the old couple who had sheltered Georgia
for 30 many years, and then, having no
more interest there, the boy, crushed IN
heart and spirit, left the Grove determined
never to return.
Up to that time all had gone well at the
Grove but this sad affair had cast gloom
over the place, the shadow of which was
deep and threatened to be dismally long.
But one morning, just as the sun reached
up to the tree tops over Spanish lake, q
schooner came in sight and cast anchor at
the mouth of Cedar bayou-which was too
small for no large craft-and yawl was
seen to glide away from the side OF the
vessel, coming straight to the Grove. This
was something that had never happened
before, and the people were curious to
know what 1t meant, SO curious III fact,
that many had gone down to the shore
and stood there shading their eyes and
watching to see who were the three In the
yawl. How little they dreamed that the
small figure in the bow-so that she might
be the first one out-was Georgia Blake.
She 1t was, though, and few minutes
more she whom they had mourned as dead
for nil these months stood before then
safe and we'll.
In a few words she told her story:
On the afternoon of her disappearance
not being able to find as many flowers a.
she wanted, she set out in an old skiff, one
that had long since been useless. Sh'
knew 1t was risky, but eager for the flow
ers she bailed out the boat and started
off, padding and steering, oil at the SAME
time with little board which she fount
on the shore She had done that many ,
time before, but not in such a skiff. How
ever, she reached the spot where the lille