Pullman herald. [volume] (Pullman, W.T. [Wash.]) 1888-1989, 1895-02-09

" SxS &C.,
Are uOu tired, JOhn@
Curiously unnerved for a man ofrObust
physique and ordinarily normal imag.
inatiOn. ROYAL let these strangers have
their way with him, thankful for the res
pite which their quiet acceptance OF nm
gave. He avoided looking at the bride,
dreading to meet her glance lest it should
unfit him for his part, for with the sight
of the crowd his desire to explain matters
withdrew into the background This
was not the time, nor was it the place.
The affair had developed complications
for which he was totally unprepared,
and he wanted time to think, to assimi-
late and readjust. The sequence of events
had been so different from his own pre-
conceived arrangement of them that his
mind for the moment was thrown out
of gear, and stood supine, accepting that
which came as though it were tinality.
The thing most evident to him was
that he hal ensnared himself with a net
work of egregious laundering an d that
egress from it. to be graceful or even
endurable, would require more skill Of
accredit himself with possessing. The
terms in which he apostrophized him
self summed up the case, and were none
the less hearty and comprehensive for
being inwardly given. "Of all the inter
meddling, cunderheaded fools in this
world" so ran his thoughts, you are
entitled to the lead, Hart Royal. And
a beautiful mess you've gotten yourself
into this time, with your damned Off
ciousness"
The preoccupation of his manner and
the careworn expression of his face
caused the people to surmise that he
must be in acute physical pain. For the
few moments allowed to friends at cOun-
try weddings-even church weddings
they crowded round him, striving to re-
call themselves to his memory, and
speaking pitifully of the accident and
enthusiastically of his pluck in not al
lowing it to interfere with his marriage.
They were SO kind and cordial that
Royal could have CRASHED his teeth and
shouted at them that he was no better
than an impostor. Instead of which he
nailed his false colors to the mast, as it
were, and smiled and bowed and shook
hands with everybody
His brain worked with feverish rapid
ity. and by the time they had shut him
into Squire Brandons carriage for the
short drive to the house, where the
young lady would change her dress for
the wedding journey, a sense of the
grotesqueness of his own position touch
ed him, bringing with it sudden strong
desire to laugh, and creating a reaction
which restored equilibrium. He had
made a mess of it, he was willing to ad-
nit, but circumstances had seemed to
wall him into a narrow track along
which he had cantered like the most
Obliging of donkeys. At this stage of
the proceedings "hindsight" did little
good and was provocative of exaspera-
ton, and Of reliable foresight he was
fain, in all humility of soul, to confess
himself destitute. There was nothing
for it but to face the situation in the
present and endeavOr to adjust it with
the minimum of pain and discomfort all
aroun,1 The only solution which sug-
gested itself was to carry out the plan as
originally proposed, striving to blunder
less in the end than he had done in the
beginning. He would take the young
lady straight to John Royal, making
such explanation to her as would insure
her recognition of the love and anxiety
for her future which had been the main
spring of scheme which he now de-
nounced as idiotic.
In the presence of the dying man all
personal pique, all womanly sensitive
ness, would shrivel and vanish before the
majesty of love and the awful mystery
of that which was to come. A strange
journey it would be, with strange end
ing. For the first time came realization
of the matter from the woman's stand
point, and with it a great pity for her
and strong desire to shield her from the
comment, curiosity and multiplicity of
detail to which his story must give rise,
At least until this travesty of marriage
could be made real by the true mans &C
acknowledgement of it. He would keep his
own counsel until he should have given
the wife into the keeping of her husband,
and then it would be time enough to adj |
NIT the outside world IN antar upon nv