Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1895-04-26
CHAPTER II.

J It was 10 o'clock on Sunday morning,
! and Jack de Clancy, with his silk hat,
| stick and immaculate frock coat, sat
calmly waiting for his fancee, Miss Maud
Pennstock. Presently she came tripping
down stairs and entered the room, vision
Of all that was beautiful, womanly and
attractive.
'There, DEAR" she 1uslrmured as she
put up her lips to be kissed, "I'm all
ready
Fixing his steadfast gaze upon her and
summoning all the resources of his will
De Clancy remained for a moment in ST.
lence, then said quietly:
AREN'T you going to wear your bloom
ers, dear?''
A Mortified expression came into the
face of the girl he loved, which slowly but
surely changed to one of bewilderment
and then to utter helplessness as she re-
piled hesitatingly:
II don't know. Shall Is'
The long weeks Of trial, in which De
Clancy, profting by his friends advice,
had practiced his art cautiously and un-
known to her-for he had meyer before
willed her to do anything which was not
good form-had done their work.
CHAPTER III.
The church was crowded. The chimes
had died away, and the first notes of the
professional hymn were swelling through
the stately edifce.
A strange and startling figure moved
slowly up the long aisle. Persons craned
their necks at the sight of this unusual
spectacle There was a subdued murmur,
the sound Of suppressed laughter; but, all
unconscious, the girl moved with stately
step to her seat, while JUST behind her ii
frock coat and with silk hat and stick fol
lowed a young man with hard, set look
On his face.
During the services and the sermon he
never relaxed for moment this supreme
effort of his life, but as the occasional
hymn died away and the vast throng of
worshipers arose from their seats he NUT
tered:
Now I will let her come back to her
self" - ~ ; -
No need to dwell on the despair, the
agony, of that hurried exit from the
church There are moments in life which
are best forgotten and never referred to-
But as they gained the entrance she whis-
pered to him as she gazed in terror at the
tittering crowd:
".Jack, if you don't get carriage at
once will never forgive you"
CHAPTER ~.
Jack de Clancy and his. future bride
the AWFUL l'fl catassttri'a s Of 't tie day.
81 don't know what it was, /" she said
sadly, "hut when you mentioned the word
,opSya nd
impossible to resist it, and all the way to
church and until started to go out this
was upon me-"
Then she added brokenly, 'Why did you
let me do it2''
"Why, my darling" he answered, 1T
didn't know. merely mentioned it in
jest, and when you asked me if you really
should l said, Why not?' in the same
vein. Then when you actually took me at
my word, how was to know that it
wasn't right after all? The women are
fntradlAcing SO many INNOVATIONS that''-
"Mercyl Has it come to thiss'' she OK
claimed wildly. "Are we really SO ridicu-
lous and under such spell9 Well, it has
taught me a lesson. Henceforth shall be
on the safe SIDE"
"And never wear anything that is not
womanly2" he asked eagerly.
"Neye-," she replied.
"Ihen," said Jack de Clancy, clasping
her to his heart, "you are indeed the girl
love best in all the world" And as he
left the house that evening an hour later
than usual he said joyously to himself,
the light of a great love Illuminating his
radiant face:
81 was tho hardest thing ever did, but
my whole future happiness was at stake"
New York Herald.