Phillipsburg herald. [volume] (Phillipsburg, Kan.) 1882-1905, 1895-02-21
&ifAI1S : I. (!


NO; a thousand times no.
my darling, We must love one au-
other-we must DO married. You left
1t to me to decide, and have decided.
II will DO pang In some ways-a risk
In others-but II must be; 1t ought to
DO. Love is best Como"
IL would have lived, she cried
yes, would have lived. One has no
right to break one's heart and die till
God chooses. But life with you, and
lie without you oh, the diilerence"
Roderick clasped her In his arms,
and they wcpt together like little
children.
Once again Roderick wrote to his
mother, informing her that he had de-
layed his marriage for three months,
hoping against hope that after all 1t
might not he the sa1dest OF weddings,
without O parents blessing, but that,
whether or no, 1t must be, He al
lowed her no possibility Of believing
that no could change his mini.
While opposing, he never deceived
her, for deceit Is always cowardice, and
whatever no was, Roderlck was no
coward,
1t was on one Sunday afternoon,
which theJ were spending with tho
good Reynlers at Chaumont. They
had climbed the hill through tho long
pine woods, and were now standing
watching that lovely view, the triple
chain OF lakes, vita It's long line Of
snowy Alps beyond The air was mild
and soft; there were violets In the
woods. it felt like the first day Of
spring, which always comes, as IL were,
with o message Of promise to tho
young. Ay, and even TO those whose
youth is only o never-fulflled remem-
brance.
Silence" Roderick said, as he took
in his the hand that would be his own
through life, II have finished all the
work | had TO do here. Now, when
shall we go homer"
Homer"
"Your now home, and mine the home
we are to share together"
Startled, she faltered out something
about waiting little longer"
a have waited. 1t is now nearly nine
months since the day at Berne, whom
9'l did Tut SOC 6or passing by,
And yet love her till Idle ;"
"That would have been very fool
ish, said Silence, with naive gravity;
"unless you have followed up the &C
quaintance, and come to know me
we'll" Suddenly putting her two hands
In her lover's-"YOu do know me,
faults and ALL 80 take me; and oh, be
good to me! have only you"
"And | you. You will be good to me
ALSO"
She smiled. little use in talking,
but / think there will never come u
day when would not cheerlully die, If
my dying could help you My living
will, much more. So mean to live"
And she looked up fondly, with all
her soul in her eyes, at her young
bridegroom. Would she forty, fifty
years hence, see in the old mans face
that Of this lover of her youth, the
face forgotten by all but her. God
knows but it is good to believe so.
The marriage was arranged, OF
course, to be quite quiet. All the
usual Swiss fe5tivities the soireo aux
bou luets before tho wedding, and the
ball after it, we're Of necessity omitted.
The Reynier family alone were to "as-
sist" at the ceremony, for which the
girls implored Silence would, for one
day only, put off her mourning and as
sumo proper bridal white, She as
sented, because my mother would
have liked it, She used often to talk
Of the day when she would dress me as
bride.
And she would be glad, so glad! If
she knew that you were taking care OF
me- said Silence, with a bright smile,
though her tear were dropping down.
"Also u little, that was taking care OF
you. She used to say it was my meter
always to take care of somebody.
Therefore, adieu, my mother You
will not forget me, wherever you are;
nor | YOU"
She laid her cheek on the white
headstone in pa sion Of sobs, then
suddenly checke them all, gave
her hand to her bridegroom, and suf-
fered him to lead her away home.
re did not see her again till next
morning, when Sophie, Marie and
Jeanne Reynier led into the salon and
left be- ,ide him, shutting the door
upon them both, the whitsst, loveliest
vision More like an angel than q
woman, he thought then, nor ever
ceased to think, though he never saw
it but once in his life, on that wonder
full wet morning when the Deluge it,
self seemed to have come back upon
Neuchatel, as If to sweep away with les
torrents all his old life, and begin the
new life with his wedding day.
Suddenly he stopped and kissed, not
her Inns. but her hand. She looked
surprised for an instant perhaps just o
| little hurt then perceived at once the
deep emotion, the tender reverence.
ooh, my love, my love foreverI
Thank Cod" said she or rather
breathed than sal 4 it, as she put bo5h
arms round his neck AMI chung to his
bosom. She was but woman after all.
Soon after koderick led his bride,
both quite calm now and smiling, to
the two carriages waiting below. He
and she and the good Reyniers drove
through the soaking streets to the
damp empty church, where, strange
contrast to his sisters brilliant mar
riage, they two stood alone, with not
creature of their own blood beside
them, and heard the old minister In
his unimpassioned voice addr 9ss them
as mon cher frere ct ma chere spur,
recommending them to observe "une
inviolable tidelite, une entiere conf
ance, ct une affection touJours plus
profonde." Then, having answered the
few questions OF the Swiss marriage
liturgy, simple and Protestant, not UNI
like his native Presbyterian service
the Young BRIDEGROOM listened az IL id