The Mt. Sterling advocate. (Mt. Sterling, Ky.) 1890-current, 1895-01-08

{ and her boots. pcrched on dainty higi
heels, tapped down wood . wall
/. the next mag sa az GU
the Office OF The b. r
, Roylston was seat 81 ans. ~ al.
| deal table, ink stained md 'ancn Will
EXCHANGES, and VIII, sc Etir vision
: entered tho sanci vavo a ies,
out of his chair, "a. e s~
basket and knockinr tic papers q
the floor, crying: erede L.
ling, how did you conc hcroY l.s ur
! milagror'
Arturo, began the vision of love
lincss, i've run away from home
! I've come to you.
; And thereby hangs tale.
Mercedes Cervantos yda Falencia,
of an old and aristocratic family OF
Venezuela, intermarricd with the
sangre azul of the ancient Mexican
nobility, was educated in Franco,
where, until two years before her
appearance in the Office of The Bor-
der Scout, she had lived under tho
protection of her father in Paris. Her
father dying, she had been left
wealthy in her own right, and during
a trip to Germany just after her be.
reavement had met Roylston, then q
student. An accidental acquaintance.
ship had progressed through various
stages of friendship and platonic
companionship to love, when sud
denly, Roylston S father in New York
becoming involved in a ruinous spec.
ulation, the student was recalled
home to take up the serious business
of life.
Mercedes had an uncle who had
quietly opposed the intimacy with
Roylston, and on learning of the i'm
poverishment of the students FAM
lily had interposed vigorous objec-
tons to the further progress of the
affair But he had been unable to
prevent the young people from cor
responding, and SO it was that dur
ing the ensuing two years letters
had passed between Paris and the
distant border town where Roylston
had drifted in the course of an I'M
successful quest of fortune.
The lover had told Mercedes in his
letters of his battle with fate, and
the impatient and willful girl, who
soorned conventionalities, had final
ly effected her escape from the tute-
lage of her uncle in Paris, and cross
ing the ocean rushed across the con-
tinent to find her lover.
There was nothing for it but the
young people must arrange hasty
marriage. The situation of Mercedes
was a compromising one. Roylston,
who in a manly fashion had deferred
claiming Mercedes till he had ac-
quired a substantial position, was
now placed in a dilemma not wholly |
to his liking. To send Mercedes away
would have been to injure her fair
fame, while to wed her seemed tax
ing advantage Of her youth and in.
experience. In this trouble he con-
suited Colonel Calhoun, the leading
lawyer in the town, who delivered
himself in this wise:
There's nothing else to be done.
/ am justice Of the peace and shall
perform the civil ceremony, and the
church wedding may come any time !
after Today l will send for Mrs.
Wilkinson of the Indian mission, and
she must chaperon your young lady
in this desperate town. 1t will never
do to allow her to stay at old Pop.
pendyke's without respectable fe
male in attendance.
The masterful lawyer took it all
in his own hands. Good old Mother
Wilkinson was summoned from her
Indian kids and placed in charge of
Mercedes. Jake Thoms and Jim
Waddy and two sandy faced cow
boys constituted themselves a guard
Of honor and did sentinel duty day
and night in turns in front of the
Poppendyke House, and when Mer-
,edes sailed forth, accompanied by
Mrs. Wilkinson, to do little shop
ping the guard of honor preceded
md followed her, well heeled and
with the proudest sort of bearing.
The wedding came off in the office
If Lawyer Calhoun, who had put on
or the first time since his arrival in
own his black frock coat and sport.
ID a fluffy white tie which Mercedes
had made for him. Roylston was
handsome groom, and the spectators
'oted it great affair.
That evening the young couple ]
we're to take the train for The east.
the whole town resolved
tself into celebration committee,
md when at z o'clock the newly
pair passed down Angel al
ey in semispringless open carriage,
sort of dismantled carryall of the
'intage of 1850, the alley was deco ! i
ated with flags and bunting, while q
cross the street hastily painted
10th hangings displayed these leg. O