The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1896-06-14


Never" cried Vanessa, and she dug
her hands still further into her pockets |
ana turned her toes more squarely. New
er shal any man give me away. III give
"Oh-ah-hum," said Bob. and he COW
ered his mouth hastily for minute.
IL give myself away" repeated Va
nessa, seriously. She took herself very
seriously indeed.
Bob looked quite solemn again, as he
TOOK his hand away from his mouth.
On all right he spoke, easily. "Only /
- Iancied they made you have it the
other way, you know
Nanessa smiled scornfully
i shall have 1t my way If YOU have
any objections you can say So"
No IN no. said Bob, quickly; 'oh, dear,
His objections didn't come in there.
anessa condescended to look Modified.
very Well,' she remarked, then we
may look upon 1t as settled
Bob-there was nothing else for It he
reIected-boWed his head in silence The
proper part Of man now, is to be. in ST.
Il leave it to you. pursued yanessa- n
the silent partner, ito do your share"
Bob's share was to select a church and
clergyman, and 10 get a license, of
course. Bob had offered to do this. In
aeed, the proverbial close observer would
nave perceived q certain anxiety about
Bob to do this.
Yanessa acquiesced in a nice lady-llke
NOT az all in a fine lordly fashion. She
Ieit, indeed, that she was giving in a good
deal She had wanted a registry office
ceremony. She had preached the same to
BOB some time since. But Bob, though
ne was quiet, was only to be driven up to a
certain point. The registry office lay be-
yond that point.
mo" said Bob firmly I'm not going
to Ofer myself a target to your father
on, by Jove, no; I'm not going 10 let any
Fellow say 1 took advantage of your inno-
Vanessa turned pale with anger.
. m not innocent" she cried with
fierce contempt.
Bob was dying to kiss her, but forti.
nately for himself he was one of those
people who can feel amused yet look per-
fectly serious.
-, Woman" Vanessa painted. woman,
thank heaven is no longer innocent
An right interposed Bob, hurriedly.
i m sure l beg her pardon"
ana there the matter ended. But Bob
nad the church and the clergyman. AS
Nanessa's father said always with deep
relief Bob was to be trusted
Bob had the church and the parson ana
the hcense-his part, as he said. anyhow
and he hoped to have Nanessa.
II seemed he would, this time, but-on
her own terms. All! there it was. But
Bob was in love, and hopeful.
Nanessa told her mother one morning
at breakfast about Bob, and the church
and the parson, and the license. Vanes.
sa s mother, poor lady, fell back in her
''r-to-daXi" She faltered, family; ito,
day, and without me-or yOur-father. Oh!
oh! V-Van-es-sa, darling"
sit up, mamma" said Vanessa. brislxlv
and do try not to be quite so utterly
silly"
Vanessa's mother began to cry. Vanes-
sa looked compassionately contemputous.
Dear me, how emotional you women
of the past generation are!
oh! V-Va-nes-sa," sobbed her
u shall be late" said venessa. de-
cisively.
vanessa''s mother mopped her eyes with
an embroidered scrap Of cambria
''Where-where is Bob? If l could only
see Bob. on! Nanessa, be careful--oh, if
could only see Bob-and your father
aaway,-what shall 1 DO? If 1 could see
so you SHALL" said vanessa; 80 YOU
shall by and by. For goodness sake do
be sensible mamma; don't detain me
"Be-be sure it's all right!-that you
s-s-stgn properly. I've heard of such
horrible things happening where people
didn't s-s-sign properly. Have your
marriage certificate, or-Or whatever it is
all right my d-darling-darlingw
Nanessa flung whitening glance a her
fond parent
''Tow can you be so middIe-class. so
atrociously middle class-so bourgeoise,
mammal
Now Vanessa's mother was the daugh-
ter Of most respectable old peer A peer,
too, of respectfully ancient lineage-for
| these days.
And n-no clothes, nor c-cake. nor CHI
champagne"
,Vanessa could find no words to express
the scorn of her soul
And now" with a plaintive wall, TO
to think Of such wed-wed-wedding.
Oh! Vanessa, to be married in
Vanessa walked away. Such puerilities
were beyond endurance
An hour later, Vanessa sent for a ham
som and drove to St Gunguph' STINT the
East She lit a cigarette at the hall door,
and stepped into the hanson alone. Her
face was pale and resolute, as they say
in novels-or as they used to say when
n o fn
Vanessa stepped into the hanson.
The upper part of Vanessa was clad in
very knowing Norfolk jacket, built in
rusSet-cOlOred irish tweed; the lower part
was also built in russell tweed; but
here were Vanessa's terms-in dual fash
;on-in-pshaWi- i'm nickerbockersi
They were full and admirably cut, those
knickerbockers, and Vanessa had very
pretty-ahem! legs.
Vanessa was going now, in kickerbock-
ers, to be married at st. Gungulph' sim
the-East. Bob had submitted. Vanessa
got her own terms.
Vanessa stepped into the hanson. She
wore a long Newmarket coat of covert
coating down to her heels, at present. and
her boat-shaped hat of soft felt was suff-
ciently distinguisable as female headgear.
Neither the cabman nor the butler there
fore fell fainting on the doorstep.
Nanessa, still in the Newmarket coat.
alghted at ST. Gungulphs. She entered
the church and glanced round She was
the first No sign of Bob. Vanessa smil-
ed. That was as 1t should be. The lordly
sex should have the pas" Vanessa flung
off her coat and seated herself in a pew.
Her legs We're crossed. Her attitude gen
tlemanly. The parson, Bob's friend, ar
rived presently He did not notice Va
nessa--to her surprise; but she noticed
him, and with surprise also the fact that
he was not so old as she had been given
to understand or as she had pre-supposed.
But that was nothing. The parson retired
and reappeared In his surplice St. Gun
gulph's is not a cheerful temple of wor-
shin. The only touch of color in it then
was the cherry-pink silk of Bob.s friends,
the parsons oxford, NJ A. hood. He had
mt on a pretty white silk stole with gold
Embroidery. doubtless to mark the festive
nature of the occasion. There was no 9TH
er mark. Vanessa in tweed was not fes-
tive, nor the pew opener in her second
hest black bonnet. She was to give Va
nessa away. The new woman can let
herself be given away by a pew-opener In
/ a black bonnet and a faint aroma of
spirits without abrogation Of woman's
dignity.
rested for a moment on Vane,ssssa. The
eve of the parson had twinkle in its
depths. But the church was dark, and
Vanessa never looked at anything so in