The Van Buren press., 1896-10-03
4 WEDDING DAY.


dreth garden. The erspe-nyrtlss fi1so1
stiff - sentinels b<zz1< TIE gate. bit
the Nalk ed up between - bor1erz
IN confident welcome 70 . bank of<5
space. al graz and poNderT. az Z :
had neTer se<H the szzzsyszs = fzlt zzazzs-
ore. The CIR ssood bTezfhleass gzElzg =
IL. The Izs. of rae spring reses sezs-
tered their .<tzis lzzzsk5F zrcz11 IL
beds. and zdded the5r trzxrzzee = L.
sweexn~zs q sAe ezpe xzs-4z= AID -
tfnT ka1y azzzs q - zezz5zss EE-t -
HTI1rszh zezze rs go zse 1ezlH-
ksxseEs ard - kxh szrEas z-e-ss- =
fe zzzzf-g faezassaEzz 81 tEzsz1.s - Aaszx
Sozn q IL szzr Ezers : I'd EzzZ
Tie hxeezz SIZED nttIs thEs1gh fse
grez. lsFs-oak wkaez had sgezF ye1ys
II x.szezs1izg I'D ar z>Esrzzzz % So
the UEs0le soath gallery, ar zze Eek
ing birds Afste1 II and Ct q =
brzneAez uftk that sxIfr spreading .
their wings for Sl2h: whieh makes the
white barz Il them always revelation
After she had seen fhese things with
widenlng eyes. the girls hand went up
10 her throat. and she gave little soo.
-Isererythiing 10 changer she asked.
half brokenly. Something in her mood
stood between her and natural sur
prise. She felt as If she had been pre-
pared to find the place ike this, but The
tears rose in her eyes as she looked. for
each familiar beauty Of 1t vas some
thing bereaxed. She opened the gate
and walked between the rose bushes
toward the spot where the house had
been. but when she reached 1t she
turned away. She threaded all the
bowery paths. and each seemed 70 hold
something which she must turn away
from. too; but when she stood by the
acacia tree she put out her hand and
touched II tfmidly. Soon, as 1t did not
forbid her, she lifted her hand, drew
down branch. and picked just one Of
he tiny yellow tufts which breathe all
theK.eetneaso Of the s.eetestdayso floFc.
held if against her cheek for . moment,
and then, with trembling fingers, bid II
in the dark braids Of her hair.
A faint 'yo=heave-o.e Ike the sailors
hauling Up an anchor, was waited
through the garden. and the girl raised
her face and looked about her desolate-
w. Far down Live Oak lane. between
the rounded trees. she saw the Hill
dreth house. II seemed 70 have picked
up is doorsteps and started out across
the village; there Wa an excited CLEAN
In It's windows, and the sunlight, fall.
ing more freely on it roof than IL ever
bad done in the garden. gave 1T the
look Of some teBderly shielded old pr
son that has stolen bareheaded away
from loving children, who do not re-
member that age has It's restIessness.
The girl could notice now that a way
had been cleared for the house to travel
backward out Of the garden. leaving the
flowers courteously, al II they we're a
royal presence, and she followed In its
path through the opened psnel Of fence
and on into the lane, where the blue
phlmrper Of the gulf ended tie yistas Of
light on either side of the house. She
walked eagerly, and her face dimpled
into smiles, yet even as she smiled she
pnt her hand up TO her hair, AMI the
depths Of her eyes still kept their sor-
row. 81 don't zee how Mrs. Hildreth
could leave her flowers" she saIl once,
with a sigh.
A band Of creole workman were pry
ing the house along on it's clumsy roll
ers. aud shouting and singing resonant
ly at each slow forward lurch. Their
voices had the sweetness Of q summer
land and knowledge Of the sea, and they
worked at leisure and gracefully, their
red or blue shirts shining out against
the greenery which still chung TO the
Hildreth house, for IL had not laid aside
Its vines, but was carrying their roots
daintily clear Of the ground in baskets,
just as another dear old fugitive might
lift her skirts.
A woman with rosy cheeks and
smooth brown hair was sitting by the
window, and as the girl approached she
reached down 10 help her take the long
step from the road 10 the door-sill.
Connie Bainbridge,' she said, 81 don't
know Of anyone 1 would rather have
come walking in like this TO act az
bridesmaid on my wedding day, and she
drew her visitor into n room that was
startlingly unchanged except for the
glory OF flowers with which the garden
had said good-by. II was hard 10 re-
member that in the garden they had not
been missed at all.
The girl sank into a chair and looked
about her YEARLY. A long string OF
Rnll's eggs, creamy and softly fiecked,
hung near her on the wall. She took
hold Of them AZ she 80 often had before.
and passed them through her fingers
Ike rosary. "Your wedding day?'
she haid.
Anniversary, Of course, | mean,
Mrs. Hildreth answered, looking Out
through a window that gave glimpse
Of the reckoning sea. She smiled mus
iDgiy as she looked. There VAS always
something Of generous content abou-
her, as n life grew syeeter and broader
with the afternoon sun; and Conni'
cambridge remembered thnt whom the
house bad stood Ia lie garden she herself
Rad never lifted the gate latch and
walked IN between the roses without
leaving every care behind. But nov her
heart had learned different way She
took down the great rosary 70 thst sh,
might bend her head over II. What
T. happening" she asked.
Mrs. Hiidreth looked at her, noticing
the tone. you zee, we always celeLrat,
each wedding day" she said. "wheT
We come 10 the rounded numbers, ".
Invite people, and do az they expect vi