Walker Lake bulletin. (Hawthorne, Nev.) 1883-1926, 1896-09-09
PARTED ON THEIR WEDDING DAY.

O'Clock one beautiful June night. He
found that schedules had been changed
and that he could make better time in
reaching his party to wait for the
morning express. He felt aggravated
to think of waiting six long hours that
he might have been spending with Hat
tie, who he knew was almost crying her
pretty eyes out over his departure. The
more he thought of it the more tortur-
ing 1t became and with sudden re-
solve he bought his ticket, checked his
baggage visited the nearest livery
barn and In fifteen minutes a horse and
buggy was making the best possible
time over the home road.
He could hardly tell just when the
momentous thought did occur to him,
but as he rode along, dwelling upon
Hattie's earnest assurance that she
would marry him this minute" If he
could only take her along, a possibility
flashed across his mind that made him
urge the horse to still greater speed.
He could not take her with him,
! but
His heart seemed lighter already and
the horse fairly flew along the smooth
turnpike. Within n mile of Mr.. Fur
mans there lived justice of the peace.
DR.. Hartley paused long enough to
arouse this worthy functionary and
held hurried consultation with him;
then he drove on.
Hattle's parents were somewhat sur
prised at being disturbed in their slum-
Der, but not so much surprised as when,
after n short conference between the
young doctor and his fiancee, who had
needed no waking, they were sum
moned to give their consent to an i'm
mediate marriage. They could think
of no valid objection If the young folks
wished 1t, and an hour later Justice
Evans pronounced the couple man and
wife.
1t was then 3 o'clock and the young
wife in her parents care again, bid her
another loving farewell and hasten to
reach the train that was to bear him so
far away from his native Pennsylvania
village and her whom he had loved
| since his earliest recollection.
His three years trip was one of min
| gled hardship, excitement and pleas
ure; in all very enjoyable one to DIR.
| Hartley. A part of every Sabbath day
was spent in writing long, loving let
| ters to Hattie. And although he often
| longed for u sight of the dear face he
felt no anxiety on her account, know
ing that when he did return she would
be watching for him.
For the young wife the time did not
! pass so pleasantly. Poor girl! Her
fun was spoiled. She could not ac-
cept other escorts now, and as she had
no brother to act as such she was
forced to remain at home, and there she
moped and pined for Frank until her
parents bitterly repenaed the hasty
step they had allowed her to take. And
II is doubtful If in that first long, lonely
year she did not herself regret it, but II
so none were the wiser, least of all the
absent husband.
She had never really meant to grieve
her faithful lover as she had in that
last year, and now that she realized
what heartache meant she would not
have him suffer as she did, and so she
eXerted herself to write cheerful, CON
! tented letters. Frank almost believed
she did not miss him and wished Elat
| she might feel just little of what he
| had once on account of her thoughtless
flirting, yet he was too honorable to
give her any reason for distruSt and
too true for deception of any kind
Home did not seem home 10 Hattie
any more. She herself was so changed
that unconsciously her parents de-
meanor changed toward her. Generous
checks from Frank much more than
supplied her wants, and wnlt she did
not positively need was carefully
boarded to furnish the lovely home that
seemed yet so far away, and many
hours were passed in making pretty
trihes for the same purpose. Much of
her time was spent at Franks home.
His mother was dead, but with his
father, aunt and cousin she seemed best
| content.
One day gossipy nelghbor bantered
her about her strange widowhood and
remarked that likely DR.. Hartley was
having a fine time playing agreeable
to other ladies. for of course no one
would suppose him to be a married
man. The shot struck home, for only
that very week he had mentioned in
his letter lady that reminded him of
her. To be sure, how did she know In
what manner he was spending his time.
And could she blame him If he did
sometimes forget his loyalty to her?
And then she thought with shame of
her own promlscuous flirting of the
past.
That night she hunted up the piece
of paper that was legal evidence that
the twain was one. Iii that last year
that little paper was one Of her great