Catoctin clarion. [volume] (Mechanicstown, Md.) 1871-1940, 1897-01-07


had gathered in anticipation Of the june
wedding, with Kitty Ormsby as the CEN
ter Of attraction, since she was the colo.
nel's niece and he was to give her
away, and Wayne was to be best man
by order of the bride, provided he didn t
get things mixed in his own inimitable
way and turn up unexpectedly at some
one else's affair, as he did the night Of
the Willetts' dinner to Captain and
Mrs. Billy Ray Of the -th, where,
with army bonhomie, seat was squeez-
ed in close beside that of the winsome
guest of the evening, and where be was
charmingly welcomed and made at
home despite the TACT, which dawned
upon him only with the champagne,
that he was due at the Amorys', where
O similar function was heing held in
honor of the Truscotts Of the same regi.
ment, then on the march from Kansas
to Montana.
You'll rue it, Kitty, that ever you
insisted on my having Wayne for best
man," wrote poor Will, with prophetic
but unavailing protest. Wayne saved
my Willy" was the positive rejoinder,
and no one but Wayne would do. "All
right" said Will, "if you find years
later that there's been some fatal aaw
IN the proceedings, don't blame me-. "
But here, on this glad June morning,
all sunshine and serenity aloft, all per-
turbation at the post, all raging river
about it, it looked as though the pro-
ceedings themselves would be delayed
and that instead of military wedding
in the post chapel at high noon, with
every body ell grande tenue, there would
be no wedding at ALL even though Will.
like modern Leander, swan this wild
western Hellespont in search of his
bride. Far away to the east the floods
had swept their battering ram Of logs
and trees and dashed it against the
bridge abutments at the railway, and,
though the Farrars were safely here and
had been for several days, kitty's train,
that which bore her and Jack Oh their
westward way, had been brought up
standing long miles toward Cheyenne.
and there was no telling when the pas
sengers could be transferred to the wait
ing cars upon the hither shore. And so,
believing the other in waiting at the
post, bride and groom elect woke to
their wedding morn to rail at fate. 1t
would have been some comfort could
they have known that, though miles
apart, they were at least on the sam,
side of the stream that swept between
them and the altar of their hopes.
And there was deep anxiety under
the roof where once again the Farrars
were installed, for the mother was pos
sessed with the fear that Willy would
be mad enough to try to swim the
stream, and, though Fenton had had his
signalmen out forbidding any such at
tempt, no acknowledgment had been
received to the effect that the repeated
message was understood. An Indian
who thought he could cross at Casper
rocks, several miles up stream, was
swept from his pony and only saved by
the strength of his horsehair lariat. A
scow that was launched at the bend was
battered to flinders, and bottle after
bottle, corked and slung long yards out
into the stream, went bobbing derisive.
ly away, carrying their penclled con-
tents with them. Arrows, with silken
strings attached, dropped helplessly in
the stream. Bullets, similarly tethered,
snapped their frail attachments and
whistled over the opposite shore and
told no tale other than that Of anxiety.
Every feldglass at the post, when
brought to bear, revealed Farrar at 8
o'clock Of his bridal morning striding
and probably swearing up and down the
bank, tugging at his tiny mustache and
sprouting beard and possibly threaten
ing self destruction. 1t was thrilling
scene.
Then, many other people seemed bur.
dened with troubles of their own. Ellis
had never recovered either strength or
spirits since the events Of that Christ
mas week, and her lovely face was thin,
and the bright, brave eyes Of old were
shadowed with pathetic sorrow; but
though this shadow had come into her
life another one, much harder to bear,
had been swept aside. Ever since her
lover g words had revealed to Ellis that
it was her own brother, to save whom
Malcolm Leale had periled life and lost
his sight, the girls eyes seemed grad
ually to open to the utter cruelty OF her
suspicious. the injustice Of her treat.
ment Of Helen Daunton, the woman
whose life that very brother had well
nigh wrecked forever. In the long hours
of her convalescence she had turned to
Helen in humility that was sweet to
see, and now the love and trust between
them was something inexpressible. But
there was something even Helen could
neither explain nor justify, and that
was Jack Ormsby's conduct since her
convalescence.
True, Ellis bad told him in their last
interview that all was at an end between
them; that he had forfeited trust, faith
and even respect and placed barrier
between himself and her forever. She
had refused him further audience, and
her last words to him had been full of
scorn, even Of insult But no word of
anger or resentment had escaped him,
and surely no man who deeply loved
would harbor anger now. Sobbing her
heart out, the girl had thrown herself on
Helen's breast just before their return
70 Frayne and told part Of her story
until then concealed-how, in their last
interview, Ormsby had gently said that