The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1898-01-25
The Golden Honeymoon

uOOacu bll VIC lanl
scape, bathing it in mystic depths {
unfa,homable brightness ana transfie
uring all things into fairy-lik
beauty. A beautiful night-a night c
stars and hcecy cloudlets. and sof
sweet odOrs from thousand punger
leaves and fragrant flowers distilled b
the silent dews.
Olive and Janet had gone upstairs t.
their little room, and now sat upon th
floor beside the low window lookins
out into tho moonlight. On such
night sleep was out Of the question fo
an hour at least, and SO they sat, slow
ly unfastening their hair and gradual,
preparing for bed.
little porch below sounded in their
ears and hushed them to silence. The,
leaned together on the window-sll /
and listened. The sisters knew the
voices well-thc dear voices OF father
and mother. They had come out into
the porch before going to bed, and
when sitting, though they could not
see them, the dear old mother with
her wrinkled hand op her husbands Is
knee and his broad, homely hand cover.
ing it, they had seen them so often,
Darby and JOAN" Janet called them
lovingly.
"OUhSI, UuSy COulu near INC
man say, and there was little tremble
in his voice. Its most fifty years
since we were married-do you mind ?
Next week Wednesday III make it
fifty years, Mebby we'd oughter have
a golden wedding to kind o. celebrate
what think mother ?"
"'Twould be nice, father" they
could hear her answer, "but | guess
we had MT better think Of it; 'twouid
be an awful sight O. bother, an what
With Olive teachin' an Janet to do all
the work With what little could help,
'twould make it pretty hard. Guess
we hadn't better, father"
There was a little silence and then
the old man spoke again:
Hanner,' said he. we didn't
never have wedding journey nor
honey. moon. Almost seem 8 If we
ought to have 'em now. You know
how 'twas-we was poor an couldn't
even afford to go out to Uncle Eben's
for little trip, but settled right down
to housekeepin' an hard work at once,
without biv o play spell. In ali
these years we amt been nowhere to
speak of except to the Centennial and
we didn't neither of us enjoy that,
what with the rush and the crowd an
confusion. Seems If 'twould be nice
to go way somewhere now on our
wedding journey seems if 'twould
make Us feel young gain somehow"
"'rwould be nice, father" they
could hear the gentle voice murmur,
" but guess we hadn't better think OF
it. Mebby the children would think
twas kind Of childish"
"Mebbe they would, mother" the
old man answered quietly, and then
there was silence. After u little they
went into the house and the girls
heard them lock the door and wind
the clock, and then all was still.
Something glistened in Olives great
dark eyes, aid the moonlight touched
to crystal clearness drop pnpon Janets
fair cheek. The two girls crept into
bed and lay Ia king in low voices for
q long time before They went to sleep.
For the next few days there were
busy preparations in the old farm
house. Mysterious doings were going
on all over the house. Mother was
hustled off somewhere every day to
visit some friend or neighhor in the
vicinity who gladly welcomed the
dear, kind soul and her perpetual
knitting work,
Father" and "the boys" stalwart
men OF twenty-five and thirty, were
busy in the field and orchard doing up
the fall work. Janet worked away
happily all day, and when at four
o'clock Olive came home from the
little red-painted district schoolhouse,
she donned big apron, put on her
thimble and went resoutely to work
in her own room upstairs. Evidently
something was in the air.
Wednesday morning dawned bright
and clear, with that indescribable crisp
ness and sparkle in the air that makes
October royal month.
Olive had asked the trustee for the
dag and he had granted it willingly;
Janet looking like an apple blossom in
her pink calico gown and snowy white
apron, fitting about the house on light
feet, seeming to be everywhere at
once.
John and David were wrestling with
their Sunday neckties and polishing
their boots to the very highest possible
shine.
The old folks looked on wistfully,
but silently, wondering what all the
cOmmotion was about.
Out in the wOodshed father confided
to mother this piece of news: Guess
the children must be goin' over to Mil.
lerville to the county fair. But it does
seem kind O curious they don't speak
about it,"
"That's so,' mother had made re-
sponse, but mebby they think we're
gettin' too old to be took into their af-
fairs" and she sighed little tremu.
lous sigh that tod palmer than words
the sadness that she felt.
Almost simultaneously olives clear
contralto and Johns deep bass came
ringing down the stsirs. Mother,
please come up here a few minutes !'
and, Here, father, | want you up
stairs little while
Wondo ling little, but never guess
ing, they went upstairs together, and
In the hall parted. What moth sr saw
ss she entered her daughters room
was a shining, silyery mass of some.
thing lying on the neat white bed, 8
soft and silky pile o! material which
gradually took form and shape unit
she saw beautiful gown, whose deli
cate laces In neck and sleeves com bin
ed with the soft grey tint made it lool
bridelike indeed
"Oh, girls 2" was all she could say
as Janet put her into chair and begaI
TO take down her little coil OF whit,
hair,
Dressing the bride,' occupied per
haps an hour, and when at last th
toilet was announced complete, tn
faded blue eyes behind the gold
bowed glasses saw In the large an
old-fashioned mirror sweet an
dainty picture--a besutiful-faced oil
lady with delicate heliotrope nestlin
among the laces at her throat, and
tinv apray In her hair