The Irish standard. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn. ;) 1886-1920, 1898-03-05
copyright. 1896. by F. Tennyson Neely.1

guished lie might become, never could
she be prouder of him or of his love
than now, never, never!
AS the late autumn wore on it was ar
ranged that the wedding should take
place at Sedgwiclt, and both ritlers and
troopers, the -th foot and the til
horse, were to give the happy couple
glorious scnd-off. Both bride and
groom-elect had seen much of the east
and south within the ten years proceed
ing this of '02, and Merriam suggested
southern California, Coronado Beach,
Santa Barbara and Monterey for their
honeymoon trip. Florence would have
gone without question had he said KAN
chatlia or Timbuctoo. Once-twice dur
ing the autumn long letters had reached
him from Ned l'arry-letters over
which he pondcred gravely. Mr.. and
Mrs. McLane, said the second letter,
were once more in Gotham, the vortex
of gay circle, but Mrs. Parry had de-
clined to go east again. He himself had
not cared to go, and did not call upon
the happy couple or upon their revered
uncle when, as it happened, he did have
to go. "Mr. Mellen has never written
me since my letter to him telling him
why could not attend the wedding"
wrote Parry. "Yct he and have got to
have an accounting, and in the near fu-
ture. too. But first, my boy. must
look up that California story and we are
to meet. 1t may be weeks yet before
I can get away, but when I do I'll wire.
If possible get brief furlough and join
me. I'll come by way of sedgwicl, and
Charlotte-will not be with u.s."
And, though Merriam soon answered
that letter, he made no mention of his
engagement. Cards in due form were
issued in January just n fortnight be-
fore the ceremony, and that was Parry's
first intimation of "the impending
crisis" Charlotte was astonished. Both
were rejoiced on one account, yet both
wished, for the girls sake again, that
he had not been SO precipitate. Each
believed that the old love still smol-
dered and could be famed into fame.
They sent a beautiful gift to the bride
some rare cut-glass pieces over which
Florence almost cried with delight, and
for the first time in long weeks Char
lotte Parry wrote to her fair sister in
Gotham and told her of Mr. Merriam's
engagement to such q charming girl,
the only daughter of a distinguished Of
f1cer, the pride and beauty Of the regi-
ment, the toast of all the cavalry and
other CELEBRATIONS, some of which, it
must be owned, Mrs. Parry coined, but
most of them she compiled and evolved
from the letter Merriam wrote to her
two days after lie had posted the cards.
The wedding was lovely, as army
weddings usually are. The day was
perfect, the music grand, the assem-
blage all that could be desired; the
ceremony, despite the mist of tears in
many eyes and Tremaine's manifest
emotion, had gone off without jar.
The reception at the Haynes was sim
ply perfect, as everybody said, and
then. though 1t was a manifest give
away" of the young couple, and prob
ably very bad form indeed, dozens of
men and women had ridden to the juno
ton to meet the west-bound train and
see them off; and hardly had their fond
faces faded in the distance than an
other, very different one, a radiant,
smiling, beautiful face, was unveiled
to the startled vision of the bride, and
the woman who was said to have
wrecked Randolph Merram's life few
months gone by was there in most be-
witching guise, despite the dust and
CRIME of railway travel, to ovcrwhelm
her with pretty speeches and charming
compliments-and complete dismay.