Crawford avalanche. (Grayling, Mich.) 1879-19??, 1899-09-14
A BRIDE BY TELEGRAM.
ny Mrs. whitney.

"Send me down bride in full dress
for Friday evening. ii. Smith, Walk
ley Station"
That was the tenor of the telegram
Miss Betsey Blythe knew, because she
read 1t over forty times, IL she read il
once. She picked it up on the step OF
the telegraph Office, where the lucky
recipient thereof must have dropped il
and, unluckily, the address was torn
paper.
But Miss Betsey Blythe had not been
engaged in looking after her neighbors
business all her life to be foiled now
She wiped the street mud off the tele.
gram with her OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES
put 1t safely into her reticule and car.
ried 1t home to her sisters, Miss Are
thusa and Miss Pamela Blythe.
There" she said. didn't l tell you
Harold Smith was going to be married
on the sly"
Goodness mel" said Arethusa.
ut can't be possible" piped Pamela
''But who can the bride be?'
''That's the question:" declared Miss
Betsey. staring back at the poll-par.
rots cage in the window. "And Fri
day is to be the wedding day."
(Which Friday, l wonder?" said
Miss Arethusa.
''Why, this Friday, Of course" pro.
nounced Miss Pamela. 1.-THE day after
tomorrow, of course; or it would have
been a deal easier and cheaper to write
instead of telegraphing. Don't you
see?"
Fridays an unlucky day for q we'd
ding" groaned Miss Betsey.
'Just like Harold Smith to get mar
ried on Friday" said Miss Pamela.
Hes always making fun of what he
calls 'superstitious observances.'
"Well, never!' said Miss Arethusa
"Who is the bride, anyhow
IF she's a girl of any spirit what
ever" tartly observed Miss Betsey,
"she won't allow herself to be tele.
graphed around the country like q
package of dry goods"
"Some girls will do anything to get
married" said Arethusa, with vicious
emphasis.
''It's Jessie Mordaunt. of course" de-
cided Pamela. "Shc's been flirting on
and off with Harold Smith for these
three years, but l didn't suppose he
was foolish enough to fall into her
trap
''Or perhaps it's Marian Shelton"
added Miss Betsey. Il know they've
been making up new white silk dress
with tablier fronts and trained skirt
at Shelton's. Niss Needlepoint told
me so herself. And l can believe any
amount of folly of the Shelton family
since they changed that girls name
from Mary Ann to Marian"
There's the three Misses Mackenzie
every one of 'em crazy" suggested
Miss Arethusa.
"No," said Miss Pamela, decidedly
"You may be quite certain it's JESSIE
Jessie's Eighty enough for anything! !
think she'd rather enjoy an escapade
like thatw
"And dare say" vindictively added
Miss Arethusa, who was the eldest sis
ter of the three, and the least addicted
TO favorable views of human nature
''they think it's an unfathomable Sc.
cret!"
"Walkley Station is only three-quar
tiers of an hour from New York" said
Betsey. Lets go to the wedding."
"And," added Miss Pamela, in a
chuckle, 'let's notify all our friends to
go!"
For the three Misses Blythe ere rot
pleased that Harold Smith should pre-
sumo to take so important step as
that of matrimony without their con
sent and advice. Hadn't they known
him as a curly-headsd lad before he
ever went into coll, ge? Hadn't he
played many practical joke upor
them, In his wild, rollicking way-and
didn't they know perfectly well thai
he regarded them as three sour ridicu
Ious, disappointed old spinsters?
And now that they had come into
possession Of one of his choicest, dear
est secrets, 1t was scarcely in human
nature not to be revenged, fully ant
entirely.
do you suppose she'll go out In TIL,
carsw asked Arethusa.
''In full dress! What nonsense" re
torted Pamela. "She'll drive, of course
In carriage!"
shell get her death of cold" sait
Miss Betsey, with SILVER. "Drivint
fifteen miles In full dressp"
"The idea Of Harold Smith ordering
her around in that majestic fashion,
cried Arethusa. "But, girls, I'll tel
you what we will do; Wen go and cal
on the Mordaunts."
Mrs. Mordaunt. pretty, full-blowl
rose style Of matron, was doing crewel
work. Jessie. her daughter, who cor
responded with the rosebud In the fam
lily, was painting vase of purple pan
sizes in watercolors. They did not ap
pear in the least like custodians of nj
important secret; looked surpriset
when Miss Betsey alluded to the sub
feet of Impending marriages, and sai'
they had heard Of no wedding in tn