Freeland tribune. (Freeland, Pa.) 1888-1921, 1899-04-27

| 'liSR $YrT =,
due rites, and there had been much
feasting and everybody agreed that
it had been delightful wedding. The
| festivities concluded, the bridegroom
! conducted his friends and relatives to
the door, and then negligently forgot
to shut it before returning to his wife.
''Dear cousin" he said to her as
soon as he discovered his mistake,
''do run and shut the street door"
"What! ] shut the street door? I,
beautiful and young, dressed in satin,
and wearing all these precious stones
am to go and shut the street door?"
"Well, and pray would you have me
shut the street door? I, bride
groom, clothed in silk, wearing this
magnificent shawl and carrying a dag
ger set with diamonds? Is it fit, I
ask you, that 1 should shut the street
door?"
"You are both crazy and lazy" said
the young wife, "to think that I
should shut the street door. You are
the proper person to do it-and you
must" she added, stamping her little
foot to add emphasis to what she
thought was wifely authority.
"And you are lazy and disobedient, !"
retorted her husband. "How dare
you disobey my very first order?"
And he angrily shook his fist at her.
"Do not let us quarrel" said his
wife, "but rather agree that the one
who speaks first shall 60 and fasten
the door"
The husband surlily nodded his
head to this proposal, and they both
sat down, dressed in their wedding
garments, on couches opposite to each
other, looking more cross and angry
than bride and bridegroom are ever
supposed to have looked before. One
hour, two hours, three hours passed,
and yet neither spoke word. They
only tidgeted, tossed and turned, for
they were both horribly tired and
sleepy, and longing to speak to each
other. Then it CHANGED that two
thieves passed through that street.
At once they remarked the open street
door,
''This is curious" one said to the
other. ST know that there has been
a very fine wedding here to-day. Let
us go IN very, very quietly. There
must after so much feasting be plenty
of rich and valuable things about
We are certainly in luck" Stealthily
they entered the house; first they
, went into one room and then into the
other, taking and putting into sacks
all that pleased their fancy and was
most valuable.
The man and his wife, alert to every
sound, heard their gliding footsteps,
and at once guessed that thieves were
in their house. Still mute and
1 motionless they sat, neither uttering
= word. The thieves, emboldened by
g the silence, next entered the room in
which the bridegroom and his bride
in their sullen obstinacy still sat star
= ing silently at one another. At first
when they saw two people there they
= rushed back as if to hurriedly retreat.
Half second they hesitated, then.
: since not voice was raised nor hand
moved to arrest them, they grew yet
e more adventurous and entered the
, room. They collected all the valuable
%, ornaments and eating utensils that
, Uttered the room and stuffed them
into their sacks, and then, growing
: bolder and bolder, they dragged away
X theyery carpets from under their feet
y Still neither the man nor the woman
uttered sound or syllable.
Then the thieves, with an ever-in.
creasing audacity, laid hands on the
+ woman and took from her every iewel
and stripped her of her wedding
dress. With lips tightly pressed to
, gether she bore all these indignitiet
/. in stoical silence. But when they tool
S away her gold-embroidered slipper
. she with her eyes mutely besough
her husband to come to her aid. Cain
, and stationary he sat there; then thei
1 expression changed to one of blazinj
0 anger, and out of their dark brown
depths she seemed distinctly to ute
the word "Cowardw
The thieves now turned their atten
ton to the man. With desperat
strength he struggled to retain hi
! precious dagger inlaid with diamonds
, For a minute or two there was hand
to-hand fight, and the man was S
, cruelty hurt that in his pain he nearl
: screamed "Oh!" Fearful that h
| might be made to utter some ex
clamation, and so, according to tn
bargain, be obliged to fasten tn
; street door, he gave up the contes
and quietly resigned to the thieves hi
; dagger-which had heen present
: his shawl and all his wedding gar
ments.
= The robbers having taken every
thing that was of any value, nov
, staggered away under their load @
: ill-gotten gains. Still the bride an
| bridegroom uttered not word. Da