Saint Mary's beacon. [volume] (Leonard Town, Md.) 1867-1983, 1899-08-31

ness pervaded the room as me low,
sonorous voice Of the rector rose
and fell. Every eye was strained
to catch the least mistake and every
ear to hear the faint response Of
the bride. An audible si6h frpm
her mother proclaimed he great
relief as the concluding wozIs we're
said, and Marion and her Ansband
walked slowly down the aisIe She
held her hands clasped before her,
not designing to take his aFN. She
raised her eyes as she reac1>6 The
door, and looked straight 4 tn
face Of John Morton.
marion T.
The word cut like q knif< he
bridegroom heard it and loo Va np,
but saw no one in particnlai ID the
crowd which had divided & allow
them to pass. Bot ss he helped
Marion into the carriage she sank
heavily into Che seat, her eyea clos
ed, and her head fell back u.>on the
cushions.
She had tainted.
1t was . sunny January Sunday
in q new mining camp in tht Vest.
Brown hills, thicklY studde& with
green, sloped away on ever side,
and hoarY monarchs lowered above
them. The camp was livey one,
for plenty of valuable dust h ! been
found. and Q few good d-sized mug
gets, and many claims had been
staked and worked at o profit. ItI
was only about twenty mile from
Q thriving railroad town, Wit fair
" good mountain roads, snd its
for success were good.
Sunday was different from any
other day in camp. True, enc Of
the boys laid of and played poker
all day. and got gloriously drank at
night on the proceeds. OtheRs, the
more sober-minded, came ID from
the mines and worked a little ON
the log cabin. or fixed up Gle COR
raj for the horses. On this 7artic-
ular Sunday, half . dozen we're
busy putting the roof ON the big log
stable for the companY's horses.
Suddenly one Of the men looked up
and remarked
Say, John, look what is coming.
That don't look like no miners
outfit, does it?'
Il should say not said the man
addressed, shading his eyes to see
more clearly the 'outfit' coming
down the road.
Looks mighty like livery rig
to me. Bet it's some big specu-
lator comm out to see what the
camps like continued the first
man.
They worked on in silence for
some time. John was mailing the
rounded slabs on the lower edge of
the roof.
'By Georgel There's q woman
in it r exclaimed q third man Who
had stopped work to watch the sswo-
horse vehicle e. it halted at the first
cabin. They're comm right mp
here. too. Time to put on your
necktie, john
They ell laughed. 1t was q stand
ing joke, that one about Johns
necktie. None Of the men had ever
seen him 20 to work without col
ored necktie deftly tied under the
rundown collar Of bis rough blue
shirt.
Guess I will, he answered, and
swung himself down of the roof.
The men on top OF the barn stop
ped work to watch she occupants Of
the buggy. The man, who was
rather short and stout, leaned ont
over the wheel and talked eagerly
with the contractor. But it was
the woman at his side who attract
ed their attention. She sat far back
in the seat, with the large fur rug
drawn closely about her. Her white
face looked whittier by contrast with
the rich furs around her throat.
But that she was beautiful vas ap-
parent, even with that strained,
disappointed expression in her eyes.
She looked straight at the men
IS they passed and each one quickly
put his hand TO his hat in salute.
II was her right. They drove on
through the one street. passing on
either side the dirty white tents or
rough looking log CABINS hastily
erected, to be a. hastily abandoned