The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1900-01-10
A Fine MARRIAGE.

| color to fade from his face and his hands
/ to tremble. 1t was a short paragraph
| stating that the marriage of Mile. Ger
maine Ardelle and NJ Oliver Lar1aud
/ was soon to be celebrated.
Orvelin seemed stunned and sat fer
| several minutes holding the sheet IN his
| hands and staring at the printed words.
| Then he took his hat and left the house,
walking mechanically along the boule-
ward.
Can it be true?" he said to himself,
| ''Is it possible that she is going to marry
| SO soon2''
| He had been so sure that her whole life
was full of him, as his was of her, that
| he could not credit the truth of the state
ment he had read. 1t meant that he had
worked and saved and at last attained
| moderate success. for a fake ideal, a
/ woman inconstant, unworthy. This was
] his first bitter thought when his mind re-
| covered from the shock, but clearer
reasoning brought calmer Judgment.
She has forgotten mel Well, it has
| been long time and I left her just as
1 felt sure she was beginning to love me,
| believing a woman could wait for a man
without spoken vows to bind her. 1 could
not marry her then, because 1 was pen
niless and a duty demanded that our in
| timacy cease or become closer still. How
| l suffered when 1 left her! And she-she
| has been gay and happy, forgetting my
| love while 1 worked for her, and now,
| eighteen months afterward, she IS to be
married
He reflected bitterly upon the ways II
women, their Hghtness amid the heavy
responsibilities of life, their happiness in
| world of SORROW. their carelessness of
pain inflicted upon the nobly striving sex.
He shook himself free OF his despond-
ency, saying:
How foolish to regret the loss of a
creature who loves as lightly as butter
| fly, from flower to flower, forgetting each
| last for each new sensation
| The day of the wedding arrived and
| found Orvelin still holding strenuously
to the decision that ne no longer cared
| for ermaine. He had received card and
| determined to be present at the ceremo-
my, just to prove to himself that he could
look on unmoved at the plighting of her
vows to another.
AS he drew near the house he met an
old friend, Frederic Deschamps, who said
to him. in a mocking tone:
| Congratulations, old MANI
| Orvelin's forehead contracted with pain
| and he said quickly;
Il would not have thought you could
| say that to me today
Frederic laid his hands upon Orvelin's
| shoulder and said in a changed tone:
| Forgive me! I had no idea you cared
/ Your conduct has utterly misled me; has
I mised all of u.s.
And then his friend, Germaines cousin,
began to speak of her, and Orvelin under
] stood for the first time the dinner life of
| the young girl, the drama that had been
| acted, without words or guesses, in her
| heart At the words of this man, and
| helped by his own intuition, he saw ev-
| erything as she had seen it and shrank
| back in horror at the result of his blind
| stupidity and selfshness.
When he had first seen her he admired
| her fresh, sweet prettiness, her frank,
! happy manners, her whole charming. per-
sonaHty. They met often and his admit
! ration grew and ripened into love. He
! tried to please her, to win something
| from her more than the friendliness she
! gave to all about her. He knew that he
! interested her, and finally thought that
| her expressive features betrayed more
satisfaction at his approach, more regret
| at his departure, than was shown for her
| other admirers.
| They were seen so often together that
| people began to talk. This he cared little
! for at first.
| One night, however, he overheard a
| conversation between two men. Germaine
was spoken lightly of, accused of being
| al coquette, but had no serious thoughts.
| This he felt he had subjected her to by
! his attentions.
He did not know what to do. He had
| no right to pursue the intimacy which
| was so dear to him without asking her
father for her hand in marriage If he
! declared himself it would end everything,
| for NJ. Ardelle was an ambitious man
and would refuse his consent to a man
/
| his right to demand her lhand honoraby.
I In one long night he tasted to the full
the bitterness of sacrifice. He determined
to accept a position offered to him in one
! of the provinces-to leave Paris-efface
/ himself
| That night he saw Germaine at a large
| reception and had no opportunity of
! speaking with her alone No need. he
thought, for when he said good niGht TO
/ her the pressure of his hand was lightly
returned. and looking into her eyes with
/ love in his own he read there what ne
/ longed to see.
! That was all. The next day he dis
! appeared and for eighteen months moth
| ing was heard of him.
The young girl, as the days passed and
brought no news of him, became depress-
ed and then fell into a sort of lassi-
| tude from which nothing could arouse
! her
Her parently wished her to marry, ard
she refused energeticaIfy for a long time,
saving, always: He will come"
But he did not come. Poor Germaine. In
| the end she listened to her father and
yielded indifferently to the arrangements
| for her wedding with Oliver Larraud.
As Frederic ceased speaking they ar
rived ct the door Of the Ardelle home.
Should he go in? What could he do
now? At least he could see her once
more touch her hand, perhaps. His whole
soul was bowed in admiration and love
for the woman he mad so cruelty wrong
ed
He entered and stood among the guests.
seeing no one himself unnoticed.
The bridal party entered.
She was the same. q little Daler, and
her mouth had q sad little drooD at the
corner which be knew had not been there
before
The interminable ceremony at last over.
ne passed in his turn before the bride.
AS their eyes met the color swept across
her face. then receded, leaving Il
deathly white They did not speak. He
aeId her passive hand an instant. betTay-
ing in his intense look all his desire 10
speak, TO explain. and reading IN neT eyes
the command FOR silence, the knowledge
that the time FOR explanations between
them had rassed.
As ne left the house he heard a wo-
wan behind him say IN high. irritat-
ing voice: a fire marriage that The
groom has money and position, me bride
beauty and grace. Yes, a fine marriage
-<c
Jewels in Paraphrase-
(From the jewelers. Weekly)
Mrs. Slopovsr-What Is gTaudeT-more
transcsndeutly lovely than the noble giet
Of song2
Mr. Worldlvwise-T gifts og a f5o.ish