Williston graphic. (Williston, Williams County, N.D.) 1895-1919, 1900-03-29

spOnse, much less to Judge from them
what of doubt or fear or uncertainty
the voices might portend.
In thinking of it afterwards, Stanton
often shuddered as he realized what
the result must have been had the
clergyman been in his own quiet home.
Even if the matter could have been
brought SO far as the ceremony, STAN
ton himself would have failed there,
over and again, under any circum-
stances but the present, with the din
and excitement and demoralizing haste
that obliterated every feature by the
way in the struggle for the end.
The awful meaning of those words,
rapidly and almost unintelligibly as
they were spoken, came to him even
now with overwhelming force, and
struck him dumb with terror.
''Now join hands," DR.. Borden repeat
ed, and, hardly giving them time to
obey, he continued: ''Those whom God
hath joined together let no man put
asunder. I pronounce you man and
wife,"
Then came the repetition of the sa-
cred names, followed by q moment of
reverential silence, broken by the good
doctors CHEEKY voice, devoid of the
faintest professional accent, exclaim.
ing:
Gentlemen, your watches. The ex-
act time is matter of the gravest i'm
portance."
''Thrce minutes of H."
1.-Two and half is all, think
''Two, gentlemen. Two. Precisely
two. Rely upon my watch. 1t is two
minutes before -, this 9th day of De-
cember, 1892. Two minutes is enough,
gentlemen. 1t is enough. And let me
tell you that this is the second time
that one and the same fortune has been
rescued, as by a miracle, by the space
of two minutes one side or the other, of
II o'clock. But bless my soul, Mr.. and
Mrs. Stanton, forgive me. My heartiest
congratulations and best wishes. May
you"
Fortunately the boat struck the pier,
and the good doctor had all that he
could do to keep his feet. Stanton could
not have listened to much more.
AS they parted in the waiting-room,
the clock struck II, and for his last
words DR.. Borden repeated:
"Twclve o'clock, and all is WE'LL"
From the moment when the cere-
mony began, Stanton had acted only
mechanically. He had heard the cler-
gyman say: Join hands," and involun-
tarily extending his own, which was
cold and trembling, he saw a white
hand come from under the cloak to
meet it. He saw diamond flashing on
one of the fingers. Hc even saw that
the diamond was beautifully set in
pearls. He felt a strange thrill as the
warm, firm hand touched his own.
Then he heard those words-fear-
full words they seemed to him-"Whom
God hath joined together let no man put
asunder."
He tried to cry out to stop, to save the
brave little woman by his side from such
an awful bond; but before he could
utter sound the rest of the sentence
was spoken, and John Olmstead's mil
lions and the woman by his side were
his forever.
lie would have given all those mil
lions, and all that he had beside, to see
that little woman free. How he pitied
her and despised himself as they stood
alone, man and wife together, in the
ferry waiting-rooln!
This is case where can congrat.
ulate you, too," she said, land then !
must go at once. 1t is much later than
l thought it would be-"
"Go?" Stanton muttcred. go where
Didn't you hear him? Whom God hath
joined together'?"
"You are overweight tonight" she
replied, gently. ut will be different in
the morning. You will remcm Der, then,
that it was only a plain business bar
gain, clearly understood and fairly car
ried out. A wise end has been accom-
plished, and am perfectly satisfied"
Il do not want to remember that it
was bargain" Stanton exclaimed,
struggling to rouse himself. ut was
the meanest of self-jaterest in me, and
simply unheard-of gc1 erosity in you.
Forgive me. Come with me now and be
my real wife. I am = OF worthy of you,
but will do my hes, to-"
"Why, sir, not half an hour ago you
said you trusted me. If I was worthy
of your confidence, surely shall not be
false to our compac', for your sake,
any more than for my own. Here is the
card of banking horse in New York.
If there are any pap' RS requiring my
signature, send them addressed to Is
Their Thorndike, in their care, and they
will be forwarded to ME at once. If no
harm will result from il. think shall
60 abroad, with friends Who are to leave
q week from to-day. wish that you
would go away, too, for awhile, even to
Florida, or California. You don't know
how many uncomfortable things will
come up for you to face II you remain
here. Promise me that you will CO."
"Why, certainly, if" The incongru-
ity of following instinct and saying If
you wish it" checked him lie waited q
moment, and added, fa'teringly: II
should like to go with yor-" 1t was not
necessary to see her face to know that
a decided negative was coming, and be-
fore she could speak, he added: "At
least you will let me send ,ou the money
for your trip?"
Certainly not, sir. That was not the
bargain which we made," she ex-
claimed. you forget Il at, except for
this legal matter which you have to
settle, we are each of us precisely what
we were an hour ago. We neither of
us wished to marry anyone, and, to &C.
oo,nnlici, n 1yisa end We xxanf fhrnl1ch