Butler citizen. [volume] (Butler, Pa.) 1877-1922, 1900-06-07
CHAPTER XIX.
\ BOER WEDDING.

fond OF riding hard" said Gregory to
his little betrothed.
They were cantering slowly on the
road to Dom Muller's on the morning
| of the wedding.
"Do you call this riding hard? asked
| Elm in some establishment.
"Of course do It's enough to break
the horses necl-s and knock one up for
the whole day besides" he added testi-
| ly. then twisted his Aead to look ut the
! buggy that came on behind. 81 thought
| Waldo wns such mad driver. They
are taking 1t easily enough today"
! said Gregory. "One would think the
! black stations were lame"
| 81 suppose they want to keep out OF
| the dust" said En-. See; they stand
| still as soon as we do"
Perceiving this to be the case, Greg
ory rode on.
Its all that horse OF yours. She
kicks UP such n confounded dust
! can't stand 1t myself" he said.
Meanwhile the cart came on slowly
enough.
Take the reins." said Lyndall "and
| uluht lLtLl 'ohN ~ A'@N tNAAN
watch their hoofs today-not to be ex-
| hilaiated. am so tired"
She leaned back in her corner. and
Waldo drove on slowly in the gray
| dawn light along the level road. They
| passed the very milk bush behind
| which so many years before the old
| German had found the Kaltir woman
| BUT their thoughts were not with him
that morning They were the thoughts
OF the young. that run out to meet the
| future AMI liIGr ii the present. At
last lac touched hrr arm.
What Is it,"
Il feared you had gone to sleep and
might be I5ltcd out" he said. You
sat SO quietly"
NO: do not talk 10 Elr. am not
asircp." But after Il time she said sud
| denly. 1T must be n terrible thing to
bring ii human being into the world
Waldo looked round she sat drawn
into the corner. her blue cloud wound
tightly about her. and she still watch
cd tile horses feet. Having no com
mcnt TO offer on her somewhat uncx-
pected remark. he merely touched up
his horses.
Il have no conscience, none" she
added. But | would not like to bring
a soul into this world When Il sinned
and when 1t suffered, something like a
dead hand would fall on me: You did
it, you; for your own pleasure you Gre
atcd this thing. See your work! II it
lived to be 80. 1t would always hang
| In "A
the right TO demand good from me and
curse me for its sorrow. A parent is
only like to God-lf his work turns out
bad. so much the worse for him; he
dare not wash his hands OF II. Time
and years can never bring the day
when you can say to your child. Soul,
what have | to do with your
Waldo said dreamily:
at is a marvellous thing that one soul
should have power to cause another"
She heard the words as she heard the
beating OF the horses hoofs; her
thoughts ran on in their own line.
"They say, God sends the little ba-
bies' or all the dastardly revolving
lies men tell to suit themselves, | hate
that most. suppose my father said
80 when he knew he was dying Of con-
sumption. and my mother when she
knew she had nothing to support me
on. aud they created me to feed like a
dog from stranger hands. Men do not
say God sends the books or the news
paper articles or the machines they
make, and then sigh and shrug their
shoulders and say they can't help It.
Why do they say so about other
things? Liars! God sends the little
babies"" She struck her foot fret
fully against the splash board.
"The small children say 50 earnestly.
They touch the little stranger revcr-
emily who has just come from Gods
far country. and they peep about the
room to see If not one white feather
! has dropped from the wing Of the an
gel that brought him. On their lips
the phrase means much; on all others
1t is Il deliberate lie. Noticeable, too"
she said, dropping In an instant from
the passionate into low mocking
tone. when people are married, though
they should have 60 children, they
throw the whole onus on God. When
they are not, we hear nothing about
Gods having sent them. When there
has been no legal contract between the
parents. who sends the little children
then? The devil, perhaps" She hugh
ed her little silvcry, mocking laugh.
"Odd that some men should come from
hell and some from heaven and yet all
look so much alike when they get
here"
Waldo wondered at her. He had not
the key to her thoughts and did not see
the string on which they were strung.
She drew her cloud tighter about her.
at must be very uicc to believe In
the devil" she said. 81 wish | did. II
1t would be OF any use, | would pray
three hours night and morning on my
bare knees, God, let me believe In
satan He Is so useful to those peo-
pie who do. They may be as selfish
and as sensual as they please and, be
tween Gods Will and the devils ac-
ton, always have some one to throw
their sin on. But we, wretched unbe-
levers, we bear our own burdens. We
must say: 4 myself did It, I. Not God,
not satan; | myselfr That IL the sting
| InHt SlGlktS uttp. hlbOi AHt Hllu
gently, with n sudden and complete
change OF manner, Il like you so much
love you" She rested her cheek soft
ly against his shoulder. "Whcn | am
| with you, | never know that | ain a
woman and you are a man. | only
know that we are both things that
think Other men, when | am with
them, whether love them or not, they
are mere bodies TO me but you are a
spirit. | like you. Look" she said
quickly, sinking back into her corner,
what pretty pinkness there Is on all
the hlltops! The sun Will rise in n
moment"
Waldo lifted his eyes to look round
over the circle Of golden hills, and the
horses, as the first sunbeams touched
them, shook their heads and champcd
their bright bits till the brass settings
in their harness gllttercd again.
| II was s o'clock when they nearcd
the farmhouse, a red brick building
with kraals TO the right and small
orchard to the left. Already there were
signs OF unusual life and hustle. One
cart. wagon and Il couple OF saddles
| against the wall bctokcncd the arrival
Of Il few early guests, whose numbers
| would soon be largely Increased. To
a Dutch country wedding guests start
! up In numbers astonishing to one who