Hot Springs weekly star. (Hot Springs, S.D.) 1892-1917, 1901-04-05

Aunt Rllola IIcmenwny was about to
be married. Having never listened i'm
her young days 10 IL syllable on love and
matri;nony. now. at the age of tifty-tivc,
she Suddenly astonished all her relatives
by bidding them to her marriage with
Luke Potter, n slircwd, well-to-do farm
or, who had lived II neighbor to her all
mis- life. with all her property and her
set. particular ways: it can't he possi-
ble..' we each and all exclaimed in differ
ent keys, dropping our letters of invita-
lion.
had II special call to present myself
Il few days before The marriage feast, be
ing considered in the family II ~fayoritc
Of Aunt Rioda's.
Now TO Cousin John. He was Bath
sheba's son, Aunt Rhola's favorite sis
ter, who married early and went away
from the homestead with her husband
to settle in what was then the far
West now Il tlourishing town in Illinois.
L had always heard of him since | could
remember. but had never seen him. That
there was Il person whom | could dislike
more thoroughly than this same John L
had never believed. Now it was IL fact.
for we had met. he arriving Mt the Hem
cnway homestead the day before the
wedding.
Aunt Rhoda was to perpetrate matri-
mony on Easter eve. She had allowed
me that day to do little services for her,
thus showing her favor, so at about Z
O'Clock we were none of us astonished to
hear her say:
Run, Kitty, and get my bonnet from
the spare room cupboard. It's about
time to put it on. Try it on; it's good
luck
Quick as thought l drew out the we'd
ding bonnet. and threw it over my brown
braids. 1t was a heavy affair of gray
shirred silk, without the scrap of a bow
to enliven it. and only one dull, stiff
feather. looking for all the world like
Aunt Rhoda herself, set straight in the
center. And as / pulled it into place
with the eager fingers of eighteen on a
naughty prank, the old thing settled dis
mally from its own weight over my light
crimps. l laughed aloud. it was so lu-
dicrously the opposite of a festival bon
net, Just as IL voice struck my ear.
Very appropriate. Don't, pray, re-
move it," l turned to see Cousin John in
the doorway.
"Much obliged for your opinion, which
was ~unasked," l managed to say coolly,
dashing aside the healgear. where. | did
not stop to see. and turning to him. He
bowed with that supercilious smile of
his. and took himself off. Bursting with
indignation, l set about picking up the
bonnet. | could not find it. Not with
dropping to my hands and knees to search
that ingram carpet could that hcadgcar
be brought to light. 1t was only when
Il dircful smell of something burning
struck my olfactories that it flashed up
on me where it was. / flew back to the
heavy, claw-foOted dressing table that
| stood ION a bias in the corner of the
room. How l moved it l never could
tell. AT last the bonnet was in my hand,
the half-feather that remained still burn
ing smartly. At sight of it l gave a cry
before l could control myself. That /
| had broken uD the marriage / had not a
doubt. l knew my aunt well enough to
believe her willing to give UP her great
est treasure rather han to break one
of the proprieties of life. And to be mar
ried without a bonnet was, in her eyes,
a custom only fit for silly little things
not yet escaped from their teens. And
there those wedding candles blinked and
ilared merrily, as if glad they had done
it.
To reach the village mllliner, Miss
Slack, was my only hope. l knew where
her little hop was, having been dispatch
ed there he day previous for some extra
lutestrind ribbon to tie up the pieces Of