The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1903-08-09
THE WEDDING
| OF FLORENCE.
She Was Never Feazsd, Though
Jealousy Threatened to
Prevent II.


ence's wedding might have been considered
pathetic If Florence herself had not been 80
calm through them all. Nothing feazed
Florence. She felt that she had O pre-
destined right to Tom Burns for her hus-
band and that nothing was going to take
him away from her. Al least she acted
as if she felt so even when the troubles were
thickest.
Her mother was the general caretaker
and woman Of all work down stairs In an
annex to a boarding house She ruled her
basement domain with strong hand and
the only human being who seemed welcome
there whenever he wanted to come and
however long he wanted 70 stay, was Tom
Burns after he had become engagoq to
Florence He was 40 and the Inexpensive
Florence but 10,
Trouble came almost as soon as the en-
gagement was announced. II arose from
the fact that Tom had been engaged to
Florence's older sister before his eye lin
gered lovingly on her own charms
It was commonly said that Florence's
charms OF mind and body were not all that
appealed 10 him. For instance, It was q
fact that Florence's sister worked In shop
and lived in home that sheltered three or
four young women in every one Of it's little
rooms and that made no provision for
husbands. On the other hand. Florence
dwelt in an expansive basement which made
living at his mother-in-law's home possible
for while.
Did Florence's sister say to Florence:
take him and be happy" Did she &C.
quiesce quietly. murmuring that she didn't
count anyhow and that nobody need mind
her?
Not at all She kicked a. hard and as
long az she could at the thought Of losing
Tom. who was the first man to cross her
path that seemed 70 carry the promise
OF relief from standing behind a counter.
Her responsiveness had little effect upon
her mother who took decided stand against
her.
BE quiet, Lily, she said, with her finger
on her lips. be quiet, darling. and don't
cause no disturbance, else the both of youse
might lose him. God knows Tom Burns
amt much but has any Of tho two OF you
ever been able to get better onef can
take my oath to Heaven that he's the only
\
little to divide between two girls. But
that's better than soaring him off alto
gether."
But Lily was too young to be satisfied
with this philosophic advice. She turned
her attention to Florence, called her
sneak and cried when she said that she
was ashamed To have a sister who would
do such a mean trick.
The impertur babe Florence went on
putting white flowers on a hat that she
was to wear at the wedding. holding it
out at distance to try the effect and once
or twice putting it on her head TO see how
she looked in the mirror opposite her She
did not answer Lily at all, so the girl re-
peated her charges. making the words
stronger than before, although she did not
cry the second time,
Il don't care anything about what you've
been saying" answered Florence, deliber-
ately pulling out the end OF white ribbon
bow. sTom Burns wants TO marry me- and
I'm going to marry him. II he was en-
gagged to you, why didn't you marry him?'
This was FloFenCes solitary exhibition
closely. During all the subsequent clash
of emotions she refused 10 be disturbed
She usually took seat next TO her be-
trothed during the family fights, but in no
, other way indicated any interest in the
proceedings.
She was alone in her composure at this
period. Her sister was enraged now, and
determined 10 stop the marriage If she
could. Her mother wept freely whenever
| the domestic crisis was mentioned. in spite
Of her worldly views Her own solution
of the difficulty seemed to lie in an urgent
! a. q .l,kA n. IL.
and have the ceremony over.
| "Everybody'n feel all right once the
things settled she said more than once
| to Florence "Them things die out OF their
| own accord after a while, SO hurry Tom
UP, and let's get the wedding over. with.
Well have it all as quiet as possible
And the calm Florence walked out of the
room without even looking at her weeping
mother She would probably have be en-
as little disturbed had she known the plan,
| jealousy and the bitterness Of sighted
woman had suggested to Lily.
! Lily had wept over her own impotence
to arouse a spark of conscience In the
pertidious Burns or make her mother or
sister feel the wrong that was being done TO
her. 1t was not in her nature to meet their
stolidity with the sweep OF fury that would
punish the transgressors, even if il did
not help her. She wanted them dashed by a
tongue more fiery than hers. She wanted
womanlke, Tom, least of all, curl up under
denunciations that would tell them just
what they were, and what she thought they
were, in the way they ought TO hear it.
And to find all this Lily had only to
whisper the truth into the ear of a certain
woman who had also known Tom Burns.
Then she knew that woman would swear
over the youngster toddling about the
room that, come what would, Tom Burns
should never marry anybody but her,
He might forsake her, leave her alone for
years and make her struggle to keep the
child alive. She could stand all that. But il
ever another woman came between them
At the thought Lily seemed TO see the
woman's red hair light up with redder
glow and the blood rush into her milk
white face until she was purple with rage.
Lily knew this woman The woman had
followed her and Tom once on the street
and abused them before crowd until q
policeman had driven her away. Tom
told her who the woman was
After that the woman found her, 10 tell
her more quietly about Tom, the boy ard
the broken promise. Lily was frightened
then by the threats the woman made. But
she was not touched by the pathos Of the
story. Tom was very good looking and
wanted to marry her. She was tired Of
standing all day In shop, and II was not
her fault II other women also wanted him.
So long az the engagement between her
and Tom remained in that stage she heard
nothing more of the woman with the red
hair She forgot her until she thought
of her AZ a possible instrument OF VEN
ge1nce.
On the first Sunday after this thought
1. 4 tx. lou. \ tI,r bar.