Waterbury evening Democrat., 1904-03-21
Three Faces
(Copyright, 1904, by Daily Story Pub. Go.
GEORGE E. PICKETT

\ with flowers. Roses glowed in gold and silver vases in parlor and hall and vines trailed up the long stair ways.
 In an upper room the heiress to the magnificent mansion and the broad acres surrounding it. arrayed in bridal robe, was submitting to the final touches of skilful hands and listening to the chatter of her maids | 'I am her maid of honor,' said the tall, dark girl who was arranging her veil. "She must give me her bouquet. else where are the privileges of my po- sition?"
 That is not fair," replied a maiden, whose golden curls fell in riotous mass over the tiny slippsr she was fit ting to the foot of the bride. "You have highest place and will be the most observed and admired. She must throw her bouquet fairly and let chance select the fortunate one.''
 'If you do not go away now and give some attention to your own adornment you will not be ready to go down with me and there will be no fortunate one to receive my flowers. Had I known 1 v would not have allowed you to send my dressing maid away so you might practice the art of costumery at my expense. Go off now, every one of you"
 Putting, them, out and shutting the door, she came back to the center of the room and stood looking about her. i She was taking leave of that room, the sanctum of her maiden life, and of all 1 the beautiful things in it which had been her pride and joy in the happy days she had spent there. Tears came to her eyes as she thought that those i days were going away from her for ever. She would leave everything in the room just as it had always been ! and come back to it sometimes, but l it would never be the same. It would belong only to her little episodes then; never again to her life.
 She knelt and said a prayer for the happiness of that coming life-for it's 1 true happiness. Not that it might be 1 free from the thorns that are the lot of all who tread well the path of life, but 1 that two might walk hand in hand and bring blessing each to the other that 1 1 darkness of the road until it should merge into the shining way. She re- membered in ner petition, too, the little l life that was being given to her care, for Alan Warrington had once had a ! lovely young wife, who had died and left little boy to comfort him for her ! loss.
 She stood by the window and looked out at the rippling river in the distance and away over to the horizon where the dreams of her childhood had taken l form in the days gone by. She heard carriages driving up to the door. She 1 could hear them bowl around the curve and turn into the drive. There the heavy, arching trees hid them from l view. Some one came running down the winding road. She observed him ] idly, scarcely .consciou- of his presence He came on up the pathway to the door
 How still the house was. The mur- mur of moving forms and light voices had suddenly been stilled It was the hush of expectation, she thought Alan would soon be there. It had been a dis appointment to him that he could not ! close the old life before they had en- | tered on the new He was stationed at 1 a fort in the west with his regiment and weddings were not included in mil itary duties; especially when there was an excitement on the border So he was to arrive just before the hour set. | for the ceremony. Something was coming down the road, moving slowly. As it came near CT she saw four men carrying stretch CT covered over with a dark cloth 1 Why was so gloomy thing coming now? ..
 After a long time her mother came in, all the light gone out of her face. Ginevra held out her hands.
 "You need not tell me-" she said in a voice softer than whisper, yet more 1 insistent than thunder-tone. Alan l is dead and you have come to tell me. 1 will go to meet him. He cannot come to me-
 She walked steadily out of the room and down the stairs, her white robe trailing in a silvery pillow on the floor. Her mother followed and tried to de- tain her, but she broke away from the
 
 cant room at the foot of the stairs and opened the door opposite. On couch within lay the still form and beside it stood her father, physician and two i of the guests. They stepped forward to intercept her, but fell back in awe of her stiffness and the majestic air with ] which she waved them away. She stood ! upright and looked for an instant at l the white face on the crimson cushion. 1 She turned and walked with the same stately step and moveless face back to her room, the maid of honor fol- lowing her, weeping and clasping her | hands.
 A cab came rapidly up the drive. A young man with arm in sling hastily entered the hall
 "Alan!" exclaimed MT Vernev. "Where-why-how did you come?" L..