The Denison review. [volume] (Denison, Iowa) 1867-current, 1906-02-08
in the end Mary has prevailed.

III IiiS Siet VNdIy lidS pIeSdlltu.
There have been delightful trips to
the county seat stores, where plain,
pretty stutfs have been bought with
Mothers advice and counsel. John has
bought so many silly things that he
thought would be nice for the
house, that again Mary has been
obliged to put her foot down and as
compromise they have gone to town
together to buy the furniture Moth
ing they may buy in later life will be
as dear to them as these first pur-
chases. Oh, the delicious little toss of
Mary head as she selects the bedroom
sett, while John stands by in clumsy,
awkward alteration. Oh, it's great,
it is the very froth of the wine of
life.
They pretend to be greatly indig
nant when the neighbors Josh them,
but in their secret hearts they are
delighted with each good natured
Jest.
1t is the duty, the delicious, daring
duty of Mother and Mary to select the
pretty wedding invitations. They APP
proach the printing Office by stealth
and with misgivings. The editor is
called to one side and mother tells
what is wanted while Mary tries to
look as if the cards We're for her sis
ter. After good deal of considera-
ton the selection is made and Mary
produces crumpled. well-worn sheet,
that shows signs of frequent erasures,
on which is written that ''Mr. and Mrs.
Father request your presence at the
marriage of their daughter, Mary
Lavina chow she does hate that second
name) and John Whatever, -his-name
maybe
Mary leaves the office feeling older.
The die has been cast. In some way
the printed sheets bear the stamp of
the irrevocable. Not that Mary wants
to back out, not at all, but she has
liked to think that she could back out
if she did want to, which she didn't.
The next two weeks are ones of
feverish activity. The man who had
the farm has moved and their little
paradise has been made ready. All
the girls in the neighborhood have
gushed sentimentally over everything,
while the boys have said nothing in
forcible terms, and all is in readiness
for the wedding day. Mary's Dearest
Friend is bridesmaid, and john S
brother has been forcibly dragooned
into the business as best man. We
will not describe the wedding nor how
pretty Mary looked in her white gown
with her white veil and the wreathe
of artificial flowers, nor how solemn
John looked in his conventional
black, and the high collar that
nearly sawed his head off. We will
not dwell on the wedding feast with
enough on the table to feed regi-
ment, nor on the photographs in which
Mary and John hold hands as all
proper brides and grooms should do.
And then their little day is done.
Only few days can they hold the
stage after that must come the work
and the hum-drum. Gradually, and
with many misgivings Mary will find
the distinctions slipping away be-
tween her grand classification of men,
as John, and "other men, And
John will find that Mary is whole
lot more lovable and sweeter and bet
ter than even he had dreamed. What
a glorious summer it will be. The
birds will sing for them, the sun will
shine, the rain will fall, the giant
stalks will grow. the golden fields
will bend and wave, and all for their
honor and their glory. And come next
February there will be the cutest,
dearest, sweetest, little John in the
home, and that year the birds, the
sun, the rains, the corn, the grain,
will sing, and shine, and fall. and
grow, and wave, and bend, for little
John, and unto John big j hn,- and
Mary, will have come the fullness of
the knowledge of love and JOY and
happiness, and out on the Iowa prairie
another home circle will have been
made complete, happy, intelligent,
patriotic home, another hostage to
fate and time that government for
the people, by the people, and of the
people, shall not perish from the face
of the earth.