Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1908-10-10

The wedding was over, the goodbys
! and the good nights had all been said,
and the Monteiths' big stone house, ra-
diant only few hours ago with light
| and laughter, was now grimly dark
| and silent.
But excitement had set the maid OF
honor's pulse to throbbing, and she
could not sleep. Over and over again
she went through her part of the state
~ ceremony to the slow, majestic nm-,
| sic of the wedding march.
| Over and over again she remembered
/ that endless, measured walk down the
long church aisle, with the magic scent
of roses everywhere and the trembling
consciousness of the best mans gaze
fixed unwaveringly upon her
| And she recalled all the pretty things
he had said to her afterward-that she
was like Il dream girl come true. that
she was more beautiful than the blush
ing bride herself. What shameless
heresy, when the bride was his very
| own sister,
Wedding nights, sighed Elsie, were
much like Halloweens-One dipped into
the future and saw sweet visions, but
only visions. after all. Yet still she
sat in her shimmery green maid of
honor frOck, the moonlight shedding a
wondrous frost upon it. From some
distant point a clock struck twice. She
rose with determination. then suddenly
became tense and rigid. Her heart was
in her mouth.
In the room just diagonaily across
the hall. which was the upstairs sitting
room, she had distinctly heard win
dow opened. 1t flashed across her in
Stantly that burglars had come after
the wedding presents. Her own door,
the night being sitting warm, stood
part way open, but she was too para
lyzed with fear to run and lock it.
She listened with strained ears for
any further sound. 1t soon followed.
The burglar stumbled against some
thing. For few minutes after that
all was horribly still. Then. with cat
like step Elsie heard him coming into
} the hail.
Should she scream? She tried to, but
: could not. Her voice 'stuck in her
!, throat
BY the aid of the moonlight Elsie
} could make out a dark form creeping
past her own room toward the stairs.
Thank goodness. he was not going to
bind and gag her or hold her up at the
point of a pistol.
: But the wedding presents! Should
: she let him steal them without trying
| to give an alarm? Yes, she would
| The bride ana groom could not be SO
; very much attached 10 them. They
had not had them long enough, and it
was an awfully long way down the
hall to Mr. Monteiths room.
There was no one near her except
two of the bridesmaids. and precious
lot of good it would do to wake them
This reflection had the effect of stimu
lating her own latent courage. No; he
should not carry off those wedding
presents-she, Elsie Laurie, would see
that he did not.
She was relieved to find that she
| could really move. She tiptoed to the
door and listened. Not sound S,
! she ventured stealthily out into the hal
[ and even peeked over the balustrade
d Still no sound and as dark as pocket
Could she have been dreaming? Be
r fore she reused the house she would
n make quite sure Creeping down tc
e the landing of the stairs. she crouche6
behind the balustrade and waited, hel
e heart humping rapidly.
81 Suddenly the dining room portieres
c parted, and man holding a lighted
cigarette stepped out from behind them
Elsie gave a frightened cry of Rob
ert.'' and tainted.
a When she recovered she was choking
q over something very strong and burn
4 ing that some one was pouring dowr
q her throat. She opened her eyes ant
y recognized Robert Montieth bending
j, over her.
4 did you catch the burglar?" SHIT
T asked him weakly.
elsie, my poor child" he said, lift
ing her gently till her head restet
. against his. shoulder, there WASH
any burglar. 1t was just me. I'm 8,
sorry
She looked dazed, as if she could no
understand.
You must have been awfully scared
DEAR" he went on tenderly. It'll tel
you how it happened. l chased th'
bride and groom, you know, to find on
where they were going. and when
finally got back here l remembered
hadn't any key. So l climbed up owe
the porch and got in through the sit
ting room window l thought vol
were all asleep, and l knew If l di,
that l wouldn't disturb anybody h
ended, with a somewhat sheepish smile
Elsie smiled little too. She was be
ginning to see the humor of the situa
ton. By degrees she told him her sid
of the story.
"You're the bravest girl in all tn
world dearest, and r.
did you stub your toe against some
thing just after you got in?'' she inter
rupted, with teasing irrelevance
He admitted, rather shortly, that h
did.
sit was awf.illy quiet for few min
uteS afterwartl" she observed dryIy