The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1911-04-15
And Benefit the Women
HER WEDDING SUPPER

I of alarm stin shaking hsr voice, shs
| whispered.
"Oh. yes: yes, yes,
''Ill bring Or. Brandon right up
here and We Will be married this very
afternoon"
''irr. Brandon Married rye
why. sure, you cant come to live
/ with ME unless we are married.
| holding her huttering hands in his
/ presuasively tender palms
Z Before her unaccustomed thought
could traverse the length OF the new
/ proposition. he went on.
! I'm be right up with him. m
! glad you're wearing the white dress
with the pink daisies in it. Margaret,
You had one Ike il years ago and II
alwaNa looked ia nae HE wedding
/ dress'
Witli weakening knees and bewu-
tiered spirit she sat down on the
grass edge beside the walk, to think
things out with q brain that woald
( not Wrsstle with this muddle OF mum
dare affairs Too brave to cry she
could oeiy pick the green blades
one by ore. and lay them In . row
oa hor pink -sprigged gown. Upon
her troubled, inadequate bordering,
broke the voice of Dr Brandon
what Jacob has Just told me. Mrs
| Brandon and james have come along
as witnesses"
with a puzzled smile ot greeting
Margaret rose with Jacobs unob-
trusive assistance. In d haze she fol-
lowed his gentle leading TO the little
front parIor, where. IN the presence
Of the silent companion Of her
twenty years of isolation. she stood
q H "a Ia. tv "A
the words Jacob bRde her say. Her
heart warmed to the good Will and
giadneSs in the words. Of congratala
tion.
Margaret had just begun to feel
the weight Of jacobs unaccustomed
presence. when he said;
Let's 20 over 70 see the big house"
He led her from the little brown
clois;er to the house the stood close
by tho highways of men.
Aching from the aloHeness OF the
years, chilled with the strangeness
Of the big rooms. she looked over
the new home and its master. her
husband She owned a feeling Of glad
ness only when Jacob said:
No tramp can Brighten you here,
Margaret mine"
Then as # he understood some
tiny part Of her struggle to adjust
herself TO the wall-nigh uubearable
lack of familiar things.
Run along, honey, to your garden,
while Mirandy gets US our wedding
sopper,
With flying feet she sped from the
proposed festivitl With ciutchlug
ing face the tall syringas and the
ambitious climbers by degrees the
perplexlng universe outside the
brown fence slipped back into its
proper desuetude and the JOY in her
fewer friends soothed tangled nerves
and troubled memories into forget
fulnesS shipping twig here. kis-
sins blossom there, stopping to To TX
~ the purple end gold faces IN the
lansy bed, she slowly made her way,
Just as she had 80 many summer
+ evenings III the twenty years OF soil
tude. 10 the little kitchen door.
With the habitual repetition OF her
( narrow round Of conduct she wash. 4
her hands III the tin basin and threw
| The water gently on The morning
I glory vines at the window. Turning
+ te the pie of kindling wood beside
/ the stove, she started fire ana set
the tea kettle 10 boz. Into the tiny
! brown teapot she dropped the usual
pinch Of tea leaves and set il on The
hearth.
on the table she placed the tiny
cloth; beside the blue plate She placed
the napkin in the old silver rlng
mud the blue cup and saucer, from tna
cooky Jar IN the pantry sha took two
seed cookies, as usual and put them
on q small blue plate in close con
junction with the white dish Of stra "
| berry jam. In reply 10 the tea ket-
! ties whistle of readiness she was
pouring the boiling water from it's
J l.