The Ocala evening star. [volume] (Ocala, Fla.) 1895-1943, 1912-10-14
CHAPTER xxx,
A Wedding on Wheels.

ing in from the smoking room and
there was much circumstance OF dec
Grating the scene with white satin
ribbons, trifie crumpled and dim of
luster. Mrs. Whitcomb waved them
at Mallory with a laugh:
Recognize these?"
He nodded dismally. His own fu-
neral baked meats were coldIy fur
nishing forth a wedding breakfast for
Ira Lathrop. Mrs. Wellington was
moving about distributing kazoos and
Mrs. Temple had an armload of old
shoes, some of which had thumped
Mallory on an occasion which
| seemed so ancient as to be almost
prehistoric.
Fosdick was bowling to the porter
| to get some rice, quick!
How many portions does you ap-
proximate?'
"All you've got"
Boiled or fried?"
"Any old way" The porter ran
forward to the dining-car for the am
| munition.
Mrs. Temple whispered to her hus-
| 81
Walter" But he cautioned silence:
Hush! I'm on my vacation"
The train was already coming into
| Ogden. Noises were multiplying and
from the increase Of passing objects,
the speed seemed to be taking on a
| squirt. The bell was clamoring like
wedding chime in a steeple.
| Mrs. Wellington was on chair fast
ening ribbon round one of the
lamps, and Mrs. Whitcomb was on an
other chair braiding the bell rope with
withered orange branches, when Ash
ton, with kazoo all ready, called out:
What tune shall We play?"
Il prefer the Mendelssohn Wedding
March," said Mrs. Whitcomb, but Mrs.
Wellington glared across at her.
| I've always used the Lohengrin."
We'll play 'em BOTH" said DR.. Tenn
pie, to make peace.
Mrs. Fosdick murmured to her
spouse: The old Justice of the Peace
didn't give us any music at ALL" and
| received in reward one of his most
luscious-eyed looks, and a whisper:
But he gave us each other"
Now and then" she pouted.
But where are the bride and
groom?"
Here they come-all ready" cried
Ashton, and he beat time while some
of the guests kaZooed at Mendels-
sohn's and some Wagner's bridal mel
odies, and others just made noise.
Ira Lathrop and Anne Cattle, look
ing very sheepish, crowded through
the narrow corridor and stood shame
facedly blushing like two school chill
dren about to sing duet.
The train jolted to dead stop. The
conductor called into the car: "Og-
den! All out for Ogden!" and every
-body stood watching and waiting.
Ira, seeing Mallory, edged close and
whispered: Stand by to catch the
minister on the rebound"
II But Mallory turned away. What
use had he now for ministers? His
plans were shattered ruins.
The porter came flying in with two
large bowls of rice, and shouting,
Here comes the possum-er-pos-
son." Seeing Marjorie, he said:
Shall 1 perambulate Mista Snoozle-
ums?"
She handed the porter her only
friend and he hurried out, as a lean
and professionally sad ascetic hur-
ried in. He did not recognize his
boyish enemy in the gray-haired, red
faced giant that greeted him, but he
knew that voice and its gloating
irony:
Hello, Charlie"
He had always found that when Ira
grinned and was cordial, some trouble
was in store for him. He wondered
what rock Ira held behind his back
now, but he forced an uneasy cor.
diality: And is this you, Ira? Well,
we'll! 1t is yeahs. since last We met
And you're just getting married. Is
this the first time, Ira?"
First offense, Charlie"
The levity shocked Selby, but a
greater shock was in store, for when
he inquired: And who is the-er-
happy-bride?" the triumphant Lath
rop snickered: 81 believe you used to
know her. Anne Cattle"
This was the rock behind Ira's back
and Selby took it with vince: mot
my Old
THE same. Anne, you remember
Charlie
''Oh, yes" said Anne, How do you
do, Charlie?" And She put out a shy
hand, which he took with one still
shyer. He was so unsettled that he
stammered: We'll, we'll, l had always
hoped to marry you, Anne, but not
just this way"
Lathrop cut him short with a sharp:
Better get busy-before the train
starts. And I'll pay you in advance
before you set of the fireworks"
The fippancy panied Rev. Charles
but he was resuscitated by one
glance at the bill that Ira thrust into
his palm. If a mans gratitude fol
his wife is measured by the size Of
the fee he hands the enabling par
son, Ira was madly in love with Anne
Rev. Charles had a reminiscent sus
picion that it was probably a counter
felt, but for once he did Ira an in
justice.
! The minister was in such a fiuttel
from losing his boyhood love, and
gaining so much money all at once
and from performing the marriage OF
a train, that he made. numerous er
rors in the ceremony, but nobody no
| tced them, and the shirt If not IN,