Atlanta Georgian. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1912-1939, 1914-02-18

Into the Storm.
The storm had increased during
the service and the sacristan, who
much as hes could do to hold 1t
against the wind, which came with
such rush upon us when we stepped
into the porch that my veil and the
| coronal of myrtle and orange bios
| SONS were torn off my head and
| blown back into the church.
God bless my sowl," said some
body-it was Tommy's friend, Johnny
| Observation-Disclosures some that
would be calling that bad luck
! though"
A band of village musicians, who
were ranged up in the road, struck
up The Black and Gray" as we
stepped out of the churchyard, and
the next thing l knew was that my
husband and l were in the carriage
going home
He had so far recovered from the
frightening effects of the marriage
service that he was making light Of
it, and saying:
when will this mummery come to
an end, l wonder?"
The windows of the carriage were
rafting with the wind, and my hus-
band had begun to. talk of the storm
when we came upon the trunk of
young tree which had been torn up by
| the roots and was lying across the
road, so that our coachman had to get
down and remove 1t.
"Beastly bad crossing, I'm afraid.
Hope you're a good sailor Must be
in London tomorrow morning, you
know"
The band was playing behind US.
The leafiess trees were beating their
bare boughs in front. The wedding
bells were pealing. The storm was
laundering through the running sky.
The sea was very loud.
At my fathers gate Tommy the
Mate, with serious face, was stand
| ing. cap in hand, under his triumpAal
arch, which las well as it could for
the wind that was tearing its flowers
and scattering them on the ground
spelled out the words God Bless the
Happy Bride"
When we reached the open door OF
the house. group of maids were
waiting for us. They were holding on
to their white caps and trying to con-
| troll their aprons, which were swirling
about their black frocks. AS stepped
out of the carriage they addressed me
as my Lady" and Your Ladyship.
| The seagulls, driven UP from the sea,
were screaming about the house.
Face Deadly White.
| My husband and ] went into the
drawing room, and as we stood TO-
| gether on the hearthrug I caught a
| glimpse of my face in the glass over
the mantelpiece, 1t was deadly white,
and had big, staring eyes and a look
of faded sunshine. / fixed afresh the
pearls about my neck and the dia
mond in my hair. which was much
| disordered.
Almost Immediately the other car
riages returned, and relatives and
guests began to pour into the room
and offer us their congratulations.
First came my cousins, who were to-
much troubled about their own be-
draggled appearance to pay much at
| tention to mine. Then Aunt Bridget,
| holding on to her half-moon bonnet,
and crying:
| you happy. happy child! But what
| a wind! There's been nothing like u
since the day you were born"
MY father came next, like gale or
wind himself, saying:
I'm proud of you. gel. Right proud
am. You done Well
Then came Lady Margaret, who
| kissed me without saying many
words, and finally large and varied
company of gayly dressed friends and
neighbors, chiefly the "aristocracy" OF
our island, who lavished many I'M
necessary 1adyships" upon me, as II
the great name reflected certain
glory upon themselves.
| | remember that as | stood on the
hearthrug with my husband, receiving
their rather crude compliments, q
vague gayety came over me, and
| smiled and laughed. although my
heart was growing sick, for the e.
feet of the wedding service was
ebbing away into a cold darkness like
that of a night tide when the moon
light has left it.
4 II did not comfort me that my hus-
band. without failing in good man.
liners. was taking the whole scene ana
companv with a certain scarcely
yelled contempt which 1 could not
help but see.
/ And neither did 1t allay my uneasi-
ness to glance at my father where ne
I stood at the end of the room, Watcn-
ing with a look of triumph in his
| pIistening black eyes. his proud guests
seeming to say to himself, They re
here at last. I've bet them! Yes, by
cough, I've bet them!
MANY a. time since.I have wondered
| if his conscience did not stir within
him as he looked across at his daugh-
fer in the Jewels of the noble house
! he had married her into-the pale
bride with the bridegroom he had
bought for her-and thought of the
| mockerv Of a sacred union which he
| had brought about TO srdtlIy MS
| pride, his vanity. perhaps his revenge.
But it was all over now. was
married to Lord Raa. In the eyes
equally of the law. the world and the
church. the knot between us was ire
vocably tied.
Memorandum by Martin Conrad.
] am no mystic and no spiritualist,
and I only mention it as one of the
mysteries OF sympathy between far
distant friends, that during part of
the time when my dear one was going
| through the fierce struggle she de-
scribes, and was dreaming of frozen
regions and of broken pen, the ship
sailed on had got itself stuck fast
in a field of pack ice in latitude rs
under the ice barrier by Charcot Bay,
and that while we were lying like
helpless logs, cut off from communi-
cation with the world. unable to do
| anything but groan and swear and
| kick our heels in our hunks at every
fresh grinding of our crunching sides,
my own mind, sleeping and waking.