The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1916-12-07
THEIR REAL
WEDDING
By F. A. Mitchell

Peter was as necessary to the works
as the engine that supplied the motive
power, and he worked as steadily as
the fywheel which turned just SO
many revolutions every day In the
week. Burnes often told the superin
tendent that he could get on with
out any one under him except Rucker.
Peter was thirty-fve years old and
unmarried. Burnes took him home to
supper with him one evening, and there
he saw for the first time Burnes'
daughter, Madge, sixteen years old.
Rucker was looked upon by the girl
as a friend of, her father and Of an
other generation. But while Rucker
was talking shop with Burnes he had
an eye for Madge, and he wished he
could knock ten or fifteen years of his
age so that she would look upon him
in different light When he left the
Burnes home Mrs. Burnes said to her
husband:
did you see the looks he gave
Madgew
4NO- w udL u yC ACud
II mean that he's a chance for the
lass to get good husband"
flush, mother! She's only a child.
and when she comes year or two old
er she'll be thinkin' O. some laddie
with sproutin' beard"
"She's thinkin' o one o. that kind
now. There's younker that comes to
deliver goods from the store that's
caught her eye"
The result Of this interview was that
Rucker was asked again to supper, and
when the meal was over Burnes had
a headache and must go to bed and
his wife must nurse him. That left
Madge to entertain Rucker, which she
did with a poor grace, for she was
thinking Of the grocer boy. Bob Decker,
with whom she had an engagement
for the same evening.
Rucker OWNED this to be encourage
ment on the part of Madge's parents,
and since Madge kept her feelings to
herself his heart leaped for Joy. With
much stumbling he asked Burnes If
he would object to his trying to win
his little girl for a wife, and Burnes
assented. But 1t was Mrs. Burnes who
won Madge for the wooer, though be
thought he had done 1t himself. The
mother held a picture Of comfort with
Rucker and one of poverty with
Decker should she marry him, for his
salary was but SIS week, with no
prospects.
So on the day Madge was seventeen
she gave her hand to the sturdy me-
chanic, while her heart remained with
the grocer's delivery boy.
Rucker did not expect much demon
stration Of affection from his wife. He
calculated on her growing dependent
upon him and thus drifting into that
affection which follows later In life
between married couples. But he no.
ticed that she had none Of the elas-
dcity, the spirits that should be in one
on the threshold Of life. This seemed
to &c from bad to worse, and one day
he said to her:
"Ten me, little one, what troubles
you. No matter what 1t is, will
make 1t right If 1t Is possible"
Her only reply was tears. Rucker
spoke so kindly to her. urging her to
cast her burden upon him, she trusted
him so implicitly. that at last she told
him that she loved Bob Decker, but
could not have married him because
he was poor. She had therefore yield.
ed to her mothers persuasion that she
should marry Rucker.
Had the ironworker been struck by
one Of the sledges used In the works
he could not have been more complete
ly knocked out. But the soul Of a
strong man will stand up when his
body will go down. Not twinge did
he permit his young wife to see. It
was some time before he spoke again;
then he said:
Il didn't know l was standing In the
way of your happiness, little one, or
| would not have done so. But | am
I In honor bound to undo what I have
done. will see that you secure a
legal parting with me, and not only
that, but to make amends for the
wrong | have done you | will make
1t safe for you to marry the man you
love. | have bit saved and will give
1t to you that you may not want"
There was a strange look In the
young wife's eyes when she lifted
them to her husband. But she said
nothing. There was going on within
her something that she did not recog
nize. The young man to whom she
was to be given came up before her
He was a very ordinary youth. whom
she had set up in her mind to worship
But somehow she could not conceive OF
bis doing anything like this. The mar
whom thus far she had looked upon
as standing between this young lover
and herself now suddenly doomed uI
as something grand, something noble
In twinkling it was revealed to bel
that to exchange him for the Other
would break her heart
Words could never undo the words
she had spoken. Fortunate Is woman
that she has something stronoar tbor