The Manchester journal. [volume] (Manchester, Vt.) 1861-current, 1917-06-28
A Soldiers
Wedding
He Was Called to the Colors
and to Matrimony With
Equal Suddenness.
BY z. A. MICHEL

Being ordered 10 Join the colors for
the great worlds war donnei my uni
form and took a train for the rendez,
vous. ON alighthg at the terminal sta
/ ton was passing between two lines
uf persons who had come 10 meet ex.
/ pected wayfarers, when suddenly saw
pretty girl among them looking ra'
diant with happiness, which 1t was
/ plain, arose from seeing me, Since she
4 was stranger 10 me, thinking II was
/ a ease Of mistaken identity ! advanced
| toward her To bring about an explana'
4 ton. As soon as reached her she put
4 up her mouth 10 be kissed.
| Soldiers are not noted for throwing
kisses over their shoulders. ! kissed
the ruby lips, and they acted like wine
| TO steal away my discretion. l permit
ted the young lady to continue In her
mistake.
II have the car outside" she said.
| And as we walked along she comment
| ed on the change In my appearance
! since she had seen me last, noting es-
peclally that my mustacbe made great
difference In my appearance and was
an Improvement. When we reached the
car hesitatcd Dare l meet the young
ladies' relatives, who might easily de-
tect the difference between me and the
man for whom | had been mistaken?
The girl got In and took the wheel.
"Well?" she said, looking at me in
surprise that | did not follow her.
Il suppose should report at the rem
devious at once" | said
Il thought you had arranged to be
excused till after the
She hesitated and failed to go on.
ooh, yes / forgot !" ! said.
| took the seat beside her, and we
started on. Where we were going /
did not know. On the way it came out
that the young lady had not seen me-
or the man | was mistaken for-for
three years, but that love affair be-
tween them had lain dormant during
life by the war The most important
point did not come out If it had !
should have made an immediate and in
glorious retreat.
During the ride had excellent prac-
tice in defensive skirmishing. | was
constantly on the ragged edge of ex-
posture, for il would have been an ex-
posture Of my taking advantage of the
young lady.s mistake. If when the
day of fighting came | should act on
the defensive with as much keen per-
ception OF dangers and as much in
genuity in meeting them | would come
out OF the fray with medal of honor.
| had an advantage In the years she
and her lover had been separated, and
! made the most of it. My memory
proved very defective.
| formed plan. Sooner or later
the fact that there had been a mistake
must come out Then | would pre-
tend that had made it as well as the
girl That would let me out
" piV't HtHtl illp Tue
suburbs and entered grounds In the
center of which stood a handsome
house, from the roof Of which foated |
the Stars and Stripes. Surprising
should soon meet persons who would |
detect the difference between me and |
the man | had been mistaken for, I !
prepared to act my part. When we
brought up under porte-cochere a
number of persons, young and old,
came out to meet us. Not one OF them
looked at me with any surprise,
though middle aged lady-she turned
out to be the girls mother-when she
kissed me remarked that had she met
me casually she would not have known
me
Evidently the time had not come for
a denouement | regretted this, for |
felt that ! was getting deeper in the
mire every minute. We all went into
the house, and was shown to a room
where | might get the dust off my
clothes. was long about 1t. for | was
trying to think up new plan for ex-
myself, the one ! had laid
having failed could think of no
other and resolved to be guided by
circumstances. To suddenly come out
md acknowledge that had permitted
he young lady to continue In a mis-
axe which | knew from the first was
! mistake would put me in a position
did not like
After spending half an hour In my
Dom ! went downstairs Every eye
n the room was directed toward me.
The girls mother led me to a man In
lerical garb and introduced me. Why
vas be there. and why was especially
resented TO hImf Ny valor began to J
esert me. was on the verge OF panic. |
The girl entered the room. and, q
'onderful 10 say, she was In bridal cos :
ume! Everybody looked at me, aud &
must have presented a startling ap- b
earance. for they all regarded me in $
sntly
Then for the first time II occurred 10 q
le that this was one OF those quick n
,ldier weddings. the man being sud. d
emily called 10 the colors The groom II
adj not put In an appearance and | a