Northern Wisconsin advertiser. [volume] (Wabeno, Wis.) 1898-1925, 1918-12-06
The Wedding
Knives
o2
BY 8. B. HACKLEY

lOlieI Oh the seventeenth century @DTlue
the wedding knives of Mistress Anne
Hogarth
Margery Byers took them reverently
from their faded green brocade sheaths
and running her fingers over the elab-
orately chased blades. and the quaint
pearl set handles, handed them to
Stephen Palmer The young physician
turned them over curiously.
$50 these pretty trinkets were nee
essary to the bridal toilet away back
in the days of your grandmother ances-
tress, Margie?" he remarked. Il don't
remember of ever reading of them"
Margery's brown eyes sparkled with
interest and admiration.
"Why don't you remember, Steve"
she cried Juliet wore them at her
girdle when she was in the Friar's cell,
and she had them on when she was
about to take the sleeping potion"
"What did they symboliZe?" asked
Palmer
''They had something to do with sew
ering the knot of love, | believe" an
swered Margery vaguely, anyway,
whatever they meant, they were beau
tiful things to wear"
&And you, Margie, I suppose you'll
wear these when you're married"
Palmer hesitated little over his work.
When a girl has a well-defined, rela-
tive implanted idea of engaging herself
when she gets to the seaShOre summer
resort to rich man she doesn't care
for, but who is going to ask her to
marry him-tO see unexpected love In
the eyes Of the man she'd like to mar
ry, even though d1sapproved of by the
relatives, is dscOncerting. Margery
turned away and replaced the trinkets
in their places before she answered a
bit TREMENDOUSLY:
"My-my wedding day is long time
off. most likely Stephen. I'm not quite
twenty, you know"
'I-listen, Margie," Stephen tried to
keep his voice steady, II want to tell
you something
"Hurry, Margie" an impatient voice
called from the next room. "Are you
forgetting we have an engagement this
evening?'
'I'm coming, mother" the girl an
swered Come down to the station to-
morrow, Steve" she said in hasty good
by, "early. Pll go down half hour be-
fore mother does, and we've can talk
before the train leaves"
But man in a factory got himself
cut up badly the next day an hour be-
fore NIargery's train was to leave and
Palmer was called to hold life in him.
There was not even time for telephOn-
ing Margery. and the letter of explana-
ton he sent her was returned to him
unopened.
When three weeks later Margery'S
| engagement to Elmer TrOxel was an
nounced Stephen worked so many eX-
ira hours at the hospital that the head
| surgeon protested.
| In September the Byers family re-
| turned. and Palmer could not escape
| the accounts of the wedding that was
| to be one of the city'S social events. A
| few days before the wedding. unable
| to deny himself the uncertain unhappi-
ness of trying to catch a glimpse of
|. the bride-tO-be, he found himself pass
| ing the Byers house. AS he went by
| driving at a snaifs pace. he heard
| frightened screams from within. He
leaped from his car AS he ran up the
walk q terrified maid thrust open the
door.
"Oh. Doctor Palmer" she cried, rec
ognizing him, "come in, quick! !"
Another one of the maids had fallen,
carrying a tray Of glasses, and had cut
her wrist She was shrieking in fear
and cIinging to Margery who with
pencil and a handkerchief was twisting
tourniquet about the wounded arm,
while the blood Spattered her lovely
| white dress.
"COme away, Margery," frOwned a
heavy browed man in a white serge
costume, standing at a safe distance
from the maid, as Palmer came for
ward. sand let the man attend to her.
| It's his busineSs-besideS you're get
! ting your frock spoiled, and we were
ready for our drive"
Margery shook off his hand. "Go
| away, Elmer Palmer detected a
/ note of dislike in her tOne-"yOu are
! In Doctor Palmer's way Never mind
| the drive. l shall stay with Sophie"
| AS Troxell sulkily left the room his
foot touched something lying on the
rug something that tinlled. as with a
murmur of disgust he showed it aside.
The next morning when Palmer re-
turned TO the house to attend the in
jured maid he found her crying.
I'm not scared for myself, it's Miss
Margie I'm worried about" she told
him. "He-that man amt fit for her
nor anybody else. Miss Margie told
him yesterday she was going to wear
her great grandmother's wedding
knives (maybe she's showed them TO
you) at her wedding and he got aw-
fully mad-asked her how she would
look, standing up there in her. bridal
robes, before all his friends with those
absurd things dangling at her belt.
like a housekeeper's keys And he
threw them on the floor. and when ]
came in with the tray / stumbled over
Them and fell and cuf my arm"