Grand Forks herald. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1916-1955, 1919-07-07

EVENING EDITION:
- .non. and when the prayer -
w sndsd uP he found that he w4s "'
bling. -..a,.+,ve,v at the inno-
re .oU.h beside him, as the SOL
c,ntie Of the audience n sn1 nartv
rus.ig ~ ~ relief from the brldal parsy
oreasa n.d the next stage IN ny Nn,s
R eu what had this nnocent-.S
my, ,s,Iutn done to cause tears N w.
,ns eyes Was she marrying -,
l nnoiDs+ her will? He was MY = uvs.
anv way. What right q ne craa.
nnse he could care.for a delica. hsr
lure like that He was ma ~ 4. ~.
CIV already. and he seemed ~ conId
terly unconscious OF II. fs,t a desire
! be the matter Gorooh Ae' 49,
to kick him. - hin, that in
arartentiv he might have been Ine
aanse If her tears; he, supposedly tne
S saut wan who had beer late, n nelu
"n the Wedding not knowing now
up 'no of course it wasn't really his
t fo,1t. Int by proxy it was, for ne now
1au.', s%oneradtnr as that unlucky
hs a man and she was(very likely re-
nroa crime him for what she supposed
WAS his stupidity. He had a nat
women cried sometimes from vexa-
ton. disappointment or excitement
Yet in his heart OF heaIts ne
could not set those tears, nat Ooh
down to so trivial a cause. ihey ~
reached his very soul, and ne Ielt
there was something deeper tneIe
than mere vexation. Inere nau ueSn
for q .HaAn Wy0nK
done The Glance had told him that.
Ali the manhood in him rose 70 de-
fend her against whoever had
her. He longed to get n moreElook
into her eyes to make quite sure: n
then. if there was still appeal tnere'
his soul must answer 1t.
For the moment his commission.
his ridiculous situation. the real peru
to his life and trust, were forgotten.
The man Jefferson had produced q
ring and was nudging him. 1t ap-
Epeared that the best mar had some
part to play with that ring. He dim
ly remembered somewhere hearing
| that the best man must hand the rink
to the bridegroom at the proper mo-
ment, but it was absurd for them TO
go through the farce of doing that
| when THE bridegroom already held the
golden circlet in his fingers! Why did
: he not step up like a man and put 1t
| upon the outstretched hand; that lit
tie white hand Just in front of him
there, so timidly held out with its
| glove fingers tucked back, like a dove
! crept out from it's covert unwilling
ly? 400.
But that J~efferson-man still held
out the ring stupidity to him, and evt-
IDENTIFY expected him to take it. Silly
youth! There was nothing for it but
to take it and hand it back, of course.
! He must do as he was told and hasten
that awful ceremony to its tntermin-
able close. He took the ring and held
it out, but the young man did not take
it again. Instead he whispered Put
it on her fnger!!'
Gordon frowned. Could he be
hearing Alright? Why didn't the fel.
low put the ring on his own bride II
he were being married, he would
knock any man down that dared to
put his wife's wedding ring on for
now, to have the best man put the
brides ring on? How unutterably out
of place! But he must not make a
scene. of course.
The little timid hand, so slender
and white, came a shade nearer as If
to help, and the ring finger separated
itself from the others.
He looked at the smooth circlet. 1t
seemed too tiny for any woman's
finger. Then. re%verently, he slipped it
on, with a strange, ~inexpressible long
ing to touch the little hand. While he
was thinking himself all kinds of a
fool, and was enjoying one Of his in
ternittent visions of Julia Bentley's
expressive c~ountenance interpolated
on the present scene, a strange thing
happened.
There had been some low murmurs
and motions which he had not noticed
because he thought his part Of this
very uncomfortable affair was about
concluded, when, 10 and behold, the
minister and the young mar ~ his
size both began fumbling for his
hand. and among them they managed
to bring it into position and place in
its astonished grasp the little timid
hand that he had just crowned with
it's ring.
AS his fingers closed over the brides
hand. there was such reverence, such
tenderness in his touch that the girls
eyes were raised once more to his
face. this time with the. conquered
tears in retreat, but all the pain and
appeal still there. He looked and in
voluntarily he pressed her hand the
closer, as If to promise aforetime
whatever she would ask. Then, with
her hand in his, and with the realiza-
ton that they two were detached as
II were from the rest of the wedding
party, standing in a little centre Of
their own, his senses came back to
him, and he perceived as in a fash
OF understanding that it was they who
were being married!
There had been some terrible. IN
explainable mistake, and he was
stupidity standing in another mans
place, taking life vows upon himself
me thing had passed from an adven-
ture Of little moment into a matter
OF a life-trasedy, two life-tragedies
perhaps. What should he do?
win the question came the words,
i you husband and wife"
and "let no man put asunder."
Continued in tomorrow,a
Evening Herald