The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1923-12-21
and Just go off? Leave all this be-

hind meY'
Peter laughed and kissed her again.
"Possible?" he said. Its happening
You will be my wife in half an hour"
They came out of the little square
| with an even more cOnspiratal air than
| that with which they had gone in. 1t
was almost noon and the streets were
deserted. Peter would not allow Ann
out of his sight even long enough to
go home for her gloves, but hurried
her off to the horse cars, where she
sat silent while he talked to her stead
| lily Of the new life she was about to
undertake. He gave her no time for
thought, no empty moments in which
she might change her mind. The min
lister was waiting for them. He seemed
extraordinarily unclerical to Ann, used
to Episcopal robes and ritual, but his
church was cOnvincingly righteous,
and she was forced to believe that the
brief ceremony which they went
through was entirely legal. The min
lister shook hands with them both, and
1t was over.
Out on the street Ann wondered If
horror were the feeling that overpow-
cred her, but when she stole glance
at Peters determined face she knew
that it was not. Secure in his strength
she could no longer fear the future,
no matter how long 1t might be. 1t
was he who told her just what she
should do. She was to go home to
Washington square, put into ner new
trunks all her old clothes, and such
parts of her trousseau as might be
useful in the extremely plain life
which confronted her. She was then
to leave tag on the trunk with di-
rections to forward it to a hotel in
| Chicago.
| 1.-The Adams house is pretty grand
! for u.s." Peter said, laughing, "but
l guess we can stand few days of it
until we find a place of our own to
live in. After all, man doesn't take
a honeymoon every day."
He waited outside in the square
while Ann went home to do her pack
ing. She wondered, as she climbed the
familiar high steps, if this were the
last time her feet would ever pass
that friendly threshold, and as the
shadow of the house fell over her she
thought, too late, of her guardians
possible reaction to her mad behavior.
She slipped in and up the stairs with
out meeting any one. Her room was
already in pandemonium of packing
three trunks stood about with their
great mouths gaping for the fine new
clothes of her trousseau. She chose
the larger one, and hastily put into it
the plainest dresses She had, part
Of her linen, and her underclOthes,
but she left all the finer things behind
her. AveZzana's jewelry she tied up
in a little box; she struggled for some
moments to write him a note to accom-
pany it, but found that she was quite
unable to do so. Instead she scrawled
across "a piece Of paper, 81 am sorry.
Ann" and folded 1t away with the
diamonds. Peters wide gold wedding
ring looked very plain and sensible on
her hand, in place of AveZzana's
gorgeous token. There remained only
the necessity of writing to Mrs. Will
liam, and this she accomplished with
ease. II am married to Peter Smith,"
she said briefly, land am going to
Chicago with him today. know there
is no use trying to make you under
stand how / came to do 1t, but please
believe 1 am sorry to pain all of you,
and Count Avezzana. Tell him for me
that am ashamed Of myself, but that
1 cannot help it, She addressed the
note to Mrs. Cortlandt and then for
the first time wrote her new name
upon a piece of paper, Mrs. Peter
Smith, Adams house. Chicago. Please
forward"
She stuck the label on the top of
the trunk, cast one sorrOwful look
about the room which had given her
sweet shelter for so long, and stole
off down the stairs and along the
square to where Peter was waiting for
her.