Americus times-recorder. [volume] (Americus, Ga.) 1891-current, 1924-06-23
CHAPTER XVII
The Weddih0

The Wedding
All the summer flowers were
faded, but Tvan's ingenuity devised
bridal bouquet of scarlet autumn
leaves in which strands of green
moss were intertwined that was in
harmony with their surroundings.
glory of golden leaves, he decorated
With branches of alder, rich with a
the camp, covering up the insight
ly piles of supplies, framing the
door of the dugout and festooning
the great rock before which he and
his bride would stand, facing the
cross. Neither Pete nor Dorothy as
sisted greatly in these preparations,
Peter because of his weakness from
yesterdays eccident Lorothy simply
because she could not rouse the i'm.
pulse to make this marriage a hoh-
day occasion.
Ivan shaved, bathedand dressed
with care, and the two packers set
out to serve such a wedding feast
as had not been tasted since the
American occupation. White breasts
of ptarmigan, tender chops of carl
bou veal, baked CLAIMS and baked
salmon would comprise the body Of
the meal; then there would be re-
flector biscuits. served with canf.ed
honey and raisfn cake. Fortune Joe
contributed as a surprise, salad
made ofthe white crablike flesh Of
the devil-fish, and Pavlof prepared
Ia Russian dish of doubtful content
In these hours Dorothy lay in trou-
bled sleep in her tent; and Pete in
his dougout, sat gazing darby out
to sea.
Dorothy had been true to her
promise to herself, and she had shut
all misgivings out of her mind. She
had. deeidedupon her eourse, and
she knew that only doubt ana de-
spair would follow any attempt to
consider the matter further. Mean
while Pete had searched Heavens
and earth for strength to stand up
under the bitterness of this hour.
1t was bitter day, as if in tragic.
prophecy. The winds blast was.
like a breath of death; it thrilled
over the hills and fretted the sea il
eddying the streaks and dark, I'M
easy pillows, and it blew the fine.
singing sand in invisible clouds.
The fogs lifed and lowered, ghostly
and wan; and any instant might
bring the pelting sleet. They in
tended to hold the wedding feast in
the open before the fireside, but this
was given over as the lowering dusk
increased the intensity of the cold
Pavlof served his fine meal with a
flourish in Dorothy's tent; he and
Fortune Joe ate in the dugout as
ever. Pete himself complained that
ne was still i'll from his accident,
and the loaded pans passed him by..
To Dorothy it was impossible to
believe that the appointed hour was
almost at hand. The bleak day was
dying; she had promised to 90 to
Ivan in the dusk. Already the OUT
line of the hills hal softened. the
alder thickets were becoming a gray
blur in the lowering GLOON the my
Rad tones and hues of the sea were
darkened and subdued. Only the
white cross that marked the grave
was still plain and bright The twi-
light grew upon her like sorrow
Ivan smiled at her. SIS it time f."
he asked. >,
Amy time now" she told MIN
simply.
He walked over to the dugout and
summoned Pete and the two ma
tives. 1t was all very expeditions
and simple. He placed Pavlof, his
Russian pocket Bible that he could
not read in his hand, directly in
front of the white cross of the grave
justabQye where the highest waves
rolled on the shore. The other two
men, acting as>witnesses, stood at
one side. Then Ivan joined Dorothy
at the door of the tent.
'I'm going to play our own we'd
ding music" he told her softly.
you'll enjoy the memory of it.
What would you like?"
Something not too profound, 'Oh
Promise Me- if you like"
This did not represent the kind
of music that Ivan personally pre-.
ferred, and he secretly scorned this
particular selection because of the
many times he had heard it badly
rendered; yet because Dorothy had
sBasksd,fog it, he would give it all he
had. He took his violin from It's
case; then, standing in the twilight