Year: 1868

there, and have your good wishes
spoken and your blessings given
me-" The young man listened with
an air that almost frightened me-
The blushing girl, speaking TO me but
for him, did not see the great start
the relapse into gloom--the sinking
into hopeless sorrow that were en-
blamed in the face and form of the
young German, and / could scarcely
believe my eyes when, as she con-
cluded, he stepped gracefully toward
her and said softly, musically, sadly,
taking her hand in his: 'tYou have,
Miss Fannie, greater share of my
good wishes than any woman liv
ing. Your kindness to my father,
your bright letters to me, your kind
words since l have been with you,
have made yow so dear that had
thought any joy for you would be
joy for me. This joy of yours l
believe it my duty to say now is
not JOY to me, but still I can say
"God bless yeu," and do-and will.
YOur letters brought me to Ameri-
ca, your bright words almost caused
me to do a great wrong-Don't you
believe, my dear girl, that when this
hand wrote me such bright pictures
that it moved to weave a great chain
absut NEEDN'T you feel that l was
excusable for worshiping you when
I learned that my father spoke
through you. Can't you see now
that this May. day joy of yours, this
May-day seftness breathed all about
me is only sorrow to me. 1 know
now that you are to be another mans
wife; knowing that you love Frank,
l would not think of you as wife
but / wish that l was Frank. You
are true woman and you can appre-
ciate why tell you this. Tell Frank
as soon as you see him--but tell no
others. 1t is all dark to me now
all dark now" The young man fall
tering and sobbing raised the yield
ing hand of the surprised and be-
wildered girl, touched it reverently
to his lips and walked away. Ten
minutes after, his flute was talking
melodious sorrow to all who cared
to listen.


/ called Frank and the story was
told him. He shuddered and said
that he could appreciate the course
of such man-that he could imag-
inc his great sorrow, and that he
would 60 to him at once. That night
they walked for hours in the bright
moonlight of the night, arm in arm
the man happy and hopeful and
the man disappointed and dreary-
hearted, each telling his experience.
When they came in, they both were
handsomer men-both had more soul
in their faces and more kindness in
their eyes.


Itwas mete that such woman and
such a man should be married on
sneh~ q May day: that two such
bright natures should commence their
onward flowing as one when sunshine
and flower and tree promised so
much of joy, and as the prettiest of
home pictures will the wedding scene
ever come to me.


The trembling cheerful old grand
parents; the curious old great aunts
and great uncles; the parents, and
their brothers and sisters and chill
dren; the old Judge in white vest
and spike tailed coat; old Franz in
new suit; his boy dressed in coat
of foreign cut; Franks college friend
clad in the latest style; Miss Fan
nie's young lady friends in the fresh
ness of country costume; our old city
friend genial and ,courtly, and his
daughter pretty and gentle; and last,
as the central figures Miss Fannie
futtering and fair and ETHEREAL, al
most, in bridal veil and dress, and
Frank proud and pale and stylish,
and the old family minister with his
fatherly ways, formed this glorious
May-day grouping. ..-


Just as everything was ready for
the ceremony, the grandfather with
nervous eagerness came hurrledly
into the room with a blossom fresh
plucked from one OF the gnarled old
! fruit trees in the yard, Many, many
years before he had planted those
trees; years later Fannie's mother
beneath their shade had heard a
story of love, and now the old man
insisted that darling Fannie, his pet
and his pride, should be married be-
meath their branches. The idea
pleased every one and an informal
transfer was made at once. 10 There
on. the bright lawn strewn with bios
SONS fresh fallen from the old trees;
with fragrant blossoms huttering to-
ward them from the protecting
4 branches; the words were SAID that
made these two young people one.


The picture is in soft tints. There


was no stiffness and no formality.-
/ The two SO loved that there was nc


embarrassment. Everybody was


proud and happy. No, not everyone


Some faces in the group spoke whole
volumes of mingled happiness and


sorrow.s The mother with hear,


over flowing could scarcely tel


whether her tears were of joy ol
i sorrow. Proud was she of the beau
tiful girl, proud Of the bright young
man who came to her as son, but an
other love stood between the daugh
ter and mother-the girl loved some
one else better than her mother, was


dearer to some one else, was nearer
This almost frightened her, while ye'
her daughters happiness caused hel
} to be happier than e'er before in hel
life. zssd-sol


| And Franks mother, taking to her,
self the new bride as daughter, Iei' D,
! a tearing away Of something in hel ra
heart~she was giving as well as re
co;yino Her boy was. farther away