Year: 1875

charms, and oblivious of danger, though
little Hubby was sometimes seen at the sta
| tion, taking leave of the young man.
"Huldy's either too good for earth, or
/ vainer'n peacock" Miss Mallet assured
the public ''for she lets Lilly Hubby harness
Old Daisy and gallivant off to meet Mr..
What's s-his-n name at the train when he is
expected down; and if it amt little Huldy's
picter he keeps in his watch. I'll never be-
leve my eyes agin. l think you'd oughter
call over and console the afflicted, Cyrus"
said she, after Cyrus had been called to the
parish of Rowley. ''6hes one of your
flock, and likely to remain so. P'rhaps
you might show her how it was all for the
best, eh?''


But Cyrus did not undertake that pastoral
duty, he wrestled daily with himself in
stead, because his heart rejoiced in spite Of
him at the possible inconsistency of Huldy's
young man. Surely it was not meet that a
minister of the gospel should entertain any
such weaknesses, but ministers as well as
people are unsublimated flesh and blood as
yet. "Not that Cyrus in the least believed
the current gossip. In the first place, the
man who had once loved Huldah could
never think of another, and secondly it was
too good to be true.


"Wa'al, the cakes in the oven, sure as
you live, Jane Allen" said Miss Mallet,
coming in one morning later, in futter Of
excitement. ''My word for it, I'd give it
clean up. Thinks /, that cakes dough to
| the end of timep'


"What cake are you talking about,
asked Jane, but Cyrus, who was meditating
a sermon in the adjoining room, knew by
instinct, and his heart began to throb in
great plunges, as if it moved out of its
place at every pulse.


why, Huldys wedding cake to be sure.'
| 'tAll's we'll that ends well. wish her
joy"


''You may wish me joy when that batch
is well out of the oven, neither too hard
baked, nor with a quagmire in the middle
of it, I ought to be beating eggs for the
bride cake this minute, but knew you
would want the news first hand. I s'pose
Cyrus'l git proper handsome fee." Cy-
rus groaned and threw down his pen. 1t
had not occurred to him before that he
would be called upon to marry Huldah to
his rival.


'You never saw such heap of finery as
is lying around over to Huldy's-silk gowns
and things, jest down from Bosting, all
| n =, = hot
job-and the wedding veil sprawling over
lounge. Huldy shet the door when she
came out to speak to me, but I'd seen my
fill through the cracks afore; and little Hull
dy's to be BRIDES maid, 1 reckon, for she
was trying on some white fixing in the
parlor chamber"


1t was going to be a very quiet wedding
nobody invited but few friends from Bos-
ton and Rev. Cyrus Allen and his sister.
| Cyrus would have given all he was worth,
if it would have enabled him to stay away;
but how could he refuse to marry parish
ioner and an old friend, unless he were to
fall ill or break limb in the meantime?
But the fated day drew on, and found him
sound in body, if distracted in mind, as he
helped Jane in the carriage and shut her
finery in the door, thinking how much it
seemed as if they were going to funeral
instead. A handful of friends were assem-
bled in Huldy's parlor, and swinging bell
Of flowers marked the spot where the bridal
party were to pose; and presently there was
portentious rustling and murmuring in
the hall, and Cyrus caught sight of a cloud
of tulle and a confused panorama of faces,
from amid which Huldah's shone out like
fixed star, before he dropped his eyes upon
his prayer-book and began the service, with
a countenance as white as his gown.


~ was looking through the crack of the
door," chronicled Miss Mallet, who was al
ways present on such occasions to cut the
cake and order things duly, ''and thought
Cyrus Allen would drop every minute, and
1 jest run for the campfire bottle"


He went through the ceremony as if he
had been wound up for the purpose, with
out once raising his eyes to the BRIDES
The response, 81, Huldah, take thee Henry,
to be my welded husband" sounded to
him like the far off whispers in a shell; all
the faces about him seemed wavering and
disturbed; he saw Jane standing primly
against the wal in her stiff, old fashioned
brocade-her grandmother's wedding gown
with it's modern ruffles Of embroidered
muslin, and the great fronds and ferns upon
it seemed to grow as she waited there, while
he speculated if all the hearts that had
ached under that bodice could make up the
sum of his present agony, and directly the
blessing was over, and summoning all his
strength of will and pride, Cyrus bent for
ward to congratulate the bride, and-the
bride was only little Huldahr'


81 never knowed it myself" reported
Miss Mallet, sstill 1 came back to the crack
of the door, and saw, all of sudding that
the veil was onto little Huldy's head, now
that they faced round, and that old Hubby
was nothing but BRIDES maid. was all
struck of a heap, and he'd to take sniff
out of tie campfire bottle myself And
was downright mad too, at being SO took
in. You see, the way Of it was, little Hull
dy's step-father wouldn't let her marry her
young man, cause the minute she up and
did, he'd lose control Of the property her
own pa left her; and her ma, she hadn't no
marrer to her bones, and never burst say
her soul was her'n if any man thought diff
ferent; and as little Huldy' IS step father was
her guardian, and she wasn't of age, and a
wasting her money for her in riotous living,
and keeping of her pinched and treating of
her shameful, they was Altered he'd forbid
the banns if he got wind of it, he was such
heather; so they'd keep it sly, and the
rest of us had wasted enough sympathy on
| Hnldah Rlare to found hospital Won see