CHAPTER XXIX.
A CAVALRY WEDDING.
And now the --th were all in from the field, and the wives and familiesof those officers who were there to be stationed were arriving by everytrain, and the post was all bustle and confusion and rejoicing. Somechanges had occurred, as had been predicted by the colonel, but many ofour old friends and several of later date were ensconced within thehomely walls, and preparing for the combined rigors and comforts of aWyoming winter in garrison. Here again were old Stannard and his loyal,radiant wife: here were the Turners and Raymonds and Webbs and Waynesand Truscotts and Heaths and Freemans, and others of whom we have notheard, and stanch old Bucketts, the sorely badgered but imperturbablequartermaster, and Billings, the peppery adjutant, and Mrs. Billings(whom their next-door neighbor Mr. Blake epitomized forthwith, to thelady's vehement indignation, as Billings and Cooings), and Mr. and Mrs.Wilkins and the little Wilkinses, and a "raft of youngsters," as thejunior bachelor officers were termed, and with Blake was his swornfriend and ally Billy Ray, now the senior lieutenant of the regiment.Life was gayety to all but him, for Marion--the light of his veryexistence--had returned to the East. For ten days before the arrival ofthe regiment Russell was paradise. There were long, joyous, exquisiteinterviews in the dear little parlor at the Truscotts'. There were ridesand drives over the boundless prairie; there were plannings andpromises, and--I fear for once in his life Ray felt no great joy in thearrival of the old regiment, for on that day Major Taylor's family wentEast for the winter, and under their escort Miss Sanford departed.Bright and gay as was the winter that followed to all the ladies andmost of the officers, there was one fellow at least to whom hops anddinners and germans had faint attraction. Routine duty at a cavalry postsoon palls on the most enthusiastic. The endless round of roll-calls,stables both morning and evening, of drills and guard-mount, boards ofsurvey and garrison courts, recitations and rifle-practice,--all serveto keep up constant demands on time and attention. There is just onething that will throw about them all a halo of romance andinterest,--the presence at the garrison of the girl you love; and whensuch a blessing has once been enjoyed and then is suddenly taken away,the utter blank is beyond description. Only to a few has it happenedthat the love of their lives has been found in garrison, and only theywill quite realize what life at Russell became to Ray after MarionSanford went East. He had greatly changed as every one saw. Not that hewas less buoyant and brave, but that he was far more thoughtful, grave,and earnest. He was exact and punctilious in the performance of everymilitary duty, was always ready to "bear a hand" at the entertainmentsand parties, but the haunts where he had once reigned supreme knew himno more. The post trader was heard regretfully to remark that Ray wasn'thalf the man he expected to find him, and there were rattle-pates amongthe youngsters in the regiment to whom "Ray's reformation" was a sourceof outspoken regret. "If that's the effect of getting all over in love,"said Mr. Hunter, "I don't want any of it in mine."
Poker, too, languished as a popular pastime; the demand for morningcocktails had unaccountably fallen off; the bar-keeper would fall asleepat the club-room from sheer lack of employment during the afternoons andearly evenings, for many of the married ladies had brought maidenrelatives as friends to spend the winter with them, and half a dozen newromances were starting; and the colonel had his eye on some of the old_habitues_ of "the store," and Wilkins and Crane and one or two otherformerly reliable patrons were kept too busy to spend time or money atthat once seductive retreat, and with the injustice of embittered humannature it was their wont to ascribe it all to Ray's backsliding, amatter of which that young gentleman was for some time in ignorance. Hespent his off-duty hours in writing or reading or long chats withTruscott and romps with Baby Jack; he always dined with them on Sunday,and was in and out between their house, the Stannards', and "Saint'sRest" (as Blake had named the bachelor ranch which he and Ray occupiedin partnership) at all hours of the day or evening; he was properlyattentive at the colonel's, and called frequently upon the young ladiesvisiting the Waynes' and Heaths' and Billings' (Mrs. Turner never wouldhave young ladies with her, they were too distracting), and of course hewas subjected to incessant queries about Miss Sanford. It was too absurdto deny the engagement, said the garrison, for everybody knew he wroteregularly and she answered. Nevertheless, Ray, Truscott, Stannard, and,of course, Mrs. Truscott and Mrs. Stannard, denied that any engagementexisted. Ray and Marion had quietly decided, as has been indicated, thatthere should be none, until--until he could offer her a little armyhome. But denials only stimulated the womenfolk into hazarding ingeniousquestions and suggestions, and the men to various conjectures more orless wooden-headed. At first it was theorized that he had proposed andbeen rejected; that was disposed of by her frequent letters. Then that"she had him on probation," and would marry him if he could keep clearof the old temptations a year,--two years or so,--unless some fellowcame along meantime and swept her off. Bets were hazarded on thedifferent events, and there was no end of talk about it, and Ray was theobject of much sentimental interest among the ladies. One thing,however, was clearly observable. They, the ladies, with the confiding,caressing, insinuating, and delicious impertinence of the sex, could andwould hazard their suggestions to him in person, and were laughinglyparried; but if any one among the men were ass enough to suppose that_all_ the old Ray had vanished he had only just to attempt to bejocularly familiar or inquisitive with him on that or a kindred subject,and get a Kentucky kick, as Blake called Ray's snubs, that would makehim red in the face for a week. Poor Crane was the victim of the finalexperiment, and it was his last attempt to be facetious for many a wearymonth. It was a snapping December morning, one of the Advent Sundays,Truscott was officer of the day, and Ray had escorted Mrs. Truscott tochurch in town, and it so happened that a number of officers were in theclub-room (for the colonel and Billings had gone away to North Platte ona court-martial, and the major did not care to haul in on the reinswhile the chief was absent), and looking out on the wintry prairie asthey came driving into the garrison. There was some little sly comment,thoroughly good-natured, over the metamorphosis which a year had made inRay, when suddenly the door opened and he bounded in.
"Give me a flask of good brandy, Muldoon; our driver is almost frozen."
Of course there was a ripple of laughing chaff over the unchristianspirit which prompted people to search the Scriptures in such weatherand freeze the helpless victims of their piety,--the drivers. All thisRay parried in his old jaunty way, his white teeth gleaming and his eyestwinkling with merriment over some unusually good hit; but as ill luckwould have it Mr. Crane had been up too late or too early--or both--andhad managed to drink more than was prudent. He had always smarted underthe scoring Ray had given him in Arizona, and he saw, or murkily thoughthe saw, a chance to say a stinging thing. The bar-keeper had justwrapped the flask in paper and was handing it to Ray, when Crane thicklybegan,--
"Makes a heap of difference in a man this gettin' spooney, don't it?Year ago Ray would have sneered at fellow's going to church, an' nowhe's doin' it--self. Next thing, by George, he'll be havin' 'ligiousscruples 'bout goin' Indian-fighting."
There were sharp, sudden growls of "Shut up, you idiot!" "Choke him off,somebody!" but all too late. Ray heard every word of it, and his eyesblazed in an instant. Every man saw the coming storm, and there was anawkward rising from chairs and gathering about Crane as though to hustlehim out of the room. For a moment Ray stood there quivering with wrath,seemingly making strong effort at self-control, then, with the old ringand snap to every word, he first sent the bar-keeper out of the room,telling him to take the flask at once to his quarters, then turnedquickly on Crane, who was stupidly shuffling at a pack of cards.
"This is the third time, Mr. Crane, that you have made it necessary forme to bring you up with a round turn. You intimate that a year ago Iwould have sneered at a man's going to church. Never, sir, in my wholelife has man or woman, boy or girl, heard from my lips one word ofridicule or disrespect for religious fai
th or religious observances. Youare in no condition to-day to appreciate what I say, perhaps, so you mayhave until to-morrow for complete apology and retraction; but this muchyou _can_ understand, sir: if you fancy for one instant that religionsscruples, or any other kind, will interfere with my fighting now or atany time, you are most damnably mistaken, sir, as you will find as soonas you are sober enough to receive a message." And with that he turnedand left the room. The next morning Blake was out with a note, aseverybody knew would be the result, and poor Crane tied a wet towelaround his head and sent for Wilkins and Heath and others, and they alltold him the same thing. He had made an outrageous ass of himself, andhad best write a full apology,--and he did. It was "the churchmilitant," said Blake, "that Billy joined," and it was evident enoughthat the chip was still there on Ray's shoulder. Even Marion Sanford'ssunny head had not displaced it.
And then came a time in the spring when Ray's letters began to be veryfrequent, and Rallston's big fist sprawled in on all manner of envelopesfrom all manner of Iowa and Nebraska hotels. He was doing a livelybusiness in the horse and cattle trade again, had quit gambling, saidrumor, and Mrs. Rallston was with him now on all his journeyings, andlooking marvellously well and happy; and along in April Blake and Raywere doing all they knew how, with Mrs. Stannard's assistance, to maketheir quarters habitable for lady's use, and Rallston and Nell came andpaid them a visit of an entire week, and went away enraptured with theregiment. Rallston was ill at ease at first, but his wife's grace andbeauty, the fact that she was Ray's sister, and that Mrs. Stannard andMrs. Truscott became devoted to her from the start, and that "oldStannard" and Truscott took Rallston under their protecting wings, andshowed him around as though there had never been a flaw in hisrecord,--all these things and his natural good nature combined to makehim popular among the officers, and the night before they left he hadthe whole crowd in at a "stag party" in town, whereat there was muchconviviality and good feeling; and the next thing whispered about thegarrison was that Ray had "an interest in the business," for whenBillings wanted a new horse, and could find none just to suit him in thestables, he sought Ray's advice, as he always did in such matters (thecloud between them had long since drifted away, but not until Billingshad "made a clean breast of it"), and Ray told him to wait a few daysand the horse to suit him would be there, and he could take his own timein paying for him, too. (He did, by the way.) And when May came, andwith it orders for a summer camp, Ray's old troop took the field withouthim. Another vacancy had occurred, and Rallston sent three baskets ofchampagne from Omaha that all might drink the health of the new captain,whose troop was down the road at Sidney. Verily, Fortune was smiling onthe gallant fellow on whom she had seemed to frown. Even the course oftrue love was defying all previous record, and had run with exceptionalsmoothness. Barring the one fearful task of having to write to herfather, his courtship had been sweet and unimpeded as all its firstsurroundings had been bitter. And now, free, hopeful, redeemed, what wasthere to wait for? Why not claim his bride and a long leave of absence,and take her with him to see the dear old mother in Kentucky? "Theengagement is at last announced," wrote Grace to Truscott, who wasscouting over the Big Horn, "and the wedding will be some time thissummer. Was it not odd that you and he should each have receivedpromotion just before marrying? Little did dear Maidie and I ever dreamin the old days at Madame Reichard's that we were to marry captains ofcavalry in the same regiment. Oh, Jack! why _didn't_ I have a militarywedding? Marion says that the entire community is so shocked at the ideaof her accepting an unknown army officer that she has determined to havea brilliant affair of it, and Mr. Sanford says that she shall haveeverything she wants that money can buy, and they say he is 'rolling inwealth' now. His wife has been behaving like an angel ever sinceMarion's return, and, much to the Zabriskies' disappointment, thereception will be at the Sanfords', and she will be married from thereand the whole clan will be gathered to see it, and there will be eightbridesmaids, three of whom were our classmates at school, and, ofcourse, the wedding itself will be in the old cathedral church, and allthe officers there in full dress and the band from Governor's Island.Oh, Jack! can't we go back and do it all over again? Marion says thereis only one thing to mar her happiness: she cannot have cavalry officersfor groomsmen because almost all Mr.--Captain Ray's (there I go makingthe same blunder that used to exasperate me so in Mrs. Turner last year:she _would_ speak of you as _Mister_ long after you were captain, only Iknew she did it on purpose)--_Captain_ Ray's friends are in the fieldand cannot be spared, but Mr. Blake is to be best man, and there will beplenty of other officers. Marion says that at first her father lookedvery, very solemn at the idea of her falling in love with a cavalryofficer, and could not be reconciled to it, but one evening he came homelate from New York,--he had been at a dinner at the Union Club, andthere was introduced to General S----, who sat next him, and in some wayhe asked about Mr. Ray, and the general said there wasn't a braver manor finer officer in the cavalry, and spoke of him in such a glowing waythat Mr. Sanford came home radiant. Well, excepting my Jack, the generalwas right." And Jack's answer was that he thought it would be anexcellent plan for Mrs. Grace to take Baby Jack and a "two months'leave," and go East and exhibit her glory and delight to grandpapa andgrandmamma, and see Marion married. Mrs. Stannard was to start by June30,--why not go with her? The California mining venture--his old Arizonainvestment--would fully warrant the extravagance. Many a woman willrefrain from attending the gayest of balls because her Strephon cannotbe there, but where is the woman who can resist a wedding? Grace went,as a matter of course.
What pen can describe the sensation that had shaken society to itsfoundation when it began to leak out that the lovely Miss Sanford,eldest daughter of the Honorable Blank Sanford,--plutocrat,--was goingto marry an army officer? This, then, was the reason why swains fromPhiladelphia and New York had sighed in vain all that winter. Ever sinceNovember she had been the acknowledged belle, frank, joyous, radiant,gracious, winning, a woman all men worshipped and all women envied. "Iwish I could find something in her to criticise," was the despairingsummary of a would-be rival. "She is so courteous, so considerate, sogenerous, so hopelessly regardful of everybody else's rights andfeelings. _I_ don't think she's a radiant beauty. You cannot but seedefects in her features, but who ever saw a more winning face? I don'twonder everybody, old and young, is simply fascinated by her. I watchedher there all last evening when they had that little party. She wassurrounded every moment. She was having the best kind of time, but hereyes were everywhere watching to see that everybody was entertained, andno sooner was a woman left alone for an instant than she was by her sidewith a gracious word--or a man. It is so everywhere she goes. Now, whoon earth can this officer be? What's an officer like, anyhow?"
It was no isolated opinion. Marion Sanford was a marked woman in generalsociety, a woman who reigned, queenlike, over every heart; but, amongthe circle of her relatives, the uncles and aunts and cousins who livedwithin the sphere of her attractions, she was held to be little lessthan the angels. It made it all the harder for Ray, since everybody waseager to see what manner of man it was that had won so peerless a pearlfrom their midst. It was loyalty to him, pride in him, love for him morethan anything else, that made her choose a military wedding, that all athome might see something of the brighter side of army life and thesocial attractions of the men who were his chosen comrades.
And at last it comes: a day of cloudless sunshine, of soft and balmyair, heralding a moonlit evening that could have served for theMidsummer Night's Dream, and inspired the melodies of Mendelssohn; andthe massive walls of a great cathedral church are silvered by the rayswithout, and pierced by the brilliant flood of colored light shiningfrom within. Carriage after carriage rolls up through the dense throngof curious but silent spectators and discharges its load ofrichly-dressed occupants through the carpeted, canvas-roofed lane ofbelted police, through the massive portals of the church, past thewelcoming "masters of ceremonies,"--two society swells, who knoweverybody and w
here everybody is to be seated,--and by them arepresented to one of half a dozen stalwart young officers in all theglitter of shoulder-knots, helmet-cords, aiguillettes, sabres, andbelts, and these martial ushers receive the wondering ladies on theirarms and escort them with much ceremony to the designated pews, whereinthey are deposited with the precision of military bows, and the escortreturns forthwith, clanking down the aisle followed by curious eyes.Carriage after carriage arrives, party after party is ushered in withthe same unerring ease, just as the staff-officers conduct detachmentsto their assigned positions: no break, no confusion; and the goodpeople of the peace-loving metropolis, to whom army matters have longbeen a dark and uninviting mystery, begin to admit that there are somepoints worth noting in a military wedding. And then "society" begins torecognize each other with nods and smiles and fluttering fans, and tolook about and take mental inventory of the marvellous changes in thevast interior. Verily, Marion Sanford's circle of friends and relativeshas effected transformation here! Back of the congregation theorgan-loft is concealed from view by ornamental screen-work and anarbor-like arrangement of vines and leaves, from which the gilded pipesand gothic spires shoot up into the vaulted ceiling; but no one knowswho or what may be there concealed. Towards the altar the church is abower of beauty. Immediately in front of the chancel rail and facinginward towards the centre aisle are the elevated seats of thechoristers, with the pulpit and lectern on opposite sides and at theouter edge of the choir-stalls. The pulpit and lectern themselves are acreamy mass of daisies,--Marion's own flower,--while between themstretches a light trellis-work, half concealing, half disclosing, thechoir-stalls beyond, twined with smilax, and thickly studded with whiteroses and carnations. Over the centre aisle this trellis takes the formof an exquisite floral arch, spanning the steps to the choir-level andthe broad aisle beyond. All the pillars are twined with smilax; all thechancel rail is similarly decked, while roses, carnations, and"snowballs" are everywhere. Each side of the altar is ornamented by tallpyramidal groups of palms and tropical plants, while the upper portionof the church is filled here and there and everywhere with foliage andblossoms. A great marriage-bell of carnations hangs over the altarsteps; the altar itself is one mass of daisies; the air is heavy withperfume and now, as eight o'clock approaches, rich with soft, exquisitemelody that comes floating from an unseen orchestra in the loft. Everynow and then there is unusual flutter and curiosity as the ushers strideup the aisle with comrades in full uniform, who, with their wives, are"army guests," and they are escorted to the seats just back of thechoristers, among the relatives and nearest friends, where they areplaced half facing the crowded assemblage, and are at once the object ofhundreds of curious eyes. There are the bald head and red face of oldColonel Pelham and the majestic proportions of his much-better-half,who, as scion of all the De Ruyters, is quite at home confronting thesocial battery; and Mrs. Stannard with her happy blue eyes and noblebearing, and Mrs. Truscott, exquisitely dressed and an object of nolittle admiration among observers of both sexes. "Old Stannard" fidgetsat the unaccustomed harness of full uniform, and kicks impatiently athis sabre, wishing himself out on the Arizona deserts again, butdefiantly determined to hold his own and glare the people down. Men ofthe artillery and engineers, too, are ushered into their seats, and theneverybody seems to be settled; it lacks but two minutes of eight by thewatch, and a military wedding must be of all things on time. Suppressedexcitement can be heard without. The doors leading into the vestibuleare closed. Everybody is staring back at the church entrance, and stillthe sacristy door remains firmly shut. Surely 'tis time for the groomand his best man to appear there; one minute of eight and no sign. Whoin all that crowd could dream that Ray and Blake have vainly stormed thevestry door and found it locked? By some unaccountable error the sextonhas barred their entrance as well as that of the intrusive uninvitedwhom he meant to exclude.
"What on earth shall we do, Billy?" quoth Blake. "I can heave a brickthrough the window and crawl in after it. It will ruin our uniforms, butwe'll get there on time."
"Back to the front!" says Ray, pardonably white and tremulous. "We canscurry up the side-aisle. It's our only chance now!" So back they go,and the next instant the vestibule door opens just a few inches, thecongregation rises to a--woman, and two slim-built fellows in fullcavalry uniform, the long yellow plumes of their carried helmetsfloating behind them and their sabres clattering, hasten up to the headof the church just as the tower clock booms the first stroke of eight.Organ, orchestra, and ringing voices burst into triumphant melody, thevestibule doors fly open, and, headed by the crucifer and his sacredemblem, the white surpliced choristers come thronging up the centreaisle, while the whole congregation turns and faces them, as weddingcongregations will, and the lofty rafters ring with the exultantstrains,--
"Hark! hark, my soul! Angelic songs are swelling."
Slowly, reverently, they move up through the broad lane, flanked byeager faces; the choristers are followed by the brilliant party ofushers,--soldier and civilian,--the gray-haired father and his handsomewife; then come the fair bridesmaids, two and two, all in fleecy silk,and bearing dainty bouquets of daisies tied with the cavalry colors,while between the last two, sister and cousin, and as though led bythem, veiled, and with downcast eyes, a matchless picture of sweetwomanly grace and beauty, is Marion.
The choristers file to their places, the father with the lady of hisname halts at the archway, stepping to one side that the ushers andbridesmaids may move on to the altar, which they encircle right andleft; Ray, pale and white, but with eager light in his handsome darkeyes, steps quickly down, with Blake close at his heels, and bowing low,meets his fair bride at the arch, then turns and faces the twowhite-robed clergymen who come forward from the chancel, leaving thevenerable bishop at the holy altar. The swelling hymn has ceased, and inits place low, sweet, witching strains of music float through thevaulted sanctuary; a hush as of intense expectation falls upon thelistening throng, and the deep voice of the rector is heard in thesolemn opening exhortation,--"Reverently, discreetly, advisedly,soberly, and in the fear of God." _Is_ it fancy? or, as thatnever-answered challenge comes: "If any man can show just cause why theymay not lawfully be joined together?" _does_ Ray throw back his headwith something of that same old semi-defiant gesture that as much aspays it wouldn't be a safe thing for any man to try? And then anothervoice is heard, feeble, tremulous with years, ay, with deep emotion; itis that of the revered old soldier of the Cross, whose lips long yearsbefore propounded the same solemn query to her sainted mother; whounder that same roof received this child, a smiling baby-girl, into thecongregation of Christ's flock, and signed her with the sign of thecross; who led her, a sweet maiden, to the altar there beyond to renewthe solemn promise and vow that was there made in her name; from whosehands she had on bended knee so often received the consecrated elements;whose aging accents had trembled in grief and sympathy even as theyuttered the words of solace, "Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord,"and whose consolation was sweetest to her in the bitter days when thatblessed mother died. No wonder Ray can feel that she is trembling fromhead to foot, and that his "I will" is firm and strong as he lookssquarely into the eyes of the venerable priest and honors him for thegathering tears he sees there; no wonder his own turn proudly, fondly,down on her as her soft hand is placed in his nervous palm, and Blakesets his teeth to repel the gasp of delight with which he hears theclear-cut enunciation of every word of his solemn troth. For the life ofhim he cannot help thinking how many a time he has heard that voice inthe wild days on the frontier, in Indian battle or in garrison debate,and marked the same ring of determination when he was deeply moved. "Bygad, but he means it! I never knew him when he didn't mean every word hesaid!" he gasps to himself. And then--'tis her turn, and clear,bell-like, yet silvery soft, her sweet voice repeats the trembling wordsof her old pastor; and all over the great church men and women holdtheir breath and listen with eager ear; and eyes grow moist and throatsgrow lumpy, and some who love her dearly can hardly
restrain a flood oftears, for never for an instant, from the first word to the last, do hereyes, glorious in their trust and faith, exquisite in hope and love andtenderness, falter from their fond, loyal gaze up into his. There isuncontrollable recourse to handkerchiefs, a rustle, and sensationthroughout the crowded ranks of society as the last solemn word of hertroth is spoken, and Blake thanks heaven that the organ tones growperceptibly louder and more triumphant, and so does Ray, who wouldgladly balk that awful hurdle on which so many a poor fellow hasfloundered,--"With all my worldly goods I thee endow;" but he holdsgallantly to the ring. He hardly knows that they are following thewhite-robed clergy forward to the altar now, and that there it is thebishop's voice that greets them; but despite the helmet and sabre thathang twixt him and her he is close by her side, and ere he knows it iskneeling there at the chancel rail and listening to the grandest,sweetest benediction in all the eloquent ritual of the church, andthen--and then, he has risen and is gazing into the humid eyes of hiswife.
Oh, with what triumph and joy the mingled tones of organ and orchestraburst into the exultant music of the Wedding March! How the lights danceand whirl! how overpowering is the perfume of rose, hyacinth, andcarnation! He has blindly shaken hands with some one, but Marion takeshis arm, and together they meet the thronging sea of faces and stepblithely down the surpliced lane of choristers, down the archway stairs,down the broad and carpeted aisle between the batteries of smiles andtears, and after them comes Blake towering beside the first bridesmaid;come all the other damsels on the arms of their attendant cavaliers;and carriage doors are banging, and there is a merry chime resoundingthrough the moonlit street, and away they drive to the handsome oldhome, with all its windows ablaze with light, and grounds with coloredlanterns; and there in the great bay-window they take their stand, withthe circling ranks of lovely bridesmaids and gallant groomsmen aboutthem, and have time to note the lavish and beautiful decorations, forhere, as at church, flowers are everywhere, and banks of daisies withthe R. S. monogram in carnations, the crossed sabres of the --th,cavalry guidons, and the stars and stripes all tell of the work ofloving hands and hearts. And such a picture as she makes as she standsthere by his side! When, when was Marion half so lovely? Her ripplinghair, her lustrous eyes, her pure complexion, her beaming, blissfulsmile, her winsome charm of manner that none could ever quitedescribe,--none could ever imitate! Her dress? Must I tell of that?True, madam, I bow in all meekness. No wedding description could be eventolerable, as you say, that ignored the bridal toilet. Why! therein,too, Marion shone forth in one of her quaintest, most original guises._Such_ a struggle as she had had with Madam Finnegan,--that autocrat ofmetropolitan _modistes_! "I will be no conventional bride," shedeclared; orange flowers she would not wear, but her veil was fastenedby her own flower,--exquisite daisies in silver and gold filigree work;and the dress?--Madam vowed it would ruin her _prestige_,--that it wasunheard of, impossible; that no bridal dress could be made low-neckedand sleeveless; but Marion well knew the beauty of her neck and arms,and Ray had begged it should be so. Madam protested, but in vain; thelow-cut, sleeveless corsage fitted closely to the lines of the lovelyfigure, and gleamed with pearl embroidered lace, while the front of theskirt was trimmed _en tablier_ with the same, and a profusion of richpoint-lace fell on either side from the waist to the bottom of theskirt. Soft, rich, creamy satin was the material, falling in long,straight, ample folds from the waist to the end of the train. Neitherpearls nor diamonds would she wear. Not a gem is in her ears. Her onedecoration is an exquisite daisy-chain or necklace,--a dainty anddelicate piece of handiwork in gold and silver,--and this is Ray'spresent to his bride.
Of the hundreds invited to the church, only relatives, closest friends,and "the Army people" are bidden to the reception at the Sanfords'. TheArmy represent Ray's kindred, for the loving old mother had been growingtoo feeble of late to venture on the journey, and she had decided toawait their coming to her at Lexington; and Nellie Rallston, who longedto be present, gave it up when her husband decided that his businesswould not permit him to be so far away at such a time, but ascompensation, he told her to compute every dollar she thought thejourney with all incidentals would have cost them, and to double it andsend to Chicago for the loveliest present the money would buy as her owngift to Billy's wife. As for himself, he had already chosen hispresent,--the prettiest Kentucky saddle-horse that ever woman rode. Itwas his way of expressing his appreciation of what she had done forDandy. And so it happened that in the big room up-stairs, where thepresents are shown to the limited few who are bidden to the reception,Nell's beautiful bracelets are flanked by two photographs,--counterfeitpresentments of a most shapely and knowing-looking little steed, yetunnamed,--with Mr. Rallston's congratulations and best wishes. There isno describing the many costly and beautiful gifts from the great circleof friends, relatives, and school-mates. Papa's, too, is of eminentsolidity, though flimsy paper is the medium, but there are some thatcannot be passed over without remark. There is significance in them.
One is a worn iron horseshoe, framed and set in gold, backed withvelvet, and surrounding an oval miniature of a horse and rider; thehorse is the lithe-limbed sorrel, Dandy; the rider, in the broad-brimmedhat, the blue scouting-shirt, and Indian leggings, is Ray. Touch aspring at the base of the frame and the front flies open and revealsthat this is but the enclosure, for within nestles an exquisite littleSwiss watch and chain of daintiest workmanship, with the monogram M. S.in diamonds. The horseshoe bears this inscription: "From the officersand men of Wayne's squadron, --th U. S. Cavalry, in grateful remembranceof a deed of heroism which renders sacred to them the name of Ray." Andthere is a letter from Wayne, which says, "The shoe is one of the fouryour gallant husband stripped from Dandy's feet the night he braveddeath to bring us rescue. The other three are not to be had for love ormoney. My wife and children have one of them: the two companies thatcomposed the command have each another, framed and inscribed over thefirst sergeant's door." (Marion had no present she was so eager everyone should see as this.) Then there is a wonderful clock of curiousworkmanship with a musical chime of bells that is going to provesomething of a white elephant in moving from one post to another out onthe frontier, but Marion vows it shall never be left behind. It comesfrom the men of the captain's own troop, many of whom served under himin Arizona, and there's a letter signed by the whole company, from thefirst sergeant down to Private Zwinge, in which they send their loyaltyand duty to the bride of the bravest officer and kindest friend soldierever had, and Marion shows this to Grace with blithe, happy laughter."_Now_ talk to me about your Jack!" she says.
Ah, well! Smiles and tears are intermingled, as they must be even in themarriage feast. There are so many there to whom the bride recalls thegentle, winsome mother, only, never was seen on that young mother'sface, even in her maiden days, such peace and joy as is in the bride'sto-night. There is no long lingering over the reception. Society will beinvited to some formal affairs of that kind when the happy couple returnfrom their brief wedding-tour, and only a few magnates from abroad haveto be shaken hands with. The immediate wedding-party are soonseated--twenty of them--at the great table in the dining-room, while allthe guests are scattered about at little quartette affairs around thebroad halls and conservatory, and the orchestra plays sweet strains fromtheir perch on the enclosed piazza, and busy waiters fly to and fro, andsoon the champagne-corks are popping and the rooms are ringing withmirth and merriment, and Ray and Marion, seated side by side at thehead of the broad table, are bombarded with toasts and congratulations,and the laughter and applause grow incessant as the bridesmaids andgroomsmen exchange the poetic "mottos" in the favors they find at theirplaces, and no bridesmaid seems quite able to properly affix the littlegold sabre that is nestling in the folds of her napkin: it takes asoldier's practised hand to fasten them in those dainty India silks; andevery groomsman swears that no one but a woman can ever properly adjustthe daisy, which, as a scarf-pin, is his reward for the evening'sservices; and some inspired fellow-ci
tizen gracefully proposes thehealth of the hostess, and an eminent statesman present ponderously doeslikewise for the bride, although it was the fixed determination thatthere should be no formal speech-making; but Mr. Sanford happily comesto the rescue in a few remarks of unaccustomed humor, in which he setsthe room in a roar by expressing his satisfaction at having married offone encumbrance, his modified rapture in the reflection that there werestill two or three in the way of daughters and nieces whom he felt boundto similarly dispose of, his comfort in the sight of half a dozen suchlikely young officers as those present, and his hope that they wouldn't"fool away their time." This dispels anything like formality, and thenext thing there is a health to the Army and shouts for Blake. He findshis long legs slowly, and comes to the scratch infinitely puzzled as tohow he is to worry through, but all is merriment by this time, and funand laughter reward his feeblest shots. He is understood to beginsomewhat as follows:
"You ought not to expect me to respond for the Army. I can't speak forthe ladies thereof because they never gave me a chance to practise (oh!slander!), and I can't drink for the men because they insist on doing itfor themselves (another libel!). In fact, after being here five days asthe guest of our hospitable friends at the club, I'm wondering how anyone ever could see anything to drink to in the army. Life there is afearful grind. In the lofty and inspired language of Canon Kingsley,--ifnot cannon, he was at least a big gun in ecclesiastical circles(oh!),--it is a life in which
'Men must shirk and women must sweep.'"
(Loud protestations.) "Indeed, if it were not for the ladies--God blessthem!--we would have nothing but fighting in the field and stagnation athome; but, whenever they get to running things their way, it--it is justthe reverse." (Shame! No! Wretch!) He vainly strives to rally under thefire of imprecation, but it is too late. The groomsmen are denouncinghim, as he deserves to be, as a slanderer and recreant. Mr. Ferris andMr. Waring spring to their feet to implore the assembly to reject anyand all such statements as the emanations of an embittered,oft-rejected, and "subtle, perjured, false, disloyal man;" and poorBlake, who really wanted to wind up with an apostrophe to the crowningexcellences of the bride, is driven to cover, a victim of his viciouspropensity for burlesque. He has created illimitable merriment, however,and is to be infinitely congratulated on getting off so easily. And thenthe bride-cake is cut, and eager is the excitement over the search forthe prophetic ring, and the blushing bridesmaid who gets it has plainlymade a deep impression on the young artilleryman who is seated next her,and is accused of already wearing his colors in her cheeks; and thencomes the dance, and the crash-covered floors are speedily alive withtwinkling feet, and the bride's own set in the lanciers is surrounded bya throng of eager lookers-on. And Ray's color has come back to hisbronzed cheeks, and he has looked so well, so infinitely happy, so proudand radiant all the evening, and yet so grave withal, so quiet andself-restrained. All men speak of the earnest feeling that is evident inhis acceptance of the showered congratulations, and the army comradeswho have been long separated from him wonder at the change that has comeover the fellow they once called "Rattling Ray."
And Marion! Heaven's blessings never lighted a more exquisite face thanis hers to-night! She is simply radiant, simply irresistible, for thegirls hang about her to repeat their congratulations again and again, towin another kiss, to hear the winning, gracious accents of the voicethat has so long charmed and enthralled them. Old and young, rich andpoor, big and little, those kinsfolk, school-mates, and neighbors,especially the little ones who were her scholars in the Sunday-school,flock about her, watch her with fascinated eyes; and for every one shehas sweet and gracious words and beaming smiles; she holds them to thelast. The children troop about her as she is led away to change herbridal-dress for the journey. 'Tis approaching midnight and the "owltrain" leaves within the hour; and they hang about the stairways waitingfor her reappearance, and hover in mysterious fascination about CaptainRay as he comes in his travelling suit of mufti, and wonder why heshould discard his uniform and sword, and the carriage is now at thedoor, and great store of rice and old slippers are got in readiness, andpresently down the broad stairway she comes, metamorphosed as toraiment, but radiant, winsome as ever; and they seize upon her and bearher off bodily into the great parlor, and throng about her and pull herthis way, that way, every way, and kiss and maul and squeeze and rumple,and never seem to exhaust her infinite patience or their own extravagantcapacity; but at last they begin to surge towards the door-way, and thebridesmaids hover in circle for the closing ceremony, and she tosses herbouquet to the ceiling amid shouts and scurry, and, marvel of marvels!it is captured by her of the rosy cheeks and dancing eyes who hasalready secured the ring and fascinated the artilleryman, and they reachthe door, and Ray has squeezed out to the steps, and some of theemotional cousins have retreated sobbing to deserted nooks and cornersabout the house, and at last she comes forth and springs lightly downthe stairs, and the rice rattles after her along the broad walk, and thegroomsmen line the gate-way and usher her into the carriage, and standthere ready to volley them with old slippers, and Ray is just aboutspringing in beside her, when down comes Blake with his seven-leaguestrides, bearing a sobbing little sunny-haired maiden of seven in hisarms.
"Hold on!" he shouts. "This is my little sweetheart, and she shan't beleft out in the cold."
And Marion leans from the carriage, and Ray stands to one side, as theweeping little one holds out her arms.
"Oh, Miss Ma--wion, I haven't had one kiss. They all cwowded so, and Iwas the only one." And her sobs break forth afresh.
"My own little kitten!" she cries, as the child is seized and folded toher heart. "How could I have come away without seeing my baby scholar?"And the mite is hugged and kissed and comforted and sent back to Blake'sstrong arms, rapturous because she has had Queen Marion's last embrace,and then Ray springs to her side and the door slams, and the horsesplunge, and away they drive amid a shower of blessings and old slippers;and they have gone a block before she notes his silence, and, turning,sees that his eyes are closed, that a tear is glistening on his bronzedcheek.
"Will,--husband," she whispers, lovingly, tenderly, half-reproachfully."What is it?" And her little hand steals into his.
For a moment there is no reply. His arm is quickly thrown around her andshe is drawn close to his breast; his lips are pressed to her forehead,but he utters no word.
At last she hears the answer,--
"My darling. I am wondering what I ever did to deserve one moment ofyour love. I am wondering what man _could_ deserve--you; and, I--waspraying God's guidance that I might never disappoint your trust."
* * * * *
It is many a long year since that bright summer. Men have come and menhave gone. Vows have been made and vows and hearts together have beenbroken, and yet, some lives, though into each "some rain must fall,"have been full of sunshine.
Only the other day there came Eastward a letter from a proud youngmatron,--still young despite the cares incidental to the possession of alively brood, among whom there seems no higher ambition than to emulatethe exploits of a certain Master Sandy Ray, who is in pristineknickerbockers and perennial mischief. "Jack says," writes this proudmamma, "that with all his pranks that blessed little rascal is hisfather all over, fearless, truthful, and generous, and Captain Rayfairly idolizes him. My Jack junior is a head taller and nearly twoyears older, but the two are inseparable, and it is a sight to see them'going off scouting' on their Indian ponies. As for Marion, I believeshe is the happiest woman in the army."
Well! Mrs. Truscott ought to know, and this goes far towardssubstantiation of Truscott's theory, that Marion's faith was given to aman who was loyal in every fibre of his being, tender as he was brave,steadfast as he was loving, and he loves her as such a woman deserves tobe loved, tenderly, faithfully, and to
THE END.
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