A WEDDING AT MONDREER
How they missed Leonidas at Mondreer can be felt by all who have ever had
a dear one leave the family for an absence of years in far distant lands.
In the city such a loss is felt painfully enough; but the busy life of the
crowd distracts attention from individual missings.
In the country, and in the winter, when clouds, and rain, and snow
prevail, and with bad weather they have worse roads, and no interchange of
neighborly courtesies, and all within the house is still, silent and
depressing, the absence of the friend is felt far more deeply.
The day after Le's departure the weather changed, bringing a dull, gray
sky, and a warm rain, that melted all the splendor of the snow, and turned
the hard roads into gullies of mud, so confining the family of Mondreer to
their own house.
Certainly they tried "to be jolly under difficulties."
Mr. Force reminded them that they had really nothing to mourn over, since
young navy officers must go to sea, and that if they all were as steady as
Le the long voyage must do them good, improve their minds, and strengthen
their bodies; and that they had much to be thankful for, since sickness
and death had kept away from their homes.
Mrs. Force and Odalite were a little more silent than usual, and that was
all the difference to be seen in them.
Wynnette went singing about the house, to pretend that she was merry. But,
while gazing from the parlor window out upon the dark sky full of soft,
fine, warm rain that turned the lawn into a marsh, and hid the wooded
hills on the west and the bay on the east from view, she suddenly snapped
out:
"Euphonious Mondreer should be relegated to its original, descriptive
name, and be called Mount Dreary, as it is in the old patents and deeds!"
"But was it Mount Dreary last week, when we had the glorious sunshine, and
the splendid frost and snow, and the waters of the bay as blue as the sky
they reflected, eh?" inquired Miss Meeke, deprecatingly.
"I don't know!" said Wynnette, perversely. "I don't remember any glorious
sunshine, or splendid frost and snow, or any blue waters. It has always
been rain, and mud, and darkness in this world ever since I was born! And
I don't remember anything else, and I don't believe in anything
else--there, now!"
"My dear! my dear! do not talk so!" said Miss Meeke.
"I can't help it," said Wynnette. "I know it always has been just this
way, and it always will be. But who cares if it will? Not I, for one.
"'Hi diddle diddle! The cat and the fiddle!'"
sang Wynnette, dancing away from the dreary window and dancing out of the
room.
As for little Elva, she went moping about the house, with red eyes,
sniveling in the most undisguised manner.
Miss Meeke was gravely busy with her wedding preparations.
Mrs. Anglesea was the jolliest person in the house, sympathetically
interested in everybody's feelings and occupations.
Occasionally, when there was a solemn pause in the conversation around the
fire or around the board, the happy creature would take the whole company
to task for their gloom.
"Call this a parting, do you? Why, the young fellow hasn't gone out of
reach of civilization--newspapers and mail bags and telegraph wires. Wait
until he goes on a wild-goose chase after the North Pole, where you can't
hear from him for months or years, even if you ever hear from him again,
for his chances are to leave his bones on the icebergs, if they are not
crunched up by the white bears. My father and my brother were whalers, and
used to be gone for years, when we--mother and I--did not hear from them,
and had to trust in Providence. And that was bad enough. But when they
both went off on an Arctic cruise--craze, I called it--'long of Capt.
Kane, I tell you that was a time of trial. But this young Le! Phew! Why,
he's only just over there."
The near approach of Natalie Meeke's wedding, however, was the best
diversion of all.
The whole family, from Mr. Force down to little Elva, were deeply
interested in it. They all made her useful presents. Mr. Force gave her a
set of silver spoons and forks; Mrs. Force, a china tea set; Odalite, her
own wedding dress, with all its accessories of wreath, veil and fan,
etcetera; Wynnette, a handsomely bound Bible; and Elva, a prayer book and
hymn book.
Mrs. Anglesea bestowed a heavy, gold cardcase.
"There! Take this, honey," she said, in presenting it. "I ain't got no use
for it. I bought it when my dear old man made his first haul, and we went
up to 'Frisco to sell the dust and have a lark. It took my fancy, for I
thought it was a snuffbox. Now, all the wimmin out at Wild Cats' either
smoked pipes or took snuff. As for me, I did neither. Couldn't get into
the way of it, you see. But when I saw this splendid snuffbox--as I
thought it was--I just said to myself I'd buy it, and carry it in my
pocket, to have it always about me to remind me as I was getting to be a
rich 'oman, and to take it out and make a show of it by offering of any
one who might drop in a pinch of snuff, even if I never sniffed a sniff
myself. I thought it would take them all down. But, Lord! didn't one of
'em take me down, neither, when she up and told me as this was a wisitin'
cardcase, and wouldn't do to hold snuff noways? Well, honey, it never was
no use to me, for what call had I for a wisitin' cardcase at Wild Cats'?
No, we didn't send up our cards when we called on our neighbors there. We
didn't often put on our bonnets to go a-wisitin'. We just hev a' old shawl
over our heads and run in and out 'mong neighbors. We did."
Natalie warmly thanked the donor, as soon as she could get a chance to
speak.
Dr. Ingle and Miss Meeke were married on the twentieth of January.
The sky had cleared, the ground had dried, the roads were good.
The wedding was a quiet one, no one being invited but the oldest and most
intimate friends of the parties--that is to say, the Rev. Dr. and Mrs.
Peters, of All Faith Rectory; the Grandieres, of Oldfield; the Elks, of
Grove Hill; Miss Bayard, of Forest Rest, and Mr. Roland Bayard, of nowhere
in particular.
The ceremony was performed in the drawing room of Mondreer, by the Rev.
Dr. Peters. The bride was given away by Mr. Force. She wore the elegant
wedding dress which had been prepared for Odalite; the two little
bridesmaids wore the same dresses in which they had appeared at the
attempted wedding of the month previous. Roland Bayard was the groomsman.
Immediately after the ceremony the bride's cake was cut and served. Roland
Bayard received the hidden ring, which promised him a bride in the course
of the year, and he immediately crossed the room and put it on the finger
of little Rosemary Hedge, amid the good-humored congratulations and
laughter of the little company, and to the great confusion of the quaint,
little girl who had been favored.
Soon after this the negro fiddlers came in and tuned up their
instruments.
The young men took their partners and the dancing began.
Roland Bayard, as groomsman, opened the ball with the bride. Dr. Ingle,
with the first bridesmaid, was their _vis-a-vis_. The dancing continued
until ten o'clock, when an elegant little supper was served in the dining
room.
After this the bride changed her dress, and the just-wedded pair took
leave of their friends, and entered the carriage engaged for the occasion,
and amid a shower of slippers departed for the young doctor's new home.
The subsequent developments of Anglesea's machinations will be related in
the sequel to this volume, entitled "Love's Bitterest Cup." This is
published in uniform style and price with this volume.
THE END
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BURT'S SERIES of STANDARD FICTION.
RICHELIEU. A tale of France in the reign of King Louis XIII. By G. P. R.
James. Cloth, 12mo. with four illustrations by J. Watson Davis. Price,
$1.00.
In 1829 Mr. James published his first romance, "Richelieu," and was
recognized at once as one of the masters of the craft.
In this book he laid the story during those later days of the great
cardinal's life, when his power was beginning to wane, but while it was
yet sufficiently strong to permit now and then of volcanic outbursts which
overwhelmed foes and carried friends to the topmost wave of prosperity.
One of the most striking portions of the story is that of Cinq Mar's
conspiracy; the method of conducting criminal cases, and the political
trickery resorted to by royal favorites, affording a better insight into
the statecraft of that day than can be had even by an exhaustive study of
history. It is a powerful romance of love and diplomacy, and in point of
thrilling and absorbing interest has never been excelled.
A COLONIAL FREE-LANCE. A story of American Colonial Times. By Chauncey C.
Hotchkiss. Cloth, 12mo. with four illustrations by J. Watson Davis. Price,
$1.00.
A book that appeals to Americans as a vivid picture of Revolutionary
scenes. The story is a strong one, a thrilling one. It causes the true
American to flush with excitement, to devour chapter after chapter, until
the eyes smart, and it fairly smokes with patriotism. The love story is a
singularly charming idyl.
THE TOWER OF LONDON. A Historical Romance of the Times of Lady Jane Grey
and Mary Tudor. By Wm. Harrison Ainsworth. Cloth, 12mo. with four
illustrations by George Cruikshank. Price, $1.00.
This romance of the "Tower of London" depicts the Tower as palace, prison
and fortress, with many historical associations. The era is the middle of
the sixteenth century.
The story is divided into two parts, one dealing with Lady Jane Grey, and
the other with Mary Tudor as Queen, introducing other notable characters
of the era. Throughout the story holds the interest of the reader in the
midst of intrigue and conspiracy, extending considerably over a half a
century.
IN DEFIANCE OF THE KING. A Romance of the American Revolution. By Chauncey
C. Hotchkiss. Cloth, 12mo. with four illustrations by J. Watson Davis.
Price, $1.00.
Mr. Hotchkiss has etched in burning words a story of Yankee bravery, and
true love that thrills from beginning to end, with the spirit of the
Revolution. The heart beats quickly, and we feel ourselves taking a part
in the exciting scenes described. His whole story is so absorbing that you
will sit up far into the night to finish it. As a love romance it is
charming.
GARTHOWEN. A story of a Welsh Homestead. By Allen Raine. Cloth, 12mo. with
four illustrations by J. Watson Davis. Price, $1.00.
"This is a little idyl of humble life and enduring love, laid bare before
us, very real and pure, which in its telling shows us some strong points
of Welsh character--the pride, the hasty temper, the quick dying out of
wrath.... We call this a well-written story, interesting alike through its
romance and its glimpses into another life than ours. A delightful and
clever picture of Welsh village life. The result is excellent."--Detroit
Free Press.
MIFANWY. The story of a Welsh Singer. By Allan Raine. Cloth, 12mo. with
four illustrations by J. Watson Davis. Price, $1.00.
"This is a love story, simple, tender and pretty as one would care to
read. The action throughout is brisk and pleasing; the characters, it is
apparent at once, are as true to life as though the author had known them
all personally. Simple in all its situations, the story is worked up in
that touching and quaint strain which never grows wearisome, no matter how
often the lights and shadows of love are introduced. It rings true, and
does not tax the imagination."--Boston Herald.
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BURT'S SERIES of STANDARD FICTION.
DARNLEY. A Romance of the times of Henry VIII. and Cardinal Wolsey. By G.
P. R. James. Cloth, 12mo. with four illustrations by J. Watson Davis.
Price, $1.00.
As a historical romance "Darnley" is a book that can be taken up
pleasurably again and again, for there is about it that subtle charm which
those who are strangers to the works of G. P. R. James have claimed was
only to be imparted by Dumas.
If there was nothing more about the work to attract especial attention,
the account of the meeting of the kings on the historic "field of the
cloth of gold" would entitle the story to the most favorable consideration
of every reader.
There is really but little pure romance in this story, for the author has
taken care to imagine love passages only between those whom history has
credited with having entertained the tender passion one for another, and
he succeeds in making such lovers as all the world must love.
WINDSOR CASTLE. A Historical Romance of the Reign of Henry VIII, Catharine
of Aragon and Anne Boleyn. By Wm. Harrison Ainsworth. Cloth. 12mo. with
four illustrations by George Cruikshank. Price, $1.00.
"Windsor Castle" is the story of Henry VIII., Catharine, and Anne Boleyn.
"Bluff King Hal," although a well-loved monarch, was none too good a one
in many ways. Of all his selfishness and unwarrantable acts, none was more
discreditable than his divorce from Catharine, and his marriage to the
beautiful Anne Boleyn. The King's love was as brief as it was vehement.
Jane Seymour, waiting maid on the Queen, attracted him, and Anne Boleyn
was forced to the block to make room for her successor. This romance is
one of extreme interest to all readers.
HORSESHOE ROBINSON. A tale of the Tory Ascendency in South Carolina in
1780. By John P. Kennedy. Cloth, 12mo. with four illustrations by J.
Watson Davis. Price, $1.00.
Among the old favorites in the field of what is known as historical
fiction, there are none which appeal to a larger number of Americans than
Horseshoe Robinson, and this because it is the only story which depicts
with fidelity to the facts the heroic efforts of the colonists in South
Carolina to defend their homes against the brutal oppression of the
British under such leaders as Cornwallis and Tarleton.
The reader is charmed with the story of love which forms the thread of the
tale, and then impressed with the wealth of detail concerning those times.
The picture of the manifold sufferings of the people, is never overdrawn,
but painted faithfully and honestly by one who spared neither time nor
labor in his efforts to present in this charming love story all that price
in blood and tears which the Carolinians paid as their share in the
winning of the republic.
Take it all in all, "Horseshoe Robinson" is a work which should be found
on every book-shelf, not only because it is a most entertaining story, but
because of the wealth of valuable information concerning the colonists
which it contains. That it has been brought out once more, well
illustrated, is something which will give pleasure to thousands who have
long desired an opportunity to read the story again, and to the many who
have tried vainly in these latter days to procure a copy that they might
read it for the first time.
THE PEARL OF ORR'S ISLAND. A story of the Coast of Maine. By Harriet
Beecher Stowe. Cloth, 12mo. Illustrated. Price, $1.00.
Written prior to 1862, the "Pearl of Orr's Island" is ever new; a book
filled with delicate fancies, such as seemingly array themselves anew each
time one reads them. One sees the "sea like an unbroken mirror all around
the pine-girt, lonely shores of Orr's Island," and straightway comes "the
heavy, hollow moan of the surf on the beach, like the wild angry howl of
some savage animal."
Who can read of the beginning of that sweet life, named Mara, which came
into this world under the very shadow of the Death angel's wings, without
having an intense desire to know how the premature bud blossomed? Again
and again one lingers over the descriptions of the character of that baby
boy Moses, who came through the tempest, amid the angry billows, pillowed
on his dead mother's breast.
There is no more faithful portrayal of New England life than that which
Mrs. Stowe gives in "The Pearl of Orr's Island."
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BURT'S SERIES of STANDARD FICTION.
THE SPIRIT OF THE BORDER. A Romance of the Early Settlers in the Ohio
Valley. By Zane Grey. Cloth, 12mo. with four illustrations by J. Watson
Davis. Price, $1.00.
A book rather out of the ordinary is this "Spirit of the Border." The main
thread of the story has to do with the work of the Moravian missionaries
in the Ohio Valley. Incidentally the reader is given details of the
frontier life of those hardy pioneers who broke the wilderness for the
planting of this great nation. Chief among these, as a matter of course,
is Lewis Wetzel, one of the most peculiar, and at the same time the most
admirable of all the brave men who spent their lives battling with the
savage foe, that others might dwell in comparative security.
Details of the establishment and destruction of the Moravian "Village of
Peace" are given at some length, and with minute description. The efforts
to Christianize the Indians are described as they never have been before,
and the author has depicted the characters of the leaders of the several
Indian tribes with great care, which of itself will be of interest to the
student.
By no means least among the charms of the story are the vivid
word-pictures of the thrilling adventures, and the intense paintings of
the beauties of nature, as seen in the almost unbroken forests.
It is the spirit of the frontier which is described, and one can by it,
perhaps, the better understand why men, and women, too, willingly braved
every privation and danger that the westward progress of the star of
empire might be the more certain and rapid. A love story, simple and
tender, runs through the book.
CAPTAIN BRAND, OF THE SCHOONER CENTIPEDE. By Lieut. Henry A. Wise, U. S.
N. (Harry Gringo). Cloth, 12mo. with four illustrations by J. Watson
Davis. Price, $1.00.
The re-publication of this story will please those lovers of sea yarns who
delight in so much of the salty flavor of the ocean as can come through
the medium of a printed page, for never has a story of the sea and those
"who go down in ships" been written by one more familiar with the scenes
depicted.
The one book of this gifted author which is best remembered, and which
will be read with pleasure for many years to come, is "Captain Brand,"
who, as the author states on his title page, was a "pirate of eminence in
the West Indies." As a sea story pure and simple, "Captain Brand" has
never been excelled, and as a story of piratical life, told without the
usual embellishments of blood and thunder, it has no equal.
NICK OF THE WOODS. A story of the Early Settlers of Kentucky. By Robert
Montgomery Bird. Cloth, 12mo. with four illustrations by J. Watson Davis.
Price, $1.00.
This most popular novel and thrilling story of early frontier life in
Kentucky was originally published in the year 1837. The novel, long out of
print, had in its day a phenomenal sale, for its realistic presentation of
Indian and frontier life in the early days of settlement in the South,
narrated in the tale with all the art of a practiced writer. A very
charming love romance runs through the story. This new and tasteful
edition of "Nick of the Woods" will be certain to make many new admirers
for this enchanting story from Dr. Bird's clever and versatile pen.
GUY FAWKES. A Romance of the Gunpowder Treason. By Wm. Harrison Ainsworth.
Cloth, 12mo. with four illustrations by George Cruikshank. Price, $1.00.
The "Gunpowder Plot" was a modest attempt to blow up Parliament, the King
and his Counsellors. James of Scotland, then King of England, was
weak-minded and extravagant. He hit upon the efficient scheme of extorting
money from the people by imposing taxes on the Catholics. In their natural
resentment to this extortion, a handful of bold spirits concluded to
overthrow the government. Finally the plotters were arrested, and the King
put to torture Guy Fawkes and the other prisoners with royal vigor. A very
intense love story runs through the entire romance.
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BURT'S SERIES of STANDARD FICTION.
TICONDEROGA: A Story of Early Frontier Life in the Mohawk Valley. By G. P.
R. James. Cloth, 12mo. with four page illustrations by J. Watson Davis.
Price, $1.00.
The setting of the story is decidedly more picturesque than any ever
evolved by Cooper: The frontier of New York State, where dwelt an English
gentleman, driven from his native home by grief over the loss of his wife,
with a son and daughter. Thither, brought by the exigencies of war, comes
an English officer, who is readily recognized as that Lord Howe who met
his death at Ticonderoga. As a most natural sequence, even amid the
hostile demonstrations of both French and Indians, Lord Howe and the young
girl find time to make most deliciously sweet love, and the son of the
recluse has already lost his heart to the daughter of a great sachem, a
dusky maiden whose warrior-father has surrounded her with all the comforts
of a civilized life.
The character of Captain Brooks, who voluntarily decides to sacrifice his
own life in order to save the son of the Englishman, is not among the
least of the attractions of this story, which holds the attention of the
reader even to the last page. The tribal laws and folk lore of the
different tribes of Indians known as the "Five Nations," with which the
story is interspersed, shows that the author gave no small amount of study
to the work in question, and nowhere else is it shown more plainly than by
the skillful manner in which he has interwoven with his plot the "blood"
law, which demands a life for a life, whether it be that of the murderer
or one of his race.
A more charming story of mingled love and adventure has never been written
than "Ticonderoga."
ROB OF THE BOWL: A Story of the Early Days of Maryland. By John P.
Kennedy. Cloth, 12mo. with four page illustrations by J. Watson Davis.
Price, $1.00.
It was while he was a member of Congress from Maryland that the noted
statesman wrote this story regarding the early history of his native
State, and while some critics are inclined to consider "Horse Shoe
Robinson" as the best of his works, it is certain that "Rob of the Bowl"
stands at the head of the list as a literary production and an authentic
exposition of the manners and customs during Lord Baltimore's rule. The
greater portion of the action takes place in St. Mary's--the original
capital of the State.
As a series of pictures of early colonial life in Maryland, "Rob of the
Bowl" has no equal, and the book, having been written by one who had
exceptional facilities for gathering material concerning the individual
members of the settlements in and about St. Mary's, is a most valuable
addition to the history of the State.
The story is full of splendid action, with a charming love story, and a
plot that never loosens the grip of its interest to its last page.
BY BERWEN BANKS. By Allen Raine.
It is a tender and beautiful romance of the idyllic. A charming picture of
life in a Welsh seaside village. It is something of a prose-poem, true,
tender and graceful.
IN DEFIANCE OF THE KING. A romance of the American Revolution. By Chauncey
C. Hotchkiss. Cloth, 12mo. with four illustrations by J. Watson Davis.
Price, $1.00.
The story opens in the month of April, 1775, with the provincial troops
hurrying to the defense of Lexington and Concord. Mr. Hotchkiss has etched
in burning words a story of Yankee bravery and true love that thrills from
beginning to end with the spirit of the Revolution. The heart beats
quickly, and we feel ourselves taking a part in the exciting scenes
described. You lay the book aside with the feeling that you have seen a
gloriously true picture of the Revolution. His whole story is so absorbing
that you will sit up far into the night to finish it. As a love romance it
is charming.
End of Project Gutenberg's Her Mother's Secret, by Emma D. E. N. Southworth