Show THE VIRGIN WIFE sy by harold L douglas CHAPTER VI LOVE rinds A WAY F rank frank was a sad spectacle bedron drenched ched with mud and out of breath ho he lay sputtering on tho the bank when ile ho was recovered a little lio ho jumped up and started for home hoine pu aued by tho the horseman who thought that he was waa skill bont on destroying himself it was a close race but frank led all tho the way and got homo home several lengths ahead his advised his brothers to hide hi de all 11 the axes knives and other instruments of death and wont went on his way in tho the me meantime antimo mrs mondo meade was talking to sapphira sapphira she said why do you treat the poor boy that way oh the thed d n fool answered the dutiful sapphira burjust but just seo see how much he loves 1 I YOU U hes all the bigger fool for that wont you make it up with him when he comes back not in a honderd years I 1 bo be sorry if you dont ho he will make a nice lot of trouble i e for us why mother what do you moan mean he will go right away and sue you for breach of promise arid then what will we do Sapp hiras ideas on broach breach of promise were ivero rather vague she know knew about as much of thelah in such cases as she did about the sixth dynasty visions of barred doors grated windows and hugo huge gallows flitted flirted her brain and she he began to look serious serious her mother was encouraged at this I 1 and pleaded franks cause with ro re 11 owed vigor at last sapphira sapphia 1 ra more i overawed over awed by fear of the law than per 1 by her mother nother i consented to the marriage but I 1 dont have to live with him do I 1 I 1 she asked no no my mr dear replied tho the cunning old lady you dont havo have to do that unless you want to I 1 frank first washed somo some of the mud from his form and then ai rayed himself in his best which included a white shirt then lio he instructed his younger brothers to go up and see if his devotion had softened Sapp hiras heart and to report to him tho broth ers era started out and on arriving at the meado family inan mansion sion they were astonished toni shed to behold frank sitting by bv Sapp hiras sido side with his hia chin I 1 in the air air grinning liko a little darky with a two bit watermelon his deadly peril had not been in vain for the darling of his his hia heart had once more consented to become experience had taught hirthe him tho lesson that delays aro dangerous and ho he therefore proceeded to have tho the wedding boddin 0 come off as awn as possible pos ono evening in july tho cho people from tho the lower end of to tho balley began to gather akiho at iho fourth ward school house housa tho the as desks and be benches n cb et moved out oldo ido ua and a 1 canalo was whittled over dha t i 1 the iho floor A man inan with it a adle and a man with a banjo took their places on the teachers platform and nervously twanged the on choir instruments tho the people formed in sets for a quadrille and frank and Sapp sapphira hirn blood in front of tile the ansi einuis ein fis squire johnson confronted thorn them with an open opell book from which ho he road the formula formen formell of marriage sapphira promised with her lips to love honor and obea obo while her brain was busy scheming how to evade the promise pro she did not look much like the unhappy bride in the he novel shoso whoso cold marble brow grew pale as death and her limbs trembled blod as she spoke the fatal word that doomed hor her to a life of perpetual woo woe but she did not look very pleasant and only answered the questions in a disinterested sort of way the groom was in m the bost best of spirits and strutted around as if his clothes clot liea had had boon been when the ceremony wag wa concluded and the blessing bestowed the musicians beruck up tip a lively tuno tune and the wedding guests grabbed their partners and be began bean 0 an the quadrille tho the bride danced with her husband but she scarcely spoke to him altho she had a word and a smile for evo everyone else who swung her sapphira Sapp hirn had gone to liar her wedding with tho the firm intention of leaving va brank rank at the door in a highly sensational manner but hor her marriage vow vow the or atu lations of friends and his loving pride in her made her resolution waver CONTINUED NEXT |