The Illegal Marriage — page 257: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

THE ILLEGAL MARRIAGE. 249 opening when William Stannard went to Macon, to lead Cecy Morgan to the altar. During the winter his visits to the city had been _ frequent, and he often spent weeks there in order to see and be near the woman he so fondly loved. Stannard had told her the story of his youth, and Cecy loved him all the more as she thought how oe he had suffered, and how nobly he had treated er. “Tam not worthy such love as yours,” she said, when he had told her why he had treated her coolly. “Indeed, Iam not worthy of it. I feel like a guilty thing when I think of my past.” “Hush, Cecy; don’t say that,” he said, fondly; “J cannot bear to hear you talk so.” “But I do feel so. Oh! William, if I had only had my mother; if I had had any woman to guide me, it would have been so different with me. [ thought you loved another—I was out of my head; but I did love you even then. You will think me deceitful, it may be, but it is true. I tried to deceive myself.” “Tt is past, Cecy; don’t talk of it now. Tell me, my darling, tell me the day. Don’t make it long, Cecy.” As lovers do, they wrangled over the day of the wedding; and though Cecy argued strongly for time, he insisted on the first of May. Cecy was to be married from Mrs. Bond’s house; and in small cities like Macon, a wedding among people of their condition in life creates no litle flutter among the beau sex. For days, and weeks, even, Miss Morgan’s wedding to so eligible a parti as Colonel Stannard was the main topic of conver- sation. The wonderful trowsseau, imported from Paris, was talked and talked of; and happy the girl who, when the day drew near, was able to show a card of in- vitation to the church. The last day of April came at length, the last toilets were being hurried home from over-worked milliners, and the preparations for the morrow were complete. Stannard had brought his horses to the GEomicbooks (Elo)