Evening Republican, Volume 14, Number 261, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 2 November 1910 — Miss Jane’s Wedding Feast [ARTICLE]

Miss Jane’s Wedding Feast

By VIRGINIA BLAIR

As the boy who had brought the elegram rode away on his bicycle, las Jane dropped into the rocking «nair on the porch and stared blankon the sunlighted garden. They ain’t coming—” she said to osephus, the big yellow cat, who lay a * ull len gth on the gravel walk. At the sound of his name Josephus ' azl 'y and came toward her. They ain’t coming,” Miss Jane repeated, “and we will? have to eat up °ur party alone, Josephus.” .. big cat followed her to the chen and sniffed esctatically as stle o Pened the oven door. Within tions a cllicken p * e °f huge propor- ,“ A ( nd to think,” sighed Miss Jane, at no one will be here to help us eat it.” ' T , oS fT hus mewed sympathetically, Miss Jane picked him up and rr ed hlm back to the porch, leang the pie to further baking. She rocked back and forth in the g chair, her hand caressing the purring cat. Her face settled Into careworn lines. She waß deeply disappointed. In her lonely life there were few opportunities for social Pleasure, hence this yearly gathering in June, which celebrated the birthay of her only brother, was a redletter event Years ago her brother nad moved to the city, had married and was surrounded by a family of children whom Miss Jane adored. And, today, the gay group had been prevented from coming by the illness of the youngest child. The telegram had brought the news Just at the moment when Miss Jane had finished setting her table. She thought regretfully of the two cocoanut cakes, the cottage cheese, the tarts and the crullers, to the making of which she had given the whole of the previous day. In the refrigerator were the crisp salad and the luscious fruits. All was ready, but there were no guests. Into her mind came suddenly a fantastic thought: “Go ye Into the highways and the hedges and compel them to come In.” Par down the long road dwelt a little colony of poor whites. Miss Jane knew what a Joy the good things would bring to them. "I could pack a basket,” she said to Josephus, “but I hate to waste all my good cooking on a crowd like ithat."

She was still undecided when the pie was ready to take out of the oven. As she placed it, all browned and smoking on the kitchen table, by the window, she looked over the kitchen ‘garden, beyond which were the flower beds which followed the path to the front of the house. By the side of the path was a great bush, covered with snowy blossom. As Miss Jane’s casual glance rested upon it, there appeared, back of the whiteness, a patch of rose pink. "Well,” Miss Jane remarked, “that is a queer kind of blossom on that bridal-wreath bUBh.” Followed by Josephus, she went down the path, her soft slippers making little noise. As she reached the bush some one rose from behind it It was a girl in a pink sunbonnet In her hand she held a half dozen sprays of the bridal-wreath. She was little and slender, and she wore a cheap, white gown. "Oh!" she said as Miss Jane stared at her. “Do you mind? I am going to be married and I wanted some flowers and we hadn't any.” "You might have asked me,” Miss Jane said austerely. ••I_l was afraid,” the girl stammered, “and pap wouldn’t buy me any flowers, and he wouldn’t let Joe. He said it was bad enough for me to marry Joe without our wasting our .money. But a wedding don’t mean much, does it, without any flowers or without any wedding supper? Pap maid poor folks haven’t any right to orpect such things, but Joe says a girl only gets married once, and he would have bought me some flowers, .only i wouldn’t let him. I was afraid pap would be mad.” The long explanation came out in stammering sentences. Miss Jane found herself looking with Interest at the blushing, bright-eyed little creature. “When are you going to be married?" she asked. “This afternoon, at 4 o’clock,” the girl answered. "It’s three now,” Miss Jane told her. “You ought to be home getting ready." “There won t be any getting ready.” the glrl eald wistfully. "I’m aoing 1° wear thlß dresa * and I thought 1 would make a wreath of vour flowers. You don't think It would look silly, do you?” : .<! t hink it would look lovely,” Miss inne declared. Her heart went out suddenly toward the shy little crea- * »Why didn’t your mother codk 1“ supper?” she asked. 7 ••She’s dead." the girl said simply. '..Movbe if * h « hftd llved things would h£e been different” Miss Ja llo had a ■ndden Inspiration her * “ * he ,ald Quickly, m v. T e something to show you. kime up to the house with me.” (They went rapidly up to the house, L„ faithful Joccpbus pattering after. passed throng;? the kitchen, fragrant with s**ory\ cooking and mtoths dtata* roo,fc

wag set for twelve and was gay with fine white linen, shining old silver, glittering glass, and some pink roses which Miss Jane had picked from the garden. “How \tould you like to have your wedding supper here?” Miss Jane demanded. “You could be married in the parlor and have your friends here to eat 'my chicken pie and cocoanut cakes."/ The girl gasped. “But we ain't your kind, We’re Just poor folkß that live down in the hollow.” “I guess I know who you are,” Miss Jane said, sharply, “but I am hot going to see any girl married without some fuss being made over it. I am not married myself, but if I had been I should have wanted the whole town to turn out to look at me. And anyhow this dinner must not go to waste, and there isn’t any one but me and Josephus to eat it.” The girl’s face was lighted with radiant happiness. She made ohly a faint show >of resistance. “You come with me and ask pap,” she pleaded. "Maybe he’U-let me If you ask him.” The old man was a cross-grained fellow. But Miss Jane was accustomed to being obeyed. She did not request; she commanded, and before the old man knew what had' happened he had joined the little procession which wound its way toward the big house. The minister headed the line, then the bride, crowned with her white wreath and leaning # proudly on the arm of the groom, then the small brothers and sisters and the friends of the family, and at last the old man and Miss Jane. Josephus met them at the front porch and preceded them Into the parlod. The young people tarried for a moment in the garden with Miss Jane to pluck branches of bridalwreath and great bunches of roses. In a few moments the little front room was transformed into a bower of beauty, and there the poor child of the hollow was married. Miss Jane served the wedding feast, and she had never enjoyed anything so much. The nieces and nephews who had come from the city in previous years were children of luxury. To them even cocoanut cake and chicken pie were somewhat commonplace. To Miss Jane’s poor neighbors, however, the wedding supper was a feast fit for the gods. They drank the bride’s health In grape juice, served in the thin glasses that belonged to Miss Jane’s grandmother, and after that the girl went away with her young husband. She kissed Miss Jane last. “It’s like a fairy tale/’ she said. “How can I ever thank you?” “By coming to see me often. I like your Joe. He 4s going to make you happy." After every one had gone Miss Jane cleaned up the house and talked things over with Josephus. “She said it was like a fairy tale, Josephus. It’s a pity that I haven’t done such things oftener. Those poor people down In the hollow are my neighbors just as much as anybody else. Yet I have sat here like a selfish old witch and have forgotten that there Is anybody else in the world.” Josephus mewed plaintively. In her preoccupation his mistress had forgotten to give him his share of the wedding feast. His boul yearned for chicken pie, and he stood up at the kitchen table and eyed the remains of the supper hungrily. Miss Jane filled his dish and set it down in the corner. “It was a good chicken pie, Josephus,” she told him, “and I am not sorry now that I cooked It. The chance Isn’t given to an old maid like me to serve many suppcrß like whole lot to make other people happy.”