He Fell In Love With His Wife - Edward Payson Roe (the speed reading book .txt) 📗

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“I should hope so,” interrupted Watterly, laughing. “You’ve taken time enough,

certainly, and I guess you’ve talked more than you have before in a year.”

 

“Yes, I know I’m almost as bad as an oyster about talking except when I’m with

you. Somehow we’ve always had a good deal to say to each other. In this

case, I felt that it was due to Alida that she should know all about me and

understand fully just how I felt concerning this marriage. The very fact that

she hasn’t friends to advise her made it all the more needful that I should be

plain and not mislead her in any respect.—She has just as good a right to

judge and act for herself as any woman in the land, and she takes me, and I

take her, with no sentimental lies to start with. Now let’s get back to

business. I rather think, since Harkins was an old acquaintance of mine,

he’ll come up here and marry us, don’t you? Alida, wouldn’t you rather be

married here quietly than face a lot of strangers? You can have your own way,

I don’t care now if half the town was present.”

 

“Oh, yes, indeed, sir! I don’t want to meet strangers—and—and—I’m not very

strong yet. I thank you for considering my feelings so kindly.”

 

“Why, that’s my duty,” replied the farmer. “Come, Watterly, the sun is getting

low, and we’ve considerable to do yet before we start home.”

 

“I’m with you. Now, Alida, you go back quietly and act as if nothing had

happened till I send for you. Of course this impatient young groom will hurry

back with the justice as fast as possible. Still, we may not find him, or he

may be so busy that we shall have to come back for you and take you to his

office.”

 

As she turned to leave the room, Holcroft gave her his hand and said kindly,

“Now don’t you be nervous or worried. I see you are not strong, and you shall

not be taxed any more than I can help. Goodby for a little while.”

 

Meantime Watterly stepped out a moment and gave his domestic a few orders;

then he accompanied Holcroft to the barn, and the horses were soon attached to

the market wagon. “You’re in for it now, Jim, sure enough,” he said laughing.

“What will Angy say to it all?”

 

“Tell her that I say you’ve been a mighty good friend to me, yet I hope I may

never return any favors of the same kind.”

 

“By jocks! I hope not. I guess it’s just as well she was away. She’ll think

we’ve acted just like two harum-scarum men, and will be awfully scandalized

over your marrying this woman. Don’t you feel a little nervous about it?”

 

“No! When my mind’s made up, I don’t worry. Nobody else need lie awake for

it’s my affair.”

 

“Well, Jim, you know how I feel about it, but I’ve got to say something and I

might as well say it plain.”

 

“That’s the only way you ought to say it.”

 

“Well, you talked long enough to give me plenty of time to think. One thing is

clear, Angy won’t take to this marriage. You know I’d like to have you both

come in and take a meal as you always have done, but then a man must keep

peace with his wife, and—”

 

“I understand, Tom. We won’t come till Mrs. Watterly asks us.”

 

“But you won’t have hard feelings?”

 

“No, indeed. Aint you doing your level best as a friend?”

 

“Well, you know women are so set about these things, and Angy is rather hard

on people who don’t come up to her mark of respectability. What’s more, I

suppose you’ll find that others will think and act as she does. If you cared

about people’s opinions I should have been dead against it, but as you feel

and are situated, I’m hanged if I don’t think she’s just the one.”

 

“If it hadn’t been this one, I don’t believe it would have been anyone. Here

we are,” and he tied his horses before the office of the justice.

 

Mr. Harkins greeted Holcroft with a sort of patronizing cordiality, and was

good enough to remember that they had been at the little country schoolhouse

together. In Watterly he heartily recognized a brother politician who

controlled a goodly number of votes.

 

When Holcroft briefly made known his errand, the justice gave a great guffaw

of laughter and said, “Oh, bring her here! And I’ll invite in some of the

boys as witnesses.”

 

“I’m not afraid of all the witnesses that you could crowd into a ten-acre

lot,” said Holcroft somewhat sternly, “but there is no occasion to invite the

boys, whoever they are, or anyone else. She doesn’t want to be stared at. I

was in hopes, Mr. Harkins, that you’d ride up to the almshouse with us and

quietly marry us there.”

 

“Well, I guess you’d better bring her here. I’m pretty busy this afternoon,

and—”

 

“See here, Ben,” said Watterly, taking the justice aside, “Holcroft is my

friend, and you know I’m mighty thick with my friends. They count more with

me than my wife’s relations. Now I want you to do what Holcroft wishes, as a

personal favor to me, and the time will come when I can make it up to you.”

 

“Oh, certainly, Watterly! I didn’t understand,” replied Harkins, who looked

upon Holcroft as a close and, as he would phrase it, no-account farmer, from

whom he could never expect even a vote. “I’ll go with you at once. It’s but a

short job.”

 

“Well,” said Holcroft, “how short can you make it?”

 

“Let me get my book,” and he took from a shelf the “Justice’s Assistant.”

“You can’t want anything shorter than this?” and he read, “‘By this act of

joining hands you do take each other as husband and wife and solemnly engage

in the presence of these witnesses to love and honor and comfort and cherish

each other as such so long as you both shall live. Therefore, in accordance

with the law of the state of New York I do hereby pronounce you husband and

wife.’ A sailor couldn’t tie a knot quicker than that.”

 

“I guess you can, justice,” said Holcroft, taking the book. “Suppose you only

read this much: ‘By this act of joining hands you do take each other as

husband and wife. Therefore, in accordance with the law, etc.’ Would that be

a legal marriage?”

 

“Certainly. You’d have to go to a divorce court to get out of that.”

 

“It’s my purpose to keep out of courts of all kinds. I’ll thank you to read

just that much and no more. I don’t want to say anything that isn’t exactly

true.”

 

“You see how it is, Ben. Holcroft hasn’t known the woman long, and she’s a

nice woman, too, if she is boarding at my hotel. Holcroft needs a wife—must

have one, in fact, to help run his house and dairy. It wasn’t exactly a love

match, you know; and he’s that kind of a man that a yoke of oxen couldn’t draw

a word out of him that he didn’t mean.”

 

“Yes, yes, I see now,” said Harkins. “I’ll read just what you say and no

more.”

 

“And I’ll have a little spread that we can be longer at than the ceremony,”

added Watterly, who was inclined to be a little hilarious over the affair.

 

Holcroft, however, maintained his grave manner, and when they reached the

almshouse he took Watterly aside and said, “See here, Tom, you’ve been a good

friend today and seconded me in everything. Now let the affair pass off just

as quietly and seriously as possible. She’s too cast down for a gay wedding.

Suppose we had a daughter who’d been through such an experience—a nice, good,

modest girl. Her heart’s too sore for fun and jokes. My marrying her is much

the same as pulling her out of deep water in which she was sinking.”

 

“You’re right, Jim. I didn’t think, and one doesn’t have much cause to be so

sparing of the feelings of such creatures as come here. But she’s out of the

common run, and I ought to have remembered it. By jocks! You’re mighty

careful about promising to love, cherish, and obey, and all that, but I guess

you’ll do a sight more than many who do promise.”

 

“Of course I’m going to be kind. That’s my duty. Give Harkins a hint. Tell

him that she’s lost her mother. He needn’t know when the old lady died, but

it will kind of solemnize him.”

 

Watterly did as requested, and Harkins, now convinced that his political

interests could be furthered by careful compliance with all requirements, put

on a grave, official air and was ready for business.

 

Alida was sent for. She was too agitated to say farewell to any of the poor

creatures with whom she had been compelled to associate—even to the few who,

though scarcely sane, had manifested tenderness and affection. She had felt

that she must reserve all her strength for the coming ordeal, which she both

welcomed and feared inexpressibly. She knew how critical was the step she was

taking and how much depended on it, yet the more she thought, the more it

seemed to her as if Providence had, as by a miracle, given her a refuge.

Holcroft’s businesslike view of the marriage comforted her greatly, and she

asked God to give her health and strength to work faithfully for him many

years.

 

But she had sad misgivings as she followed the messenger, for she felt so weak

that she could scarcely walk. It was indeed a pallid, sorrowful, trembling

bride that entered Mr.Watterly’s parlor. Holcroft met her and taking her

hand, said kindly, “Courage! It will be over in a minute.”

 

She was so pale and agitated that the justice asked, “do you enter into this

marriage freely and without compulsion of any kind?”

 

“Please let me sit down a moment,” she faltered, and Watterly hastened to give

her a chair. She fixed her eyes on Holcroft, and said anxiously, “You see,

sir, how weak I am. I have been sick and—and I fear I am far from being well

now. I fear you will be disappointed—that it is not right to you, and that I

may not be able—”

 

“Alida,” interrupted Holcroft gravely, “I’m not one to break my word. Home

and quiet will soon restore you. Answer the justice and tell him the exact

truth.”

 

No elixir could have brought hope and courage like that word “home.” She rose

at once and said to Harkins, “I have consented to Mr. Holcroft’s wishes with

feelings of the deepest gratitude.”

 

“Very well. Join hands.”

 

She hesitated and looked for a moment at Holcroft with strange intensity.

 

“It’s all right, Alida,” he said with a smile. “Come!”

 

His perfect honesty and steadfastness of purpose stood him in good stead then,

for she came at once to his side and took his hand.

 

Justice Harkins solemnly opened his big book and read, “‘By this act of

joining hands you do take each other as husband and wife. Therefore, in

accordance with the law of the State of New York, I do hereby pronounce you

husband and wife.’ That’s all.”

 

“I don’t think you’ll ever be sorry, Alida,” said Holcroft, pressing her hand

as he led her to a chair. Watterly again bustled up with congratulations, and

then said, “you must all come out now to a little supper, and also remember

that it was