Amanda: A Daughter of the MennonitesMyers, Anna Balmer
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Amanda: A Daughter of the Mennonites
Myers, Anna Balmer
Mennonites -- Fiction
Several robins with nests already built on broad crotches of the cherry
trees hovered about, their black eyes peering questioningly down at the
unwonted visitors to the place. Once during the marriage service a
Baltimore oriole flashed into a tree near by, his golden plumage made
more intense against the white blossoms. With proud assurance he
demonstrated his appreciation of the orchard and perched fearlessly on
an outer bough while he whistled his insistent, imperious, "Here, here,
come here!"
As the words, "Until death do us part"--the old, inadequate mortal
expression for love that is deathless--sounded in that white-arched
temple Amanda thought of Riley's "Song of the Road" and its
"To Heaven's door, and _through_, my lad,
O I will walk with you."
After the ceremony the strains of a Wedding March fell upon the ears of
the people gathered in the orchard.
Amanda's lips parted in pleasure. "That's Phil's work!" she cried and
ran behind the clump of bushes from where the music seemed to come.
Philip was stooping to grind the motor of Landis's Victrola.
"Phil, you dear!"
"Aren't I though!" he said frivolously. "I had the heck of a time
getting this thing here while you were dressing and keeping it hidden.
I had to bribe little Charlie twice to keep him from telling you. He
was so sure you'd want to know all about it."
"It's just the last touch we needed to make this perfect."
"Leave it to your devoted brother. Now go back and receive the best
wishes or congratulations or whatever it is they give the bride."
Later there was supper out under the trees. A supper at which Millie,
trim in her new gray Mennonite garb and white cap, was able to show her
affection for the bride, but at which the bride was so riotously happy
that she scarcely knew what she was eating.
Of course there was a real bride's cake with white icing. Amanda had to
cut it and hand out pieces for the young people to dream upon.
After a while the bride slipped away, took off her white dress and put
on a dark suit. Then she and Martin dodged rice and were whirled away
in a big automobile.
The other members of the household had much to occupy their hands for
the next hour, setting things to rights, as Millie said, the while
their hearts and thoughts were speeding after the two who had smiled
and looked as though no other mortals had ever known such love.
When the place was once more in order and the Landis family, the last
guests, had gone off in the darkness, the children flinging back loud
good-nights, Mrs. Reist, Philip, Millie and Uncle Amos sat alone on the
porch and talked things over.
"It was some wedding, Mother," was the opinion of the boy.
"Yes." "Prettiest thing I ever seen," said the hired girl.
"Yes, so it was," Uncle Amos agreed. "But say, Millie, it's dandy and
moonlight. What d'you say to a little walk down the road? Or are you
too tired?"
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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