Then she stepped to the door, and Peter, all shining and new, came in.
He hugged Sally and kissed her like it didn't make the least difference
whether she had on calico or a wedding dress, and he just stared, and
stared at her, and never said a word, so at last she asked: "Well
Peter, do you like my dress?"
And the idiot said: "Why Sally, I hadn't even seen it!"
Then both of them laughed, and the Presiding Elder came.
I never liked to look at him very well because something had happened,
and he had only one eye. I always wondered if he had "plucked it out"
because it had "offended" him; but if you could forget his eye, and
just listen to his voice, it was like the sweetest music. He married
those two people right there in the bedroom, all but about three words
at the end. I heard and saw every bit of it. Then Sally said it was
time for me to go to mother, but she followed me into the boys' room
and shut the door. Then she knelt in her beautiful silver dress, and
put her arms around me and said: "Honest, Little Sister, aren't you
going to kiss me goodbye?"
"Oh I can if you want me to," I said, but I didn't look at her; I
looked out of the window.
She laughed a breathless little catchy sort of laugh and said: "That's
exactly what I do want."
"You didn't even want me, to begin with," I reminded her.
"There isn't a doubt but whoever told you that, could have been in
better business," said Sally, angry-like. "I was much younger then,
and there were many things I didn't understand, and it wasn't you I
didn't want; it was just no baby at all. I wouldn't have wanted a boy,
or any other girl a bit more. I foolishly thought we had children
enough in this house. I see now very plainly that we didn't, for this
family never could get along without you, and I'm sorry I ever thought
so, and I'd give anything if I hadn't struck you and----"
"Oh be still, and go on and get married!" I said. I could just feel a
regular beller coming in my throat. "I was only fooling to pay you up.
I meant all the time to kiss you good-bye when the others did. I'll
nearly die being lonesome when you're gone----"
Then I ran for downstairs, and when I reached the door, where the steps
went into the sitting-room, I stopped, scared at all the people. It
was like camp-meeting. You could see the yard full through the
windows. Just as I was thinking I'd go back to the boys' room, and
from there into the garret, and down the back stairway, Laddie went and
saw me. He came over, led me to the parlour door, put me inside, and
there mother took my hand and held me tight, and I couldn't see Leon
anywhere.
I was caught, but they didn't have him. Mother never hung on as she
did that day. I tried and tried to pull away, and she held tight. It
was only a minute until the door opened, people crowded back, and the
Presiding Elder, followed by Sally and Peter, came into the room, and
they began being married all over again.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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