The Twenty-Fourth of June: Midsummer's DayRichmond, Grace S. (Grace Smith)
General
The Twenty-Fourth of June: Midsummer's Day
Richmond, Grace S. (Grace Smith)
Children of the rich -- Fiction; Love stories; Young women -- Fiction
"Nobody ever'll know when Rob did change her mind about him," Ted
assured her. "She can make you think black's green when she wants to."
"Isn't she perfectly wonderful to-night?" sighed the pretty cousin, with
a glance from her own home-made frock--in which, however, she looked
like a freshly picked rose--to Roberta's bridal gown, shimmering through
mistiness, simplicity itself, yet, as the little cousin well knew, the
product of such art as she herself might never hope to command. "I
always thought she was perfectly beautiful, but she's absolutely
fascinating to-night."
"Tell that to Rich. I'm afraid he doesn't appreciate her," laughed Ted,
indicating his new brother-in-law, who, at the moment being temporarily
unemployed, was to be observed following his bride with his eyes with a
wistful gaze indicating helplessness without her even for a fraction of
time.
Roberta had been drawn a little away by her husband's best man, who had
something to tell her which he had reserved for this hour.
"Mrs. Kendrick," he was beginning--at which he was bidden to remember
that he had known the girl Roberta for many years; and so began again,
smiling with gratitude:
"Roberta, have you any idea what is happening in Eastman to-night?"
"Indeed I haven't, Hugh. Anything I ought to know of?"
"I think it's time you did. Every employee in our store is sitting down
to a great dinner, served by a caterer from this city, with a Christmas
favour at every plate. The place cards have a K and G on them in
monogram. There are such flowers for decorations as most of those people
never saw. I don't need to tell you whose doing this is."
He had the reward he had anticipated for the telling of this
news--Roberta's cheek coloured richly, and her eyes fell for a moment
to hide the surprise and happiness in them.
"That may seem like enough," he went on gently, "but it wasn't enough
for him. At every children's hospital in this city, and in every
children's ward, there is a Christmas tree to-night, loaded with gifts.
And I want you to know that, busy as he has been until to-day, he picked
out every gift himself, and wrote the name on the card with his own
hand."
It was too much to tell her all at once, and he knew it when he saw her
eyes fill, though she smiled through the shining tears as she murmured:
"And he didn't tell me!"
"No, nor meant to. When I remonstrated with him he said you might think
it a posing to impress you, whereas it simply meant the overflow of his
own happiness. He said if he didn't have some such outlet he should
burst with the pressure of it!"
Her moved laughter provided some sort of outlet for her own pressure of
feeling about these tidings. When she had recovered control of herself
she turned to glance toward her husband, and Hugh's heart stirred within
him at the starry radiance of that look, which she could not veil
successfully from him, who knew the cause of it.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account