The day of their wedding Author:William Dean Howells Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: m It was bright day when she came back to him from the sleeping-car, but he had not yet awakened. She stood looking down at him and smiling, and presently he ... more »started awake and stared distractedly up at her before he could pull himself together and say, "Well, well! Did you sleep pretty well ?" " I rested pretty well," she answered. " How did you?" Lorenzo laughed. " I guess I slept pretty well, but I don't believe I rested very much. But I've got the whole day to rest in now." Althea had Friend Ella Shewall's hat and sack both on, and she waited for him to realize the fact before she sat down. "Well, well," he said, in recognition, " that sack is nice." " Well ?" she urged, as if she felt a disappointment in his tone. "Well, what do you think?" " It don't seem to go exactly with the dress." " Nay," said Lorenzo, with his laugh. " It makes you look like the world-outside one- half, and the other half Shaker." " Yee, it does," said Althea, forlornly; her chin trembled a little, and her eyes threatened tears. " I guess it's all we're ever going to be, too, Lorenzo: half Shaker and half world- outside," she added, bitterly. " I guess I better go back into the sleeping-car and put on my old shawl and bonnet again." "No such a thing!" cried Lorenzo. "I guess we'll see about that when we get to Saratoga—we must be pretty near there now. Set right down here, and I'll go back for your things." " Nay, the colored man said he would bring them." Althea sank into the seat and got out the handkerchief, broad as a napkin, which she had brought from the Family with her, and wiped the tears from her eyes. Then she bowed her face into it, and her little frame shook with the sobs she smothered. " Well! well!" groaned Lorenzo, in an anguish of tenderness. Althea su...« less