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Page 75
There were present Mrs. Benedict and one or two intimate friends of the
family, besides Grandmother Brady, Aunt Nan, and Lizzie.
Lizzie brought a dozen bread-and-butter-plates from the ten-cent store.
They were adorned with cupids and roses and much gilt. But Lizzie was
disappointed. No display, no pomp and ceremony. Just a simple white dress
and white veil. Lizzie did not understand that the veil had been in the
Bailey family for generations, and that the dress was an heirloom also. It
was worn because Grandmother Bailey had given it to her, and told her she
wanted her to wear it on her wedding-day. Sweet and beautiful she looked
as she turned to walk down the aisle on her husband's arm, and she smiled
at Grandmother Brady in a way that filled the grandmother's heart with
pride and triumph. Elizabeth was not ashamed of the Bradys even among her
fine friends. But Lizzie grumbled all the way home at the plainness of the
ceremony, and the lack of bridesmaids and fuss and feathers.
The social column of the daily papers stated that young Mr. and Mrs.
George Benedict were spending their honeymoon in an extended tour of the
West, and Grandmother Brady so read it aloud at the breakfast table to the
admiring family. Only Lizzie looked discontented:
"She just wore a dark blue tricotine one-piece dress and a little plain
dark hat. She ain't got a bit of taste. Oh _Boy_! If I just had her pocket
book wouldn't I show the world? But anyhow I'm glad she went in a private
car. There was a _little_ class to her, though if t'had been mine I'd uv
preferred ridin' in the parlor coach an' havin' folks see me and my fine
husband. He's some looker, George Benedict is! Everybody turns to watch
'em as they go by, and they just sail along and never seem to notice. It's
all perfectly throwed away on 'em. Gosh! I'd hate to be such a nut!"
"Now, Lizzie, you know you hadn't oughtta talk like that!" reproved her
grandmother, "After her giving you all that money fer your own wedding. A
thousand dollars just to spend as you please on your cloes and a blow out,
and house linens. Jest because she don't care for gewgaws like you do, you
think she's a fool. But she's no fool. She's got a good head on her, and
she'll get more in the long run out of life than you will. She's been real
loving and kind to us all, and she didn't have any reason to neither. We
never did much fer her. And look at how nice and common she's been with us
all, not a bit high headed. I declare, Lizzie, I should think you'd be
ashamed!"
"Oh, well," said Lizzie shrugging her shoulders indifferently, "She's all
right in her way, only 'taint my way. And I'm thankful t'goodness that I
had the nerve to speak up when she offered to give me my trousseau. She
askt me would I druther hav her buy it for me, or have the money and pick
it out m'self, and I spoke up right quick and says, 'Oh, cousin Bessie, I
wouldn't _think_ of givin' ya all that trouble. I'd take the _money_ ef
it's all the same t'you,' and she jest smiled and said all right, she
expected I knew what I wanted better'n she did. So yes'teddy when I went
down to the station to see her off she handed me a bank book. And--Oh,
say, I fergot! She said there was a good-bye note inside. I ain't had time
to look at it since. I went right to the movies on the dead run to get
there 'fore the first show begun, and it's in my coat pocket. Wait 'till I
get it. I spose it's some of her old _religion_! She's always preaching at
me. It ain't that she says so much as that she's always _meanin'_ it
underneath, everything, that gets my goat! It's sorta like having a piece
of God round with you all the time watching you. You kinda hate to be
enjoyin' yerself fer fear she won't think yer doin' it accordin' to the
Bible."
Lizzie hurtled into the hall and brought back her coat, fumbling in the
pocket.
"Yes, here 'tis ma! Wanta see the figgers? You never had a whole thousand
dollars in the bank t'woncet yerself, did ya?"
Mrs. Brady put on her spectacles and reached for the book, while Lizzie's
mother got up and came behind her mother's chair to look over at the magic
figures. Lizzie stooped for the little white note that had fluttered to
her feet as she opened the book, but she had little interest to see what
it said. She was more intent upon the new bank book.
It was Grandmother Brady that discovered it:
"Why, Lizzie! It ain't _one_ thousand, it's _five_ thousand, the book
says! You don't 'spose she's made a mistake, do you?"
Lizzie seized the book and gazed, her jaw dropping open in amaze. "Let me
have it!" demanded Lizzie's mother, reaching for the book.
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