They left it to me, so I set Thanksgiving Day, and as there is no “kirk to gang to,” we are going to have a justice of the peace and they are to be married here.  We are going to have the dandiest dinner that I can cook, and Mr. Stewart went to town next day for the wedding dress, the gayest plaid outside of Caledonia.  But Gale has lots of sense and is going to wear it.  I have it almost finished, and while it doesn’t look just like a Worth model, still it looks plumb good for me to have made.  The boys are going up after Zebulon Pike, and Mr. Stewart is going after “Mis’ Lane.”  Joy waves are radiating from this ranch and about Thanksgiving morning one will strike you.

With lots of love and happy wishes,

  Your ex-Washlady,
    ELINORE RUPERT.

VI

A THANKSGIVING-DAY WEDDING

DEAR MRS. CONEY,—­

...  I think every one enjoyed our Thanksgiving programme except poor Gale.  She was grieved, I verily believe, because Mr. Patterson is not Mormon and could not take Sedalia and herself also.  I suppose it seemed odd to her to be unable to give way to Sedalia as she had always done.

I had cooked and cooked.  Gale and Zebulon Pike both helped all they could.  The wedding was to be at twelve o’clock, so at ten I hustled Gale into my room to dress.  I had to lock the door to keep her in, and I divided my time between the last touches to my dinner and the finishing touches to Gale’s toilet and receiving the people.  The Lane party had not come yet, and I was scared to death lest Sedalia had had a tantrum and that Mr. Stewart would not get back in time.  At last I left the people to take care of themselves, for I had too much on my mind to bother with them.  Just after eleven Mr. Stewart, Mis’ Lane, Sedalia, and Pa Lane “arriv” and came at once into the kitchen to warm.  In a little while poor, frightened Gale came creeping in, looking guilty.  But she looked lovely, too, in spite of her plaid dress.  She wore her hair in a coronet braid, which added dignity and height, as well as being simple and becoming.  Her mother brought her a wreath for her hair, of lilies of the valley and tiny pink rosebuds.  It might seem a little out of place to one who didn’t see it, but the effect was really charming.

Sedalia didn’t know that Mr. Stewart had given Gale her dress, so, just to be nasty, she said, as soon as she saw Gale, “Dear me, when are you going to dress, Gale?  You will hardly have time to get out of that horse-blanket you are wearing and get into something decent.”  You see, she thought it was one of my dresses fixed over for Gale.  Presently Sedalia asked me if I was invited to the “function.”  She had some kind of rash on her face and Zebulon Pike noticed the rash and heard the word “function,” so he thought that was the name of some disease and asked Mr. Stewart