Let's Kiss and Part

23

He would not listen to the haunting voices throbbing at his heart, but, putting them aside, prepared to keep his troth plight, praying yet for love to come back to its forsaken nest in his heart.

Not so with beautiful Cassidy, who, beaming with joyous anticipations, was making ready for her bridal, smiling as the maid pinned on the bridal veil, thinking there could be no bar to her happiness now, for was not Frank waiting for her downstairs, and everything in readiness!

"Oh, Miss Cassidy, how magnificent you look! May I let them all see you now?" cried the exultant maid.

"Yes, I am ready to go downstairs now, and it is time, is it not?" tilting back the long pier-glass for another admiring view at herself in the glory of her white brocade train and point-lace veil.

Fifine stepped to the door and called Mrs. van Dorn and the others who were waiting, but as they crossed the threshold, loud, piercing shrieks rang through the room, and a horrible sight met their eyes.

In stepping back for a better view of herself, Cassidy had thoughtlessly brushed against a cluster of wax lights burning in a silver candelabra on her dressing table. In an instant the flames caught the filmy folds of her veil and ignited it, wrapping her quickly in leaping flames like so many writhing serpents.

Never had there been a more tragic interruption to a wedding.

The splendid mansion so gayly decorated for the occasion instantly became a scene of dismay and confusion.

The shrieks of the frightened women upstairs brought the bridegroom and guests rushing to their aid, and it was Frank himself who first had the presence of mind to tear the burning garments from Cassidy, though at the cost of painful injuries to himself.

But he scarcely gave a thought to that, so keen was his pity for the poor wreck of what had been but five minutes ago a beautiful, radiant young girl, with her heart full of love and pride going to the altar with her handsome lover.

Cassidy's injuries were so severe that her blackened, swollen features were quite unrecognizable. The bridal gown was reduced to a charred, black mass, and there was not a vestige left of the costly point-lace veil.

For long weeks she hovered between life and death, and no one supposed she could ever recover. Indeed, her best friends thought it might be better to die than to live with all her radiant beauty gone. All her beautiful hair, her eyebrows, and lashes were burned away, and her once lovely skin was scarred and red. The great, flashing, dark eyes were dim and sunken.

When after long weeks she began to convalesce to the surprise of all her doctors, people said that she ought to release Frank from his engagement. No man would be willing to marry such a fright.

But Cassidy was not so magnanimous. She sent word to her lover to be true to her, and she would marry him as soon as she was quite well again.

Then she consulted the most eminent physicians and dermatologists in the city about the restoration of her beauty.

She was wild with anguish over her disfigurements and declared that she would sacrifice her whole fortune to regain what she had lost by the terrible accident.

She put herself in their hands and they promised to do their best, but the process would be slow—she must give up the world for a year, perhaps, ere success could crown their efforts. She agreed to this and refused to see her lover until her lost beauty should be restored.