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: CHAPTER IV NOTWITHSTANDING the bride's repeatedly stated objections, and even certain sharp preventive measures she had taken, the emissaries of those periodicals which make a specialty of such matters turned out in considerable force in the neighborhood of St. James the next morning. They could always take snap-shots of the crowd even if the principals were unapproachable, and possibly counted on the fact that some members of it might not be averse to answering a question, or giving some harmless, petty details — though, of course, they would never consent to be interviewed, never! Somehow or other the rumor had gone abroad that Miss Stillman, for instance, or even Miss Hester Rudd could be persuaded into these confidences. And, in fact, as the machines drove up to the church door, some enterprising journalists got speaking likenesses of a number of elaborate parasols, half a dozen chauffeurs, sections of sundry limousines, the base of the monument erected to the memory of the Clear Harbor volunteers who fell at Santiago, and Mr. Elihu Rudd's top hat. No one could penetrate within the church itself without a card, however; and upon the exit of the bridal-party, Miss Rudd — we beg her pardon! — Mrs. Rudolph Gherardi, was powerfully backed up in her design of securing privacy, by a not wholly agreeable ally, a dashing downpour of rain, that drove all the outsiders to cover, and kept the wedding-guests roosting amongst the pews, or packed into the aisles and porches for fully ten minutes. The storm had been threatening all morning, and burst just as the groom handed the bride into their car; he had to plunge in unceremoniously himself, with his gilt-braided uniform, and his sword and spurs fairly on top of her veil and satin train which were stuffed in any way and every way; the ... --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.