n was able to talk
with considerable energy when the pastor appeared--summoned, as he
fancied, to prepare the dying man for the great change. Great,
therefore, was his amazement when Reuben begged of him to make
arrangements for performing the interrupted marriage ceremony within
half-an-hour.

"But you seem to be dying, friend?" said the perplexed pastor.

"That may be so," replied the hunter quietly, "but Loo wants to be wed
before I die, and we'd better waste no time about it."

There was no resisting this, so the Reverend William Tucker made
arrangements for the wedding, while The MacFearsome and his men were
busied extinguishing the last sparks of the fire.

It was near midnight before these arrangements were completed. Then the
men were summoned once more to the Hall, but how different were their
feelings now from what they had been earlier on that day! The
occupation of old Fiddlestrings was gone. Even the huge pie was
dismissed from the scene. The wedding guests crept quietly in, their
gay costumes torn and covered with charcoal, and bearing other evidences
of the recent conflict. They were very silent, too, and sad, for they
were aware of the critical condition of the bridegroom.

When all was at last prepared a new and unexpected difficulty arose. It
was found that Reuben had fallen into a sound sleep!

Thereupon a whispered but anxious conversation took place at the end of
the hall farthest from the wounded man's couch.

"We must waken him," said MacFearsome, with stern look and tone.

"No, father," said Loo, with a tearful smile, "we must wait."

"Your daughter is right," whispered Mr Tucker. "Whatever be the
condition of Reuben, sleep is the best thing for him."

"But you must start for your conference at four in the morning, and he
may not awake before that," objected MacFearsome.

Their perplexities were suddenly removed by Reuben himself, who awoke
while they were consulting, and asked his friend Jacob--who watched at
his side with the tenderness of a brother--where Loo had gone to.

"She's here, Reuben, waitin' to get married," replied his friend.

The hunter roused himself, looked hastily round, raised himself one one
elbow, and said in a strong voice, "Come, I'm ready now. Let's get it
over."

Immediately Loo was at his side; the whole party assembled round his
couch; the pastor opened his book, and in these exceptional
circumstances Reuben Dale and Louisa MacFearsome were mar