ued chrysanthemums. Perhaps it was because of
the dark season of suspense through which she and Tom had passed that
Grace declared herself for the cheerful daintiness of a pink and white
wedding. In contradistinction to the weddings of her chums, who with the
exception of Miriam Nesbit had each been accompanied to the altar by a
bevy of bridesmaids, Grace announced that she wished the services of
only a maid of honor and two flower girls. Nor did any one complain when
her choice of bridal attendant fell upon J. Elfreda Briggs. As for the
latter, she was in the seventh heaven of delight and wondered humbly how
it had all happened. Anna May and Elizabeth Angerell felt equally proud
and delighted to have been chosen by dear Miss Harlowe as flower girls.

As the greater part of the townspeople of Oakdale were desirous of
seeing Grace Harlowe and Tom Gray married, Grace rather reluctantly
decided in favor of a church wedding. Privately she would have preferred
being married in her own home, but this she kept strictly to herself.
There was also another secret which she and Tom sedulously guarded. It
related to where they intended to go on their honeymoon. Only Mr. and
Mrs. Harlowe and Mrs. Gray had shared their confidence regarding their
purposed destination, and their elders proved themselves to be good
secret-keepers. Withholding this bit of information was in the nature of
a whim on Grace's part, and though she and Tom were daily besieged with
questions by their friends, no one had any serious thought of spoiling
Grace's little surprise by endeavoring to pry it from her smiling lips.

Apart from the Six Originals and her many intimate Oakdale friends of
school and later days, countless others gathered from far and near to be
on hand for the great day. The Semper Fidelis girls had journeyed to
Oakdale to a member. Judge Putnam and his sister, Mrs. Gibson, Mrs.
Allison and Mabel, Arnold Evans, the Southards, Eleanor Savelli, her
father and her aunt, Miss Nevin, had all congregated to do her honor.
Even Professor Morton and Miss Wilder were among those present. Mrs.
Gray insisted on making herself responsible for the appearance of the
Harlowe House girls, who received special permission from Professor
Morton to attend the great event in a body.

Kathleen West, Laura Atkins, Mabel Ashe and Patience Eliot came to the
wedding, as did Madge Morton and the Meadow-brook Girls. In fact,
Oakdale had the air of a town holding a conve