The tailor and the hideaway bride (original) (raw)

Dan Martinets' grandfather was a tailor. A good tailor. He was so good he was in demand to sew wedding dresses for Granger women. One such girl was Anna, who at 16 years old was a somewhat reluctant bride.

Arranged marriages were common back in Europe and the tradition was not unknown to the Czechs. Anna's parents had decided that the son of lifelong friends would be the best thing for the girl who was becoming quite a beauty. Somehow, her measurements were taken and delivered to Joseph who sewed a beautiful white gown for the upcoming event.

As the day approached, Anna was undoubtedly anxious and on the day she was due in church she disappeared. She was nowhere to be seen. The railroad stationmaster was questioned, but he hadn't seen anyone in a wedding dress leave town that day. It's even possible that they searched the "American" side of the tracks to see if she had somehow gone to the wrong church.

And so it was that the groom was left waiting at the altar. Not too much attention was paid to him for everyone was looking for Anna. Finally, after everyone went home, the flowers wilted, and the sun was going down, a solitary figure clad in white emerged from the cotton field in back of Anna's family's house. It was Anna. She figured that the cotton field was the last place anyone would look, and she figured right.

Now that everyone knew how strongly she felt (including the groom), further plans weren't mentioned and the matter was dropped. Then Anna disappeared again. The cotton field was the first place they checked, and when they went to the tailor to ask if he had seen her, they were looking at a silent sewing machine.