A Gift from the Bride

by Gladys Yessayan Cretan 

To Mari there was nothing more exciting than a wedding -and this wedding was to be right in her own house. Her favorite Uncle Vartan was marrying a beautiful girl names Annig, and Mari was to be a part of the wedding. But from the moment Mari watching Annig write her name in the church register, Mari could think of nothing but how much she wanted to be able to write, how much she wanted to go to school. 

There was no school in Mari's village. The boys were sent to a nearby town for their schooling, but not the girls. It was "not proper" --and besides, with bandits in the country, it was dangerous. But Uncle Vartan's wedding changes everything for Mari. It was not the very best day in her life, but almost the best. And it was Annig, the bride, who made it so special.