Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1869-09-17
SELECTED STORY.
HOW 1T WAS DONE.
Ely AMY RANDOLPH.

Church Torrington was perhaps the great.
est coward in the city of New York.
| Don't misunderstood US gentle reader
physically speaking, our young hero was
brave as Bayard, dauntless as Ceur dc
Lion. But it was where the fair sex were
concerned that Mr.. Torrington became a
poliroon. A glance from pair of blue
eyes was enough to throw him into cold
perspiration at any time.
AS one by one Of the companions of his
boyhood and carly youth vanished out of the
path Of bachelorhood and entered into the
Promised Land of matrimony, Church Tor
rington viewed them with not uncnvious
mind.
"How the mischief did they ever muster
up courage to do it 2" was. his internal re-
Fiction.
And Harry Leslie, wag OF forty who al
ways had knack Of finding out every body
clses weak points, said
''All Of that set married except Church
Torrington-and he'll be bachelor all the
days Of his life, because he hasn't got
courage to ask any girl to have him | don't
know though, either" he added reflective
ly. '.Wait until Leap Year comes around
again, there may be chance for him then
Nevertheless, in the face of all these OBJ
stacles, Church TorriDgton was in love.
Miss Violet Purple was as pretty and
blooming little lassie as ever tripped down
the sunny side of Broadway, under a thread
lace parasol, on June afternoon. She was
very plump and rather small, with blue. gray
eyes, eyebrows like twin arches of jet, shin
ing chestnut hair, and skin like white vel
vet, just flushed with the softest pink on
either dimpled check. And she had way
of carrying her head piquantly on one side
and spoke with the slightest possible Of lisps,
and always wore rose in her hair, and was
altogether precisely the sort Of little girl a
mans fancy would be apt to conjure up,
when he thought of the possibility of wife
to cheer up the gloom Of his solitary home.
Violet Purple was born to be married.
you couldn't think of Eer as an old maid
any more than you could think of strawber-
ries without cream, or satin slipper with
cut a dainty foot to fit it-and whenever she
thought Of the probability of that catastro-
phe, face like the moustached physiognomy
of Mr.. Church Torrington outlines itself
through the misty vapors of her day dream.
But Mr.. Church was so dreadfully bash
ful-he wouldn't proposc-and poor little
Violet was nearly at her wits end, what to
do in this dire perplexity. A girl of any
delicacy can't very well ask man to have
her, and Violet had done everything else
She had smiled swectly on him, and given
him no end Of rosebuds out Of her ball bon
quets, and had "philopened" with him, and
sent him embroidered cigar cases, and re-
turned a gentle pressure when he had ven
tured to squeeze her hand at parting, and
what, we ask the reader, could a girl dc
more
And still in spite Of all this, Mr. Torring-
ton persisted in keeping his love to himself
In vain Aunt Sarepta took her work up
stairs, and left the drawing-room free to
twilight and the lovers,-in vain Violet put
on her prettiest dresses and curlcd her hail
with special eye to Church Torrington';
taste. And old Mr.. Purple--whose name
wasn't bad description of the general hue
Of his face, beganto wonder "what the deuce
young Torrington meant by coming here Sc
much and keeping better men away" anc
limited very broadly at the propriety Of Vic
let's being more gracious to a certain banker
a FREUD of his, who was supposed to b.
specially attracted by the blue-gra eyes ane
the jet-arched brows.
| And little Violet took to crying Of nights
on her lace-edgcd pillows, and declining ;
second plate of lobster salad at dinner; ant
Aunt Sarepta, a tall, spare, maiden lady
who had only recently come up from tn
country to take charge of her brothers house
hold scarce knew what to do ''-5
Violet" quoth the aunsy, "what doe
all you!"
II don't know, Aunt !-(Rather lack
adaisically.)
"How long has Mr.. Torrington been viz
iting here p
II don't know, about three years"
''Does he care for you, Violet? e
Il don't know, aunt. - Blushes red an
rosy;)
'Do you care for him %
II don't know, aunt RI More Of Love
proper hue.) .fa4
Then why on earth don't he propose an
have done with it 2"
Il don't know, aunt r'-This time, in
sort Of despairing accent.
Miss Sarepta Purple set herself to untan
gle this Gordian knot circumstances as sh
would have charged at a "snarl'' in he
skeins of mixed yarn ; and when Miss SareI
ia set herself about thing, she was general
ly in the habit Of accomplishing it.
"Pll 60 and see him myself" was the re
suit Of long day of meditation on Mis
Sarcpta's part; Sand won't let Viole
know about it neither"
Mr.. Church Torrington sat in his leather