The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1870-04-14

Dlt Sic uullcCU ulitl anu ltlhCu dS
usual ana no n ome svgssGRR una. s9e was WAS
with chosen friend had slipped away from
the parlors, and was smoking and talking in
the dressing ROOM He was q little out Of
sorts IIettv, conscious of her duties as host
css, insisted on being public property, and
could not be allured into q tete-a-tete; and
the women who were ready to be talked to
he did not care about Engaged men are
generally known by their bearish conduct to
ladies generally Rokewood, although not
engaged, believed himself far enough upon
the road to forget his old suavity, and fell
back upon cigars and masculine friends,
whenever his ladv-love could not be whisper
ed to or gazcd ut Consequently, damsels
who thought Rokewood charming We're Won
dering what could have become of him. when
Biddy, the waitress, mysteriously beckoned
her mistress into the hall, and in an awful
whisper said: ''more spoons We're naded for
the crane"
"Of course there must be- said Mrs Arm
strong. "Where was my head to forget ii ?
III get poor Aunt Ma1.ha's set from my up
stairs china closet. Wa W the stairs until
l come to you"
And away ran Mrs. Armstrong to the sec
ond floor, where she plunged into long, old
fashioned closet, and brought forth legacy
of silver ware, left her years before by a maid
en- aunt. Counting the spoons over, q muir
mur of voices from the next room fell on her
ear. At the same moment she caught the
perfume of cigar. She knew that Charles
Rokewood had the richest voice and smoked
the best cigars of any man of his set.
"You dear old fellow she whispered to
herself. II have been 50 cross to YOU tonight,
but some day I'll be as kind to you rs | can,
to make up for it."
Then, with womans wish TO see the face
that is so dear to her, she stopped forward
and peeped through crack in the door of the
chna-closet, which opened into the little sew
ing room, devoted for this evening to the gen.
tlemen's toilets. Every word was plainly au-
dible when her prying ear approached so
closely to the creyice, and the first word rivet-
ed her attention. The men were talking of
matrmony.
''lts q dueced bore, " said the friend ''You
are tied to a woman's apron-strings for life.
You can't say your soul is your own Take
my advice and keep out of it altogether,
Charles.'
ing his cigar from between his lips, ''that sort
of thing is all q mans fault Now, when
marry, my first act will be to prove myself
y
my honeymoon is over the woman that takes
my name shall know that my will is law and
that hers must yield to it,
The spoons in Mrs. Almstrongs hand tink-
led together just then, but no one heard them
Charles went on:
MY wife, if have one, shall have no
chance to show her temper If she does not
like my orders, she must obey them without
liking. I'll break her in Just as | would q
horse-bring her down at once to the frame
of mind mean to keep her in; purposely
thwart her for Il while contradict her; object
to her style Of dress; make her alter her way
Of doing her hair; refuse to dance attendance
at church, and make her send regrets TO par
ty invitations when she wants to accept them !;
show her at once what She may expect AZ
ter while | might yield 4 little more; hut
hpca1er choose, YOU understand not to
please her.'
"Ye-c-s," +" said the friend, doubtfully; ''but
you can't think how hard you'd find it and
if you stay out late, they make such row
sit up for you in 4 ghtcap and cry when You
come in
"Fd manage that" said Rokcwood, ''by
staying out every night until daylight The
one rule should put in practice would be
never let 4 woman have her own way" The
spoons tinkled q little more, and Mrs. Arm
strong7s face was terribly flushed but she lis
tened still
"Of course you yield great deal TO the
woman you are in love WITH said Mr.. Roke-
wood, evidently brushing the ashes from his
cigar; "but that's because of the romance and
all that sort of nonsense, which dies out with
the honeymoon. You can find women enough
to write poetry TO, and to talk sentimental
with, married or single. As for your wife,
she's the woman that keeps house for You,
and the sooner you make her aware Of the
fact the better. When | marry, Jones' my
dear fellow it will be with no idiotic ideas OF
perpetual courtship in my mind. I'll begin
as | intend to 90 on, and be master, YOU can
depend upon it,
But not my MASTER" whispered pretty
Mrs. Armstrong; mot mine -
"Mstress Armstrong, them spoons, PLACE"
whispered Biddy, at the stairs head Just then,
IIety Armstrong gathered up the spoons
which had slipped loosely down into her lap
She looked at them as they did so. They
were solid and elegant, as was all her silver
Her eye glanced about the room, which
wealth and taste had made the perfection Of
elegance and comfort Her room! She
heard adown stairs the merry chat Of her
guests, the sound of music and dancing.
She remembered that in the kitchen her
servants We're making ready supper fit for
a king. She turned to the mirror; a hand
some woman, still young, and elegantly
dressed, glanced proudly back ut her. An
hour before all this, the woman included, she
would have given to Charles Rokewood had
he been beggar. Just tinge of pain went
through her heart. One tear stole down her
glowing cheek. Then she gave a little bitter
laugh.
II Ialone, am queen of me y she misquoted
and ran out to give the spoons to Biddy
ut was hard to find them" she said, ''hut
here they are at last"
And she laughed little less than usual,
and not quite naturally.
1t was the merriest Chrlstmas-cve party of
them all, said every one of her guests, and
Hetty Armstrong seemed the merriest there.
But no one saw her when the door had closed
upon them all, and she alone in her own
chamber No matter how brief love-dream
has been, the awakening is always hard es-
pecially if it is sudden.
Hetty Armstrong refused Charles Roke-
wood the next day, and people who guessed
it blamed her bitterly. As for Charles him.
self, he was amazed and injured and greatly
grieved for he never guessed that his lecture
on married life had a second auditor; nor
that Hetty would have said Yes instead of
''No" but tor '.the crack in the door of the
china closet'