The Canton mail. [volume] (Canton, Miss.) 18??-1882, 1875-02-06

does love &C times. All things would be
brighter, fresher, more sparkling, just
now, thought, or rather vaguely felt,
the woman who had just began to know
her heart, and thought she knew an
otheras
She stood, in her rich dress of lace
and silk, flowers in her hair and on he,
bosom, before her guests arrived,
before her CRATE fire in the parlor,
when some one touched her on the
shoulder, and, turning, she saw Charles
Rokewood.
Her face was little paler, her eyes
more earnest in their look than usual,
and sort of happy terror hung upon
her as she guessed why he had come SO
early.
"I knew I should find you Also" he
said. "and I have something to say to
you ;leomething-
Thefe she stopped him. "Don't say
it now" she pleaded. 81 have an
evening before me which calls for all
my calmness. If is is snything agi-
tating, III must ok you to wait.
After these guests of mine are gone-er
10 morrow, I will hear you not now. a"
Ghaxles lockwood bowed. Your
will shall be my law" he said, and
took her hand and kissed it. She let
him do it, blushing all the while, not
caring now to look at him.
All the evening, after the other
guests were there, her thoughts wan
dered back to that moment. She knew
what she would say, and she could an
swer only in one way-only one-she
liked him 90 we'll.
"And I have felt 60 sure I could
never like any one again." thought
Hetty Armstrong. "Thsre is fate
in it"
But she danced and sung and talked
as usual, and no one guessed that
was what she was dreaming-not even
Mr.. lockwood, who, with a chosen
friend, had slipped away from the par
lors, and was smoking and talking in
the dressing room. He was little out
of serts. Hetty, conscious of her du-
lie property, and could not be lured
into tete-a-tete, and the women who
were ready to be talked to he did not
care about. Engaged men are gener-
ally known by their boorish conduct to
ladies generally. Rokewood, although
not engaged, believed himself far
enough on the road to forget suavity,
and fell back upon cigars and his mas
culine friends whenever his lady.love
could not be whispered to or gazed at.
Consequently damsals who thought
lockwood charming were wondering
what had become of him, when Biddy,
the waitress, mysteriously beckoned
her mistress into the hall, and, in an
awful whisper, said "more spoons were
needed for the CRANE"
"Of course there must be, " said Mrs.
Armstrong. "Where was my poor
head to 30 forget it? I'll get poor
Amt Martha's set from my up stairs
china closet. Please wait on the stairs
until I come to you"
And away ran Mrs. Armstrong to the
second floor, where she plunged into a
long, old-fashioned closet, and brought
forth a legacy of silverware left her by
her maiden aunt. Counting the spoons
over, Q murmur of voices from the next
room fell upon her ear. At the same
time she caught the perfume of a cigar.
She knew that charles Rokewoood had
the richest voice and smoked the best
cigars of any man in his set.
lyon dear old fellow" she whis-
pered to herself, 4 have been so cross
to you tonight that some day I'll be as
kind to you IS I can to make up for ii. )"
Then. with loving woman's wish to
see the dear face that is % dear to her,
she stepped forward and peeped through
. crack in the door of the china closet |
opening into the little sewing room,
devoted for this evening to the gentle
mems toilet Every word was plainly
audible whom her pretty ear approached |
20 closely TO the crevice, and the first |
word rivited her attention. The men
were talking Of matrimony. |
"It's . deuced bore, said his friend. |
You are tied to . 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"
"Look here, old fellow, said Charles,
taking his cigar from between his lips.
"that sort of thing is all q mans
fault. Now. when I marry, my first act
will be to prove myself master. As you
begin, 30 you go on, and, before the
is over the woman who takes
my name shall know that my word is
law, and that hers must yield to it"
The spoons in Mrs Armstrong; hands
singled together just then, but no ono
heard them. Charles went on:
"My wife, If I have one, shall have
no chance to showsher temper. II she
does not like my orders she must obey
without liking. I'll break her in Just rs
I would . horse-bxing her down at once
to the frame of mind mean to keep
her in; purposely thwart her for while;
contradict her; object to style of dress;
make her alter her way of doing her
hair /; refuse to dance attendance at
,hurch; make her send regrets to party
invitations when she wants to accept
hem show her at once what she may
expect. After while might yield
title more; but because, you under
to please her."
eye s," said his friend, doubtfully;
g but you can't think how hard you'll
ind it +; and if you stay out late they
make such a row-sit mp for you in a
and cry when you come in"
"Pd manage that" said lockwood,
'by staying out every night until day
light. The one rule I should put in
practice would be-never let the woman
nave her own uzaxn