Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1875-01-27
THE CRACK IN THE DOOR.

THE CRACK'I IN THE DOOR.
The prettiest house, prettiest garden,
the best servants, and the largest bank
account In X. belonged to Mrs. Mehita-
BILE Armstrong, widow. Some people
also declared that she was the prettiest
woman In K. ! but these We're not the
other women. 4 They said that she had
red hair, and was too fat, and what the
gentlemen saw to admire i'll her they
could not guess, etc.. ETC.; but, say it
as often as they might, every man III the
place was Hetty Armstrong; devoted
servant, friend, and, a dozen of them,
her lovers. also. A bright, dashing,
warn-hearted woman she was, as merry
as though she had never known q care
Not that she had forgotten the love Of
her youth--the gallant, black eyed cap
tain, whose ship had gone down in mid
ocean five years before, and whose pic
tured face lay near her heart night and
day, sleeping and waking; but She was
too full of life and hope to live entirely
I'll the past, and loved neither hours OF
melancholy, nor what women call ga
good cry. TO forget all sorrow, if she
could, and to be as happy as she might,
were the two grand rules of her Life,
and, therefore, people who did not
know Hetty Armstrong thought her
heartless, and made great mistake
They called her flrt, and that was
not true, either. She only flrted with
those who began the game first, and
that woman had Alright to do At'X.,
ii 8 gentleman called twice upon lady,
his attentions were said to be every par
tlcular; If he saw her home from
meeting. rumor declared that they
We're engaged" and if he spent an
evening with her, they were ssto be
married next week, y for certainty; but
hetty Armstrong was somehow not IN
cluded In the general rule. She had
determined to do as she chose. She
went everywhere with every unmarried
gentleman Of her set. She was friendly
when she chose to be, and firted when
she liked. After setting gossip af1oat
dozen times, she gained her point, and
people left her alone. It was Hetty
Armstrong; way, and no indication of
matrimonial Intentions For years
gentlemen haunted her parlors, escort
ed her hither and thither, sung with
her. danced with her, confded in her,
and adored her, and village gossip had
not married her, until suddenly a
stranger made his debut at X, and set
the tongues a-going beyond even Hetty
Amstrong's power of silencing.
He was tall, he was handsome, he
was comparatively young. He had just
that touch of exquisite about him
which is SO charming when a mans a
man for a that" faultless in toilet,
faultless in manner, education, accom-
plished altogether, he openly flung
himself at Hetty Armstrong; feet and
declared himself her admirer. Of
course we do not mean to say that he
ruined the knees of his faultless habili-
ments by going down upon them, or in
any other way conducted himself as did
the knights of old when heart-smitten,
but, after the manner Of the nineteenth
century, he declared his intentions
quite as openly.
He sang to and at the lady. He
haunted her parlors like well dressed
ghost. He wrote poetry for the &c Lumi-
nary" addressed to FL. A. and signed
G. r. He breathed deep signs and
gave soft chances, and said things that
might have double meanings. And
this not for a week or month, but for
q year, at the end of which time Hetty
Armstrong began to understand that
she was expected by everybody to &C
cept Charles lockwood when he offered
her his heart and hand. Meanwhile,
the soft eyes and sweet voice. the deli
cate attentions, and the winning songs
of her admirer were not without their
effect upon Hetty Armstrong; heart.
1t began to be conscious of certain
tremors and fiutterings in his presence.
Her cheeks flushed as they had in girl
hood. Her dreams were not the sober,
practical dreams which nature at five
and-twenty should alone indulge in:
and as the days rolled en- she felt more
conscious that the Eyes - which was
expected of her would be easily uttered.
She tried to be prudent and Judge
the man carefully. The result was that
she declared him to be San angel At
asst Hetty Armstrong fairly let go of
he rudder of self-will, to which she had
chung so long, and allowed herself to
drift down the tide of circumstances
which were to lead her into the arms OF
Charles Rokewood. She felt that life
would be happy with such bosom to
repose upon, and began to wonder
whether it really was necessary for q
widow to be married in pearl color when
white was SO becoming to her complex
sDa.
SO matters stood when Christmas
drew near, and with it Hetty Arm
strongs regular Christmas eve party.
All K, or nearly all, would be there
even the Rev. Luther Paragon, who
amiably forgot to say that be disap-
proved of dancing and charades when
Mrs. Armstrong declared that "she
,do,.od fhona >, IL L.