Ashtabula telegraph. (Ashtabula, Ohio) 1874-1880, 1875-02-12
THE CRACK IN THE DOOR.

Some people also declared that she
was the prettiest woman IN ~, but
these were not the other women
They said that she had red hair and
was too fat, and what the gentlemen
saw to admire in her that they could
not guess, etc, ETC., but, say Is as
often as they might, every man in
the place was Hetty Armstrong;
devoted servant, friend, and, doz-
en- of them, her lovers, also. A
bright dashing, warm hearted wo-
man she was, as merry as though
she had never known care. Not
that she had forgotten the love of
her youth-the gallant black-eyed
captain, whose ship had gone down
in mid ocean five years before, and
whose pictured face lay near her
heart, night and day, sleeping and
waking; but she was too full of life
and hope to live entirely in the past,
and loved neither hours of melan-
choly nor what women call ga good
cry" To forget all sorrow, if she
could, and be as happy as she might,
were the two grand rules other life,
and therefore people who did not
know Hetty Armstrong thought her
heartless, and made great mis-
take.
They called her fiirt, and that
was not true, either. She only tlirt-
ed with those who began the game
first, and that a woman has right
to do. At x, if a gentleman called
twice upon lady, his attentions
were said to be every particulars"
if he s'saw her home from meeting,
rumor declared that they were Sen
gaged;" and If he spent an evening
with her, they were ''to be married
next week" for certainty; but Hetty
Armstrong was somehow not includ-
ed in the general rule. She had de-
termined to do as she chose. She
went everywhere with every un-
married gentlemen of her set. She
was friendly when she chose to be,
and firted when she liked. After
setting gossip afoat a dozen times
she gained her point, and people left
her alone. 1t was Hetty Arm
trong's way, and no indication Of
matrimonial intentions. For gen
tlemen haunted her parlors, escorted
her, and village gossip had not mar
ried her, until suddenly a stranger
made his debut at K and set the
tongues a running beyond even Het
ty Armstrong; power of silencing
He was tall, he was handsome, hi
was comparatively young. He hat
Just that touch of the exquisite
about him which is so charming
when a mans man for a. that;'
faultless in toilet, faultless in man
ner, educated, accomplished-alto
gether he openly flung himself a
Hetty Armstrong; feet and declared
himself her admirer. Of course W.
do not mean to say that he ruined
the knees of his faultless habilimenti
by going down upon them, or in an!
other way conducted himself as die
the knights of old when heart-smit
ten, but after the manner of the nine
teenth century, he declared his in
tentions quite as openly.
He sang to and at the lady. HI
haunted her Darlors like a we'll dress
ed ghost. He wrote poetry for thu
Latnaindry addressed to Fl. A. an(
signed it c. R. He breathed deel
sighs and gave soft glances, ant
said things that might have double
meanings. And this not for weel
or month, but for year, at the enc
of which time Hetty Armstrong be
gan to understand that she was ex
pected by everybody to accep
! Charles Rokewood when he Offered
her his heart and hand. Meanwhile
the soft and sweet voice, the deli
cate attentions and the winning song
of her admirer were not withou
their effect upon Hetty Armstrong
heart. 1t began to be conscious O
certain tremors and futterings il
his presence. Her cheeks flushed a
they had in girlhood. Her dream
were not the sober, practical dream
which nature at five and twent,
should alone indulge in; and as thu
DAYS rolled on she felt more con
scious that the eyes" which wa
expected of her would be easily ut
tered.
She tried to be prudent and judg'
the man carefully. The result wa
that she declared him to be an IAN
GEL At last Hetty Armstrong
| fairly let go the rudder of self-wil
to which She had clung so long, ant
allowed herself to drift down tn,
tide of circumstances which wer,
to lead her into the arms of Charlie
Rokewood. She felt that life woult
be happier with such bosom to re
pose upon, and began to wonde
whether it was necessary for a wild
ow to be married in pearl colo,
when white was so becoming to he
complexion.
So matters stood when Chritsma
drew near, and with it Hetty Arm
strong's regular Christmas Eve par
ty. All x, or nearly all, would b.
there, even the Rev. Luther Para
gon. who aimably forgot to say tha
he disapproved of dancing and cha
rades when Mrs. Armstrong declar
ed that she tadored them 1t wa,
always the merriest party of the
season at x, and tbs time Mrs
Armstrong decided that she would
out do herself. There was dast
more of coquetry in her dress; a dash
of extravaganza in the supper; g
glitter of rare china, and perfume
of rare flowers in the parlo1s-just
as they say wine warns up the wits
and fancy does love at times. All
things would be brighter, fresher
| more sparkling, just now, thought
or rather vaguely felt, the woman
who had just begun to knew hel
heart right, and thought she knew
another's.
She stood, in her rich dress of lace
and silk, flowers in her hair and on
her bosom, before her guests arriv-
ed, before her CRATE fire in the par
lor, when some one touched her on
the shoulder, and turning, she saw
Charles Rokewood.
Her face was little paler, her