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

merriests party of the season at *, and,
this time Mrs. Armstrong decided that
she would outdo herself. There WAS q
dash. more of eoquetrFs lnS her dress; a
| dash of extravaganza III the supper:
glitter of rare China, and a perfume of
rare flowers in the parlors-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 began to
know her heart right, and thought she
knew another's. ...,t......- g.
She stood, in her rich dress of lace
and silk, flowers in her hair and on her
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. .s . ...... ..-.t II.
81 knew L should find you alone" lie
said, ''and I have something to say to
you something
There she stopped him. "Don't say
it now,' she pleaded. II have an eve
ming before me which calls. for all my
calmness. II it is anything agitating, [
i must ask You to wait After these
guests of mine are gone-or tomorrow,
will hear you; not now. "sas; .5.a
| Charles Rokewood bowed g 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. - aaf H.e. Il, ...
All the evening, after the other guests
were there, her thoughts wandered back
! to that moment She knew what she
would say, and she could answer only
in one way-only one-she liked him
sand have felt 80 sure I couldnever
like any one again, thought Hetty
Armstrong. ''Thera is fate in 1t. y DOS
But she danced and sung and talked
as usual, and no one guessed that was
what she was dreaming-not even Mr.
Rokewood, who, with chosen friend,
had slipped away from the parlors, and
was smoking and talking in the dress
ing room. He was a little out of sorts
Hetty, conscious of II er duties as host
ess, insisted on being public 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 generally known by
their boorish conduct to ladies general
ly. Rokewood, although not engaged,
believed himself far enough on the
road to forget suavity, aud fell back
upon cigars and his masculine friends
whenever his lady-love could not be
whispered to or gazed at. .ra.-.. u
Consequently damsels 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 need.
ed for the crane
"Of coarse there must be, said Mrs.
Armstrong "Where was my poor
head to SO forget it2 I'll get poor Aunt
Marthas set from my ups stairs china
closet. Please wait on the stairs until
come to you.
And away ran Mrs. Armstrong to the
second floor, where she plunged into
long, old-fashioned closet, and brought
forth legacy of silverware left her by
a maiden aunt. Counting the spoons
over, murnur of voices from the next
room fell upon her ear. At the same
time she caught the perfume of cigar.
She knew that Charles Rokewood had
the richest voice and smoked the best
cigers of any man in his set.
"You dear old fellow" she whispered
to herself, 81 have been SO cross to you
tonight that some day I'll be as kind
to you as I can to make up for it."
Then, with a loving woman's wish to
see the face that is so dear to her, she
stepped forward and peeped through
crack in the door of the china closet
opening into the little. sewing room, de-
voted for this evening to the gentlemen's
toilet. Every word was plainly audible
when her pretty ear approached so
closely to the crevice, and the first word
riveted her attention. The men were
talking of matrimony.
cts deuced BORE said his 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. Charley"
s'Look here, old fellow, said Charles,
taking his cigar from between his lips,
"that sort of thing is all a mans
fault. Now, when I marry, my first act
will be to prove myself master. Asyou
begin, so you go on, and, before the
honeymoon 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 tinkled 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
without liking. TIL break her in just as
[ would horse bring her down at once
to the frame of mind I 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 attend ance at
church; make her send regrets to party
invitations when she wants to accept
| them; show her at once what she may