Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1875-03-12
THE CRACK In THE DOOR.
Frederick Locker

The prettiest house, the prettiest garden,
the best servants, and the largest bank ac-
count in x. belonged to Mrs. Mehitable
Armstrong, widow. Some people also
declared that she was the prettiest woman
in x, but these were not the other wo-
men. They said that she had red hair and
was too fat, and what the gentlemen saw
to admire in her they could not guess, etc.
but say it as often as they might, every
man in the place was Hetty Armstrong IS
devoted servant, friend. and, dozen of
them, her lovers, also. A bright, dashing
warm hearted woman 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 melancholy nor
what women call "a good cry" To forget
all sorrow, if she could, and be as happy
as she might, were two grand rules of her
life. and heretofore people who did not
know Hetty Armstrong thought her heart
less, and made great mistake.
They called her a firt, and that was not
true either. She only flirted with those
who began the game first, and that, wo-
man has right to do. At X, if a gentle
man called twice upon a lady. his atten-
~ ,, If
he saw Ter home from meeting" rumor
declared that they were engaged" and if
he spent an evening with her, ''they were
to be married next week for certainty :"
but Hetty Armstrong was somehow not
included in the general rule. She had de-
termined to do as she chose. She went ev-
erywhere with every unmarried gentleman
of her set. She was friendly when she
chose to be and lirted when she liked.
after setting gossip afloat dozen times
she gained her point and people left her
alone. 1t was Hetty Armstrong; way,
and no in dication Of matrimonial inten-
tions. For years gentlemen haunted her
parlors, escorted her hither and thither,
sung with her; danced with her, conided
in her and adored her, butvillage gossip had
not married her, until suddenly a stran-
ger made his debut at x, and set the
tongues going beyond even Hetty Arm
strong's power Of silencing.
He was tall, he was handsome, he was
comparatively young. He had 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 altogether, he
openly flung himself at Hetty Armstrong;
| feet and declared himself her admirer Of
| ed the knees Of his faultless habiliments by
going down upon them, or in any other
way conducted himself as did the knight of
old when heart-smitten, but, after the man
ner of the ninteenth century. he declared
his intentions quite as openly.
He sang to and at the lady. He haunt
ed her parlors like well-dressed ghost.
He wrote poetry for The Laaainary, adj
dressed to II. A. and G. R. He breathed
deep signs and gave soft glances, and said
things that might have doubled meanings.
And this not for week or month, but
for year, at the end of which time Hetty
Armstrong began to understand that she
was expected by everybody to accept Char
les Rokewood when he offered her his heart
and head. Meanwhile the soft eyes and
sweeUvoice, the delicate attentions and the
winning songSof her admirer were not with
out their effect upon Hetty Armstrong 8
heart. It began to be conscious of certain
tremors and futterings in his presence.
Her checks 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 on 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 s'an angel" At last
Hetty Armstrong fairly let go the rudder
of self-will, to which she had chung so long,
and allowed herself to drift down the tide
of circumstances which was to lead her
int" the arms Of Charles lockwood. She
felt that life would be happier with such a
bosom to repose upon, and began to won
der whether it really was necessary for a
widow to be married in pearl color when
white was SO becoming her complexion
So matter stood when Christmas drew
near, and with it Hetty Armstrong; regu
H. ;ck, oxror NJ r