The Republican. [volume] (Maryville, Tenn.) 187?-187?, 1875-02-13
THE CRACK 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 X, but these we're not the
other women. 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, ETC.; but, say it
as often as they might, every man in the
place was Hetty Armstrong; devoted
servant, friend, and, a dozen of them,
her lovers, also. A bright, dashing,
warm-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 eight 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, not what women call SO
good cry" To forget all sorrow, if she
conld, and to be as happy as she might,
we're the two grand rules of her life,
and, therefore, people who did moi
know Hetty Armstrong thought her
heartless, and made great mistake.
They called her firt, and that was
not true, either. She only firted with
those who began the game first, and
that woman had right to do. At X,
if gentleman called twice upon lady,
his attentions were said to be every par
ticular ;" "if he saw her home from
meeting" rumor declared that they
were "engaged;" ard if he spent an
evening with her, they were "to be
married next week" 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 DO, and firted when
she liked. After setting gossip afoat
dozen times, she gained her point, and
people left her alone. II was Hetty
Armstrong; way, and no indication of
matrimonial intentions. For years gen
tlemen haunted her parlors, escorted
her hither and thither, sung with her,
danced with her, confided with her, and
adored her, and village gossip had not
not married her, until suddenly o tran
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 exquisite about him which is
SO charming when ga mans man for
a. that ;" faultless in toilet, faultless in
manner, education, accomplished alto.
gether, 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 habiliments by going down
upon them, or in any other way conduct
ed himself asdid 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 we'll dressed
ghost. He wrote poetry for the "Lrnni-
nary" addressed to H. A. and signed
@. r. He breathed deep sighs and
gave soft glances, and said things that
might have double meanings. And
this not for a week or month, but for
year, at the end of which time Hetty
Armstrong began to understand that
she was expected by everybody to ac
cept Charles Rokewood when he offered
her his heart and hand. Meanwhile,
the soft eyes and sweet voice, the des-
oate attentionS andethe winning songs