Alpena weekly argus. [volume] (Alpena, Mich.) 1871-1893, 1875-02-24
whenever his lady-love could not
be whispered to or gazed at.

be whispered to or gazed at.
Consequently the damsels who
thought Rokewood charming were
wondering what had become of
him, when Biddy, the waitress,
mysteriously beckoned her mis-
tress into the hall, and, in an awful
whisper, said "more spoons were
needed for the crane"
"Of course there must be-" said
Mrs. Armstrong. "Where was my
poor head to forget it2 I'll get
poor Aunt Martha's set from my
up stairs china closet. Please wait
on the stairs until l come to you"
And away ran Mrs. Armstrong
to the second floor, where she plung-
ed into q long old fashioned closet,
and brought forth legacy of sill
verware left her by maiden aunt.
Counting the spoons over, mur-
mur OF voices from the next room
fell upon her ear. At the same
time she caught the perfume of a
cigar. She knew that Charles
Rokewood had the richest voice
and smoked the best cigars of any
man in his set. | ..
"You dear old fellow" she whisp-
cred to herself. IL have been so
cross to you to night that some day
I'll be as kind to you as 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, devoted for
this evening to the gentleman's
toilet. Every word was plainly
audible when her pretty ear ap'
preached so closely to the crevice
and the first word riveted her at
, tention. The men were talking o
matrimony.
"It's deuced BORE" said hi
friend. "You are tied to q woman,
apron strings for life. You cam
say your soul is your own. Take
my advice and keep out of it alto
gether, Charley"
"Look here, old fellow" saiC
Charles, taking his cigar from be-
tween his lips, "that sort Of thing
is all a mans fault. Now, when ]
marry, my first act will be to prove
myself master. AS you begin, so
you go on, and before the honey
moon 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 tenn
per. If she does not like my or
ders, she must obey without liking.
I'll break her in just as / would a
horse--bring her down at once to
the frame of mind l mean to keep
her in /; purposely thwart her for O
while; contradict herj object to
her style of dress; make her alter
her way of doing her hair; refuse
to dance, attendance at church
make her send regrets to party in.
vitations when she wants to except
them; show her at once what she
may expect, After a while I
might yield a little morej but be-
cause, you understand--not to
please her."
"Y-e-s said the friend, doubtfully;
"but you can't think how hard
you'd find it and if you stay out
late they make such row-sit up
for you in a night-cap, and cry
when you come in"
"Pd manage that" said Roke'
wood, "by staying out every night
until daylight. The one rule ]
should put in practice would be-
never let woman have her own
way" iI
The spoons tinkled little more,
and Mrs. Armstrong; face was
terribly flushed, but she listened
still. .,
"Of course you yield a great deal
to the woman - are in love with,'
said RolSewood, evidently brush
ing the ashes from his cigar; "but
that's because of the romance and
all that sort Of nonsence, which