Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1895-03-22
A HITCH.

4
ways wrought dire destruction in the
ranks Of the stronger sex, but she ap
peared quite unconscious Of her power
or Indifferent to it, To all intents an6
purposes she had promised to marry
Charlie Nelthorpe. His will was he,
law and to please him the chief object
OF her life. In short, his programme
seemed in fair way to be carried out.
Her total submission delighted him,
and he took every advantage of it. II
was not in him to show generosity to a
woman Or indeed to anything he
thought weaker than himself. He was
the sort OF man who is brutal to his
dogs and horses and overbearing to his
servants - who, in short, tyrannizes
whenever he can do SO without fear Of
retaliation. His nature asserted itself
IN his dealings with the woman he
loved. and he took the keenest possible
pleasure in trading on her forbearance,
taxing her endurance to the utmost and
showing off her plant will and obedient
temper to the world at large. Itwas all
a part of the system that could not fail
Charlie went on giving his petty ar
rogance full play until, as was only to
be expected, things came to crisis.
The wonder was they had not done SO
long before.
On the occasion Of Lady Brown Jones'
ball he went the length of forbidding
his fiancee to dance round dances with
any one but himself, and though she re-
ceived his commands without muir
muir her soul rose in passionate revolt
against his tyranny. This last test that
he had devised seemed to her the worst
of all. AS matter of fact, she had sub
mitted patiently to far harder ones, but
we all know the female capacity for
swallowing camel and straining at a
gnat, and Eva was no less inconsistent
than the rest of her sex. The gnat stuck
in her throat and obstinately refused to
be dislodged. There always must be a
last straw, and this was it.
When the ball was half over, Lord
Dolly put in an appearance, and at that
moment Eva happened to be sitting
quite alone. Charlie had left her for {.
minute OR two to speak to friend, and
she was looking wistfully at the maze
of couples that revolved before her. Lord
Dolly made straight for her.
''Not dancing, Miss Darlington! Luck
for me, by Jove! Ripping waltz, this.
Have turn?''
He stuck out his elbow invitingly,
but Eva turned away, biting her lip.
"No. thank you,' she answered i'll a
low tone. 81 can't dance with you,
Lord Dolly"
"Can't?'' echoed his lordship. Glow S
that? What's up? Not i'll, are you?
Not cross with me, eh?''
Eva shook her head.
''No, I am not ill or cross, but-but
have promised Charlie to waltz only
with him. He doesn't like to see me
waltzing with other men.
Lord Dolly choked down the forcible
but inelegant remark, cleared his throat
violently and ran his fingers through his
hair. The two latter proceedings were
signs of severe mental disturbance
There was slight pause.
"And he dances SO awfully badly, !"
Eva went on, with queer little catch
in her breath. ''He can't waltz a bit
not little wee bit. He-holds you all
wrong"
Her voice quivered and broke on the
last word, and she looked up at the man
at her side with great fearful eyes, like
forgetmenots drowned in dew.
That look finished it. Lord Dolly was
only man.
''Beastly shame!'' he said hurriedly.
"Come with me. Nice and quiet out on
the veranda. A fellow can talk there,
don t you know. Come along'
And Eva went.
Charlie Nelthorpe was bristling with
outraged pride and wounded self esteem
when he went to pay his customary visit
to Eva Oh the day following Lady
Brown Jones' ball The fact that Eva
could forget herself and the respect that
was due to him SO far as to sit Oh the
veranda with Lord Dolly for half an
hour had been a severe blow to him, and
he had not yet recovered from the
shock.
She was reading when he went into
| the room, but she laid her book aside at
once.
''Oh, Charlie, is that you?'
Charlie frowned.
"How often have told you, my dear
Eva, that self evident fact requires no
asserting?" he asked in his most dog
matte tone.
She shrugged her shoulders
Chow often? Oh, 1 don't know. A
hundred times, I dare say. You look
cross, Charlie. -
Charlie frowned again. There was an
intangible something in Eva's tone and
manner that was not won't to be there,
something that he could neither define
nor understand, though no felt it In
stinctively.
y am not Gross, Eva, but I am
grieyed-grieved beyond measure. Your
conduct last night caused me acute pain,
the more SO as you expressed no regret
for it. But I hope you are in better
frame Of mind today and ready to say
you are sorry for what you did. Une1l
you have done SO I really don't feel I
can kiss you.
Charlie fully expected that 1l,is stu
Pendous threat would reduce Eva to the
lowest depths Of despair and bring her.
| figuratively speaking. to her knees, but
for once was he out i'll his calculations
She drew up her slender figure aud
pprsed up her rosy lips with all air that
made him feel vaguely uneasy. Was it
to defy himq Yes. Her next words
proved that it was So
II am not sorry" she said. 'sNot a
bit. am glad. ! would do it again. +"
Charlie gasped. The situation was SO
unlocked for that he could not rise to it
all at once.
Gas for kissing me" Eva went on,
with q little disdainful move. "well,
you will never have the chance of doing
that again, go you need not excite your
salt. -