News and citizen. [volume] (Morrisville, Vt. ;) 1881-current, 1895-02-28
A HITCH.
Eva Darlington, the bride elect, wa

Eva > SOlb % anu LULU
ways wrought dire destruction in the
ranks of the stronger sex, but she APP
peared quite unconscious of her power
or Indifferent to it. To all intents and
purposes she had promised to marry
Charlie Nelthorpe. His will was her
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. 1t
was not in him to show generosity to a
Toman 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. 1t all
O 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 a crisis.
The wonder was they had not done SO
long before.
On the occasion of Lady Brown-J Jones'
ball he went the length of forbidding
his fancee to dance round dances with
any one but himself, and though she re-
eeived 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 q
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 a
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 Jovel Ripping waltz, this.
Have turn?"
He stuck out his elbow invitingly,
but Eva turned away, biting her lip.
"No, thank you," she answered in a
low tone. II can't dance with you,
Lord Dolly"
"Can't?" echoed his lordship. "How's
that? What's up? Not ILL, are you?
Not cross with me, eh?'
Eva shook her head.
"No, 1 am not i'll or cross, but-but
] have promised Charlie to waltz only
with him. He doesn't like to see me
Waiting with other men,
Lord Dolly choked down the forcible
but inelegant remark, cleared his throat
violently and ran his fingers through his
hair. Tho two latter proceedings were
signs Of severe mental disturbance.
There was slight pause.
And be dances so awfully badly, :"
Eva went ON, with queer little catch
in her breath. ''He can't waltz bit
not little wee bit. He-holds you ali
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 shamep' he said hurriedly
"Come with me. Nice and quiet out on
the veranda. A follow 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 on the day following Lady
BrownJones' ball. The fact that Eva
could forget herself and the respect that
was due to him so far as to sit ON 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 your"
Charlie frowned.
"How often have told you, my dear
Eva, that a self evident fact requires no
asserting?" he asked in his most dog
matte tone.
She shrugged her shoulders.
"How often? Oh, I don't know. A
hundred times, l dare say. You look
cross Charlie"
Charlie frowned again. There was an
Intangible something in Eva's tone and
manner that was not wont to be there,
something that he could neither define
nor understand, though he felt it in
stinotively.
II am not cross, Eva, but / am
CHRONOLOGICAL beyond measure. Your
conduct last night caused me acute pain,
the more so as you expressed no regret
for it, But l hope you are in better
frame of mind today and ready to say