Five Mile Beach weekly journal., 1917-01-12
THE TOWN OF
HENRIETTA
By F. A. Mitchell

~" ~
still. In Henrietta-named for the
Queen of Charles l. of England-the
same social forms are in vogue that
were current In 1860. And even then
there was a semblance of the Formally
that existed In Baltimore when Miss
Patterson married a brother of the
great Napoleon. In introducing a
friend to another the introducer would
say, 81 have the honor Of presenting
my friend bliss So-and-so Of the old
Virginia family of ~So-and-so's, who
were prominent in the colony during
the reign of Charles IL" Indeed, there
was no one in the place whose ances-
tors were not loyal subjects of n Of
the Stuart kings except a family of
~Stackpoles. who were tabooed because-
the founder Of the family In America
had been a fugitive regtide.
One morning a young couple arrived
In Henrietta, evidently a bride and
groom, and within an hour after their
arrival had rented one of the houses
that had been long vacant owing to
the shrinkage of,the population. The
groom, nineteen years old, was a dig
nified young fellow for his age, the
bride a rosebud three years his junior.
He said very little, she a great deal.
She was a regular chatterbox. She
appeared to consider every n ON.
earth her bosom friend. She would
speak to any one on the slightest prov
ocation and not trouble the person ad-
dressed to do any of the talking. So.
smiling, so unaffected, indeed, 30
charming was she that 1t is difficult to-
understand how, even in Henrietta,
she could have been snubbed. But
she was.
To such a person, outSpoken in
friendliness, a snub is like Jack Frost.
touching the petal of a flower. At
first the little oma did not under
stand it, but when she had been frozen
by several Henrietta ladies she began
to wilt-that is, when she came Ia
contact with any more of them she
curled up like the sensitive plant.
Now, the Stackpole family, whose
ancestor had been instrumental in cut
ting off the head of it's sovereign, had
always lived outside the charmed cir~
Gle of Henrietta society. Consequent
ly they could sympathiZe with ons
whose refinement entitled her to be In.
it, but who was not permitted to take.
her place there. At any rate, they
called on the bride and invited her to-
tea. Then she fell i'll, and they car
ried dainty things to her. They even
insisted on taking her and her hus-
band to their home, where they could
make them more comfortable.
The little bride gladly accepted the,
invitation, and her husband was
pleased to have her do so, especially
since he dreaded to have her remain
in such dilapidated quarters. AS for
himself, he remained where he was
except when in attendance upon his.
wife. OF course everything the couple.
did was known and discussed. When
1t was learned that the groom had de-
clined for himself the Stackpole in
yitation the most aristocratic lady in
Henrietta remsrked, 81 believe that.
young man has royal blood In his.
veins"
One day a letter came for the bride
and groom, and as 500 after the young
wife was able TO travel the birds flew
away. Many speculations had been
rife as to where they had come from.
and as soon as 1t was known that they
had gone inquiries were made at the
postofice by one of the social mag
mates as to the postmark. When told
that 1t was the seat of the federal,
government a rremor passed over the
town.
For some time after the wal Wash
ington was tahooed by Henrietta an
unworthy of rotice.. But when the
first families Of the south began to
send their prominent o N to congress,
the cabinet, the supreme court ana
other important positions Henrietta be-
gan to hunger Tor Washington. What
If that young couple were the children
of-perhaps a congressman? Blu the
announcement that the letter was
from the capital was a ripple beside a
tidal wave when one Of the Stackpole
family was known to have received an
engraved card stating that the Secre-
tary of State end Mrs. - would be
pleased to see certain members of the
Stackpole family at their residence in
- circle Cd a specified evening.
There had been no such upheaval In
Henrietta since the beheading of
Charles l., when the town was a set
Element in the primaeval forest, as
took place at tits invitation. Nor was
it lessened at Mrs, Stackpole seniors
declaring that Che groom who had late
ly been with Them was the son of a
senator and the bride the daughter Of
a cabinet officer. The youngsters had
stolen ~away-aimost from the nursery
to run away snd be married.
The Stackpcles' attendance at b
function at the house of the secretary
of state wiped away the stain of regi-