Gloucester County Democrat. (Woodbury, N.J.) 1878-1932, 1883-11-08

formed her one morning as he sat on the
table while she sewed button on his
trousers. II should like to be sailor. !"
"Goodnessl Master Frankly, what's
put that in your head2'
"Oh, nothing; only Tom Dawlish was
telling me about it; what they did in
the wrecks, you know, and all that. I
should like to be on raft, | should, ;"
and he drew his naked toes on to the
table and wriggled them about at the
thought of the great things he would do.
tTom's coming to-day. l heard mamma
say so; and if he isn't gone when come
back this afternoon shall ask him more
about it.n
sid tell him not to be filing the
child's head with such nonsense, only I
don't want to get in his way Mary
thought But somehow Tom got into
her way in the afternoon.
Look here, Mary" he said, ~
want to speak to you. It isn't that l
want you to look at me if you haven't a
mind to, though goodness knows I'd do
anything for you; but don't want to see a
nice girl like you a lowering of yourself
by walking out with chap like Alfred
Hill"
"What's it got to do.with youG" she
asked, angrily.
"Why, just this, that I've found out
bit about him, and he's only laughing
at you, and thinking you are nice-look-
ing girl when you are dressed up, to
walk about with; but as for marrying
you he'll no more do it than that and
he snapped his fingers, though what that
action had to do with Mr.. Alfred Hills
intention he did not explain. Why,
he's going to marry the daughter of Mr.
Brooks, what travels for the firm, that's
what he's going to do. Ask him, and
see if he can deny it. Why, it's coming
off directly, only she's nothing to look
at, so he isn't fond of showing her off,
but she's got some money, she has, and
plays on the piano, and looks like a
lady"
How do you knowgn Mary asked,
her very lips turning white, for her ex-
acting heart knew that he had fallen off
lately, and that he was not what he had
been in the spring (the summer was over.
Not that for single moment she believed
Toms words.
"Why, Iwork there, and the servants
told me. Beside, I've seen him go there
courting."
81 don't believe it. You ought to be
ashamed of YOURSELF and she rushed
away to hide her gathering tears and
frightened face.
She wrote to him, asking him to meet
her that night; but he replied with an
excuse that made her heart sick. He
would meet her tomorrow Saturday
afternoon in Kensington Gardens, if she
liked, he said; and to this she consented,
and for the first time, and for his sake,
was false to her charge of Frankly.
You run about, Master Frankly,
dear" she said; 'I want to talk to a
friend of mine-but don't go out of
sight," and then in her bewilderment
she forgot all about him. Alfred Hill
looked rather bored than otherwise, but
he was smiling and shiny as ever. She
hardly greeted him when he appeared,
but she looked at him with all the ad-
niration she had ever felt for him inten-
sifed by her fear. He sat down beside
her, and elegantly crossing his legs began
tapping his highly polished boots with
his bone-headed cane.
/" Alfred, " she said, crossing her hands
and looking at him straight in the eyes,
is it true that you are going to get mar
ried directly2n
Who's told you SOP"
"It isn't any account who told me; is
it true as you are going to marry Miss
Brooks because she plays on the piano
and has money, and II The tears came
into her eyes, and her lips quivered with
anguish. Oh, it isn't truel l know
it isn'tl' and she touched his hand in her
dismay, and looked up into his eyes with
all her hearts story written in her eyes.
I don't see why it shouldn't be, and
so there's the long and short of it, my
dear girl"
'But it isn't it isn'tga she said, APP
pealingly.
We'll, yes, it is true, he said, slowly,
not daring to look her in the face, /" SO
you may as well know it at once.p
She stood up before him.
True Do you mean to say, Alfred,
after all that passed between US, that