The Mount Holly news. [volume] (Mount Holly, Burlington Co., N.J.) 1891-1942, 1891-12-15
CUPID'S SERvITOR.

ucKIo master uau pldceU DelOr0 us
eyes those Illuminating glasses which
turn the common sky into heaven,
which convert life into lyric and
woman into creature Of perfume and
melody and light.
But the next day, as one may see,
these glasses were taken of again,
and Clymer Ames has never looked
through them since.
Yet every day from s In the morning
till 5 in the afternoon this man, who
could have killed Eros for his perfid-
ious conduct, was obliged to toll in
his behalf. He was, in short, the
clerk who issued the marriage Hcen-
SEES. When he first went into the SER
vice Of the greatest Of cosmopolitans.
Cupid, he dedicated to him very
bad chirography, a totally uneducated
perception and an indefatigable in
dustry.
In the course of a few weeks spent
behind the little window in the County
Courts spacious apartments, the CHI
Biography Of this young man began to
improve. So did his perceptions.
He could tell, when a man ap-
preached him, whether he had family
pride or not; whether or not he was
sentimental and impatient; whether
he was inclined for hymenal display;
whether he was going to marry a
woman of whom he was proud or only
one with whom he was in love.
Clymer Ames, who at first saw only
the stage carpentering and scene
shifting In this drama ofthe emotions,
began to wonder how it would look
from the front. He found himself get
ting very curious as to what man
did and said before-armed with the
age, name, maternal and paternal
parents names of his bride--he came
to ask for legal permission to be for
ever happy.
It would be very easy, Of course,
for Clymer Ames to get that legal
right. In his capacity of lover he
could approach himself in his capacity
as clerk, and without unnecessary
embarrassment or hesitation ask for
a license and get 1t. To be sure, he
could not we'll be on both sides OF the
window at once, and he had some
doubts about the complete regularity
of license granted under circum-
stances in which the applicant asso-
ciated with such unseemly familiarity
with his superior, the clerk.
This, however, was difficulty which
he felt could be overcome. But that
was the fifth act. What led up to it?
What did lover do through the four
preceding acts.
Clymer Ames determined to find
out.
Fate, which is sometimes kind only
to be cruel, aided him. It went fur
Their, and abbetted.
Lydia Eastwater lived In the next
block but one to where Clymer Ames
boarded, and she came down to see
the daughter of the landlady and play
tennis with her on the lawn. Clymer,
who had hitherto detested tennis, felt
-Gsaisiat 2 iseii,-.s soon as he saw Lydia
Eastwater on the green that exercise
was the only thing for him after his
long office hours.
The rest of the summer he put on
white flannel as soon as he got home,
and he all but slept with tennis bat
in his hand.
st guess it must be pretty dull stay
4uR III bu0 OllCO oil 0lJ bA4o AAOe
weather" said Lydia Eastwater one
night when they stood on the same
side of the white tennis net.
tits dull enough. But nothing to
what it used to be, you know. Ihave
something to look forward to now"
s'Have your" said Lydia Eastwater
innocently, picking bug off her red
and white skirt. "I'm sure I'm glad
Of it."
cts the tennis at night / look for
ward to. 1t brightens up my whole
day. Don't you care for 1t too?"
ssMe?" calculated Lydia with I'M
grammatical nonchalance. ooh, yes,
like tennis we'll enough. I wish,
though, that these people would come
back and go to playing. Standing
around on tennis ground till you are
ready to drop isn'tany pleasanter than
s.stn.:iiss..1ag around anywhere else.'
She ffrted out one foot as she talked
and revealed marvellous stocking.
Clymer wondered If the twenty-five
fellows who had that day applied to
him for the sanction of the law to
their bliss had experienced such diff
culties In the first act-he felt himself
to be nearing the end of that part Of
the drama.
II Lydia Eastwater would only show
by some sign, however slight, that her
heart throbbed as his did he would be
willing to have the curtain rung down
for the entre'ac and let the orchestra
play a while.
.sIt is not because I play tennis
that 1 am happy" he cried explo-
sively ''but because play tennis with
you"
''Oh," cried Miss Eastwater, as she
retied the yellow bow on her hat,
isn't 1t too bad then that / am going
away tomorrow for the rest of the
Summer"
Going for the rest of the summeri
Clymer was sure none of those twenty
two happy men with licenses in their
pockets had ever known such suffer-
ing as this. He leaned against tree.
Ho could not remember feeling so
strange since that day he tainted in
the Office, after being up all night
with the poor agent who had the
rheumatic fever.
Then you are not sorry to go2" he
whispered. "You will not miss me?"
Lydia Eastwater tied the yellow bow
once more. It was growing into a
deeper twilight. The one bar Of red
in the west was all there was left OF
the day. She hit at moth that dut-
tered by In the dusk.
why, yes, / shall care very much
indeed" She looked straight at him,
and the red in the west got into her
cheeks. Clymer started forward,
throbbing with new life. He forgot
all about the first act and even about
the fifth ono. ALI he saw was a girls
eyes. All he felt was her soft lips.
Then the other players came walk
ing across the lawn in the twilight,
and the next day Miss Eastwater went
away.
Clymer wrote to her, Of course. He
stole the time In which to do this from
tho county. But the answers were
not just what he had expected they
would be.
They we're full OF pleasant gossiping
and even Of the expression Of those
girIish opinions which most young
maidens hold, and which 80 strongly
resemble copybook notices. But she
said very little OF just the sort of thing
that Clymer desired her to say. he
consoled himself by looking at every
applicant for license who thrust his
face In at the little window.and reflect
ing:
But / know what you have been
through You may not believe 1t,
but I myself have experienced the
rapture OF fitting close to the first
act, and am now in the midst OF the
perplexities which are SO necessary
to the progress Of the play. My dear