The Mount Holly news. [volume] (Mount Holly, Burlington Co., N.J.) 1891-1942, 1891-12-29

J.
front door was roughly-made lattice,
and this, too, was covered with the
vines, and the whole cottage was a
picturesque little affair and the envy Of
the schoolma' ans, who loved flowers,
but whose vines always died and whose
ornamental gardening was confined to
a bed of sickly-looking four o'cloclks
which grew by their door.
The owner of the vine-draped shanty
was a bachelor of middle age who
spoke with queer foreign accent. He
was an extremely bashful man and he
scarcely dared look at the ladies as
they passed him, with the good-natured
s'Howdy" that was the customary
greeting of the country.
The widow had watched him often
from the window as he plowed upon
his claim, and she admired his fine
manly bearing, and she did wish in
her heart that he'd be bit neighborly.
and she told Tom so; but Tom only
purred and stretched himself in the
sun.
Now, as l said, the schoolma' ANS
were passionately fond Of flowers and
were discouraged and chagrined that
nothing would grow in their door yard.
So one day when they saw the owner
of Vine cottage, as they called it, set
ting out for town, they equipped them
selves with basket and trowel and,
stopping for the widow, they went on
tour of pillage.
They all entered into the fun of the
thing and in an hour or more a droop-
ing, dejected-loolzing vine was clinging
to string beside the door of each cot
tage.
And the odd thing was, that while
the vine of the schoolma'ams faded
and died, that of the widow grew
and throve marvelously. So wonderful
was its growth that soon it began to
spread over the walls and roof until her
shanty rivaled the vine cottage in the
way of verdure. And the two old
maids joked the widow and caused her
to blush furiously at the undignifed
prank she had played in getting the
vine.
In time, the shy man grew little
neighborly and sometimes brace of
prairie chickens would be hung, with
out word, on the widows door. Or
quartz and agate, or trout or pickerel
01ferIng the widow would nod ner pref
ty head wisely and smile to herself.
Nature was kind to the pioneers that
year. There had been no severe storms,
no terrible heat or drought, and in No
vember it was still mild and warm,
without a sign of frost. Everyone said
"a Ii 4,.r4
as though the remark were quite new
and original.
The widow was saying to herself one
afternoon that after all it had been very
pleasant to be pioneer woman. There
had been no great discomforts and de-
privations, and now that there were but
two months more to stay, she was half
sorry.
She had been putting away some of
her summer clothes, and white Mother
Hubbard wrapper, favorite garment
of the widows, hung upon clothesline
beside the house. It was a dainty
thing, white cambria, with lace-edged
rufiles and with pink ribbon bow with
long ends at the neck. Indeed, to have
seen the widow in it would have recon-
ciled the most prejudiced person to the
much-maligned Mother Hubbard.
There had been little ftful gusts Of
hurried from spot to spot as the wind
veered about, and the dainty Mother
Hubbard tapped furiously in the breeze,
but the widow was reading a very in
teresting book and never looked up until
crash came flying board against the
side of the house and the shanty began
to sway and rock like cradle.
1t was short-liyed storm and there
was no damage done, and In half an
hour the sky was again clear; but
when Mrs. Drake went out to look for
her gown it was gone. OF course the
wind had torn it to tatters. There was
no use to look for it; it was gone for
ever, and with sigh the little woman
went into the house.
The next two months few very
swiftly The bachelor had grown
holder and had come to call, but the
lively widow did the most Of the talk
ing and he replied in broken monosyl-
! tables.
The weather was still bright and
pleasant, and there had been no bliz-
yards, no snow. That was remark
able" too, for it was nearly holiday
time.
Then came Xmas, such a queer, quiet
day with not even letter from Priscil-
la. But even then there was genuine
regret in her heart when Mrs. Drake
began to pack her belongings prepare
tory to going back to the states. She
was in better health and spirits than
ever before, and she had quarter sec
ton of land of her own and she had
made some pleasant friends. On the
whole it had paid we'll
1t was New Years eve and she was
to leave the next morning. She put on
an extra lump of coal and set the
lighted lamp in the window. She
thought it might cheer some one, you
know. and it did; it shone way out on
| the path and lit the way for the bach
elor as he came hurrying across the
fields.
AS he came into the little room, bare
Of all the pretty little articles which
had made 1t SO cheerful and homelike,
his heart gave thuinp to think that it
would so SION be empty and deserted,
and he resolved to say what was on his
mind at once.
But the words would not come; he
could only open the parcel which he
had brought and take out-guess what
The tattered remnants of q cambria
Mother Hubbard.
As the widow gave a little squeal OF
surprise, he said, with stately bow:
II have bring zee chemise Of
madame, which &c wind brings to me
so long ago. And with an impetucus
motion he tore open his coat and there
over his heart lay the folded pink rib
bon which had been at the throat Of the
gown.
Somehow after that he didn't need
words, for the widows dark head rested
on the ribbon and both his arms were
about her
Now there is something irresistibly
funny about the courtship of middle
aged lovers. Young lovers are interest
ing enough, and old lovers are pathet-
ically grotesque, but when two com
mon-place people in middle life fall in
love with each other l defy them to
behave so that they are above ridicule.
So we will draw the curtain here,
when tell you that after her lover had
gone the widow whispered to Tom: $50
/ ,.c,,,o,,tia Tent 40 T(ut how absurd To