The Mount Holly news. [volume] (Mount Holly, Burlington Co., N.J.) 1891-1942, 1894-04-17

nOuEOJ anu hDN 1ONO III lAtO oJ CO Va OeRSA
shone out with a sort of spiritual bril-
lance. They leaned together again and
joined lips in long, delicious kiss
And while they kissed two shots rang
out on the crystal air.
An old woman living on the outskirts
of Libertytown rejoices in the peculiar
sobriquet of Mrs. Early Worm. This
is, one can only suppose, due to her
habit of rising at most intnitesimal
hour in midwinter as we'll as in mid
summer. As to her reasons for this sim
gular course there is nothing but con-
lecture. She is said to have driven her
husband to an early grave, and then,
overcome by remorse, to have sworn to
seek none but an early grave herself.
However that may be, the things that
Mrs. Early Worm saw on the morning
Of the goth of February, 189-, are facts
and have nothing to do with the realm
of conjecture.
When she arose, the world was still,
in spite of its coating of snow, very
dark. There was light, to be sure, of
that curious, indefinite gray that dis
tinguishes the birth of day in winter
time. She was proceeding to the wood
shed to pick up the usual armful Of
kindling wood for the kitchen stove
when suddenly she said, Land sakes!
what is that?" and stood stock still in
the middle of the yard.
What she saw was this: Through the
gray dawn light that hung between the
earth s white coverlet and the nights
flying wings of sable there approached
the apparition of two horses and two
riders. In the gray haze they shone like
angels of whiteness. That was the aw-
full part of it--they were all white!
Against the horizon, where night still
held sway, their forms were cut as
clearly as in ivory AS they came near
Ell the old woman, shivering now with
cold and fear, observed that one rider
was a man, the other girl. They sat
motionless, rigid, as if carved of mar
BILE. They were covered with frost from
head to foot They we're white with the
hue of cold. Their horses as they stepped
rhythmically forward blew out mists of
steam that came back to them frozen
coatings of ice.
The old woman with an effort found
energy enough to wrench herself out of
the strange, lethargic fascination she
had been in. She began to run as fast
as her old legs could carry her toward
the nearest house, about 100 yards away.
Presently the entire village was
aroused to the presence of this CHASTITY
phenomenon.
Needless of the terror they occasioned.
the horses stepped on with tired and
even gait.
And now 1t was observed that the
riders were linked together-that the
two were one-that here was some aw-
full unity of horror Their arms were
intertwined, their faces touching. The
man s right hand held his horses reins
and hunting crop, while his left was
about the girls waist. Her right was
about his shoulders, and her left held
the reins. Their shoulders touched. It
was as if they were hewn out of one
stone.
But there was no breath from their
nostrils. White as ghosts, still as eter-
nifty, they rode on into the heart of the
village.
Numb with dread, no one dared APP
proach them. All knew their faces
well. No one spoke their names. Even
curiosity was stified in the greatness OF
their terror.
With the resonant clamor of iron
shoes upon wood both horses ascended
the slight sloping entrance to the livery
barn. Reused by the sound, the llv-
eryman came out of his Office. He
looked in dazed establishment at these
colorless, silent, motionless riders. He
noticed what no one had yet seen-upon
the breast of each a crimson stain, not
quite hidden by the coating of frost.
''Great God, he said, they re stone
dead"
The sun, shimmering through the
planks of a lumber car, part of freight
train travelling through the farther west,
rested for an instant on the eyes of Lin
go Dan as he slept the sleep of the care
less. Its radiance woke him. He rubbed
his eyes, gave Billy nudge with bis
elbow and said: Hello, Billyl Here we
are againl''
oh" grunted Billy viciously, "you
be d--dp'
81 admit it, Billy. l probably shall
be. What for? For gross incompetence
in judging the idiocy of man in love,
for, L leave it to any one, is it conceiy
able that any one but lunatic would
start upon a voyage for life with life
companion without sou in his pocket
A lunatic, Billy, is, as | now see,
smile for man in love. Billy, when
was at college played tennis. In ten
mis- love means nothing. 1t is the same
here. Let us go to sleep again. Grea
Greeley, without a sou, without soul
Turning over, they went TO sleeT
again.. Percival Pollard in Sar
Francisco Argonaut.