The Mount Holly news. [volume] (Mount Holly, Burlington Co., N.J.) 1891-1942, 1897-11-16

THE REASON WHY.

had found no answer for them, and he
sits by the fire and ponders over them
nightly, trying to find if there be an
answer. Dick is five and forty, tall, TO-
bust, with rather handsome face and
ford complexion, and with bright gold
en- brown hair, but just where it makes
little crinkles above his ears it has tiny
silver threads running through it-an
even race now between the gold and
silver, but in these days of bimetallism
who shall answer for the future9
He is very personable man, true,
honest, good fellow, rather slow at
grasping an idea, but when he has
grasped it it is sure to become service
able, clean idea. Dicks grasp, firm and
strong, would always purge it of any
vice or vulgarity it might have possess
ed before. He now sits quite alone in
the comfortable library of his sisters
house. He smokes a pipe and thinks
over that sisters question, 81 always
wonder why it is you have never mar
ried, Dick?''
Then curious thing happens. AS
the smoke of his pipe rises up in thick
black clouds he looks quite through it
back to the year 1857 and sees himself
again as boy of 20, just before he first
sailed for India-such jovial, noisy
sort of boy, with a ready smile and
pleasant word for every one, just now
much excited at the prospect of the new
life which is to begin with the voyage
tomorrow.
He is just entering ballroom with
friend of about his own age. ("Jack
Dufford, who died in China, !" murmurs
Dick of today 1t is very large ball
room, brilliantly lighted and decorated
with flowers and evergreens It must
be regimental ball, for there are col
ors stacked at one end. Dick of today
tries to make them out, but quite fails,
and SO turns his attention to what Jack
Dufford is saying to Dick of 1857.
81 want you to dance with my little
sister Kitty. 1t is her first dance, and
she's the dearest little thing going. !"
And he puts his arm through Dick of
1867's and takes him across the room
to where there stands a girl in white
muslin, such dainty, fresh white mus
lin, with little blue bowlmots dotted
over it, and this is all that Dick of 1867
sees as he makes his bow, but when he
raises his head again he meets such
sweet, dancing pair of brown eyes look
ing at him from such pretty, bright
face, with whole mass of light fluffy
hair above and around it, and later
when he puts his arm around her and
they dance and he looks down into the
hair he sees q wee wreath of blue for
getmenots half lost and very tightly
imprisoned in it's glittering meshes. It
is almost Dick of 1875 first ball, too.
and he thoroughly enjoys it, but none
of the figures are plain to Dick of today
save only the white muslin and blue
bowknot one. Talking and dancing
with it seem to fill up the whole even
ing, and then, when the end comes, Dick
of 1867 rolls it up, oh, SO tenderly, in a
warm, white shawl, and Dick of today
feels his heart beat quicker as a little
hand is put into that old Dicks hand
eAA40 q AOW S4IA1cA NO1C0 says
well, good night and goodby, Mr..
Kenneth. / hope you will like India. "
Then Dick of 1867 goes home, and he
feels nervously excited and cannot sleep
and thinks it must be from the uncer-
tainty of liking India.
The tobacco smoke clears off and our
Dick wonders why such an old, quite
buried memory should revive tonight,
but he has not much time for wonder
ing, for as fresh smoke rises up he sees
fresh figures forming themselves behind
it. Still himself, but older, browner and
more manly Dick, this time of 1879. A
ball again, evidently in a private house.
There is wide flight of stairs, off it at
one side conservatory filed with flow
ers and at its top wide landing, with
the ballroom opening bright, noisy and
joyous behind it.
In the doorway stands the hostess,
welcoming her guests. Dick of today
tries to distinguish her features, but
they elude him just as the colors had
few minutes before. He passes on in
to the room Again all the figures are
blurred, until he comes quite to the up
per end Immediately beneath the big
hanging lamp, where there stands a
very distinct one in white silk and a
quantity of soft white tulle, who has
her back turned and displays very
fair head with bunch of pink moss
roses at one side. Dick Of 1879 speaks,
and the figure turns and looks at him
with little uncertainty at first, and
then a gradual, pleased look of recog-
milton comes to her face-that same
sweet face, with it's warm, brown eyes
Dick of 1879 thinks five years have
passed very lightly, leaving behind
them only touch of dignity and wom-
anliness in place of the almost childish
ness. She is, in fact, improved by them,
and SO thinks Dick of today.
Dick of 1879 dances three times with
my little sister Kitty and the third
time she is carried away from him by
a very tall, dark, handsome man, with
a small pointed black beard. He watch
es them, and voice at his elbow says:
What jolly couple they makel He is
old Lord Easton's nephew, and they are
to be married next week, you know /"
Dick of 1872 goes home, and in the
morning comes to the conclusion that
he had taken too much champagne, for
he had dreamed all night that his room
was of gold hung over with pink moss
roses, and, turn as he would, he could
find no door to escape from the heavy
scent of them, which maddened him,
and the touch of them, which thrilled
him with joy and sorrow, pleasure and
passionate pain mixed.
The smoke clears off again, but Dick
of today has ceased to wonder, and only
ing, however. Very soon more comes;
still Dick, still ballroom; Dick of
1880, and quite different ballroom
with quite a different atmosphere, and
different tone about it; many men, few
er women than heretofore, but all the
latter are most beautifully dressed, and
most of the former are in uniform.
Government House, Calcutta
thinks Dick of today, and he instructive
ly looks about him for the well known
figure which he now expects to come,
but it is not there. Dick of 1880 is talk
ing to Cranter. (''Poor old Cranterl
Went under just ten years ago." COM
ments Dick of today.) Cranter says: II
am going to introduce you to the most
lovely little woman, clever, charming,
everything desirable Her husband new
or looks at her, passes all his time in
ENGLAND with Sihyl Ruby. and all his