The Mount Holly news. [volume] (Mount Holly, Burlington Co., N.J.) 1891-1942, 1898-11-01
A WILL AND THE WAY

Existence under the guardianship of
some one who is doing his duty by you
is not an unmixed pleasure Miss Brad
ford's sister, Mrs. Gallatin, was doing
her duty by Miss Bradford. The former
was not at all pretty. The latter was
very, very pretty, which is SO much
more charming than being very, very
beautiful But Mrs. Gallatin was mar
ried and Miss Bradford was not. This
came of the fact that Mrs Gallatin had
visited at Fort Preble and had captured
an unhedged lieutenant by maneuvering
and a miracle, and that Miss Bradford
had spent her 81 years in a small Maine
town
Boys in the village had been in love
with Bessie Bradford, but she had not
been in love with them, and she had,
moreover, a decent appreciation of her
own value and knew she was far too
good for such as they. There had been a
college youth, also, once, but he and
she had quarreled before the end of his
summer visit. And now Bessie was one
and-twenty, and the family worried It
worried itself into state where even
the raising of a mortgage on the home
did not seem too great thing, if it
would but insure her marriage. With
the money thus obtained she was sent
across the continent with instructions
to get herself welded before she came
back Those things are treated as bust
ness in New England hamlets. She was
told to marry general if she could If
not, anything, down to a second lieu
tenant.
Lieutenant and Mrs Gallatin lived
in the building known as the Corral If
the Corral were in the city, it would be
called tenement. But Uncle Sam does
not quarter his officers in tenements.
The Gallatins were cramped for room
very cramped. They had three children
and second ieutenant's pay, so they
were poor. Therefore taking Miss Brad
ford in was not pleasure. 1t was du-
ty, and Mrs Gallatin would not have
been New Highlander if she had not
done her duty.
But Bessie felt the unpleasantness of
the situation the very day of her arrival
Captain Soutter is going to take
you to the hop this evening, Bess, j" Mrs.
Gallatin said. Bessie was cutting paper
bird cages for her niece. Mrs Gallatin
was mending pinafore.
1--WE promised to go with Mr.. Mil
ford, answered Miss Bradford, stop
ping and looking up from the scissors
Mr. who?"
"Mr Milford Colonel Milford's son,
who lives in St Louis. "
Where have you met him?" The
"him" warned Bessie that she was run
ming on rocks.
"On the train We got acquainted
He's in business in St. Louis, and he's
coming to visit his people because he's
in bad health. He is very nice man.
Mani He must be about %. A per-
feet boy. And his business is being a
briefess barrister. Now, let me tell you
one thing, Bessie. You must learn from
the first that the civilian son of an off
Ger is nobody at all in garrison You
will hurt your chances badly with the
officers by going with him How did he
know there was to be hop?"
Bessie finished opening the cage, gave
it to her niece with kiss, gathered the
scraps of paper in her hand and threw
them into the wastebasket, clasped her
fingers behind her curly brown head
and answered leisurely; "He didn't
know there was to be one tonight. He
asked me to go to the first one there
should be after our arrival"
Mrs. Gallatin thought how very,
very pretty Bessie was and wondered if
her husband contrasted them.
He probably will never think of it
again. Captain Soutter is going to call
to ask you this afternoon, and you'd
better accept. -
Can one go with two men out here
-antenuptially?"
Don't be vulgar You needn t con-
slider the Milford boy"
"Oh, but | must, Genevieve, you
know I promised Miss Bradford's
big gray eyes were guilelessly earnest
tive no doubt that pose is taking
with the men, but you can t make your
devotion to promises succeed with me,
dear. know you too we'll can't re-
member that they worried you with the
boys at home. ="
"This promise don't worry me; not
little bit %
"Well, should suggest that you
take my advice and be less fippant.
Recollect that you were not sent way
out here to firt with penniless civil
ians and small boys "
''If 1 forget, remind me, will you?
I'll make you little red silk flag, if
you like / can make flags made one
for fair at home once. You might
draw it from your bosom and wave it
when you see me about to run off the
track you have all SO kindly and labo-
riously laid for me to run on. I'll teach
you the signals Mr. Milford and l
studied them from the back of our
sleeper. l think there's some one at the
door, sister dearie. F"
It was Captain Soutter, come to form
alize the hop arrangement. He was
obviously very glad that he had come
For Miss Bradford was pretty-extraor-
dinarily pretty.
Il am happy in being a near neigh
Dor Of yours, Miss Bradford, he told
her. He forgot, as men will, how often
he had cursed the i'll luck which threw
him within hearing distance Of the
Gallatin trio of infants.
"Yes?" said Bessie. "You are in our
vicinity, then?"
"a little above you in the world. /
live up stairs. When you want me, you
have only to pound on the ceiling"
"The-what is it-quartermaster
The quartermaster mightn't like me to
wear out his ceiling "
''You flatter me by the implication,
Miss Bradford. But III settle with the
Q. NJ if you will only pound For in
stance, will you pound tonight when
you are ready for the hop. to which it
is my dearest wish to be permitted to
escort your
He forgot what he had wished when
Mrs Gallatin had asked him to perform
This act OF courtesy toward the coming
sister. But then he had looked at Mrs.
Gallatin and had judged from her Of
the sister
81 would be only too delighted if it
were not that have already promised
to go with some one else. F"
The betrayed captain manifested his
establishment and resentment at having
been subjected to refusal He had a
high opinion of his dignity, had the
captain.
why, who on earth can have asked
you already" he cried.
Miss Bradford had cool little north
ern air, when she liked. She considered
the captain S question in bad taste, so
she raised her eyebrows and smiled
most sweetly. 81 shall hope to have a
dance with you, Captain Soutter, +" she
said.
And she had not one, but three. Tho
captain forgot his wrath at the sight Of