The Mount Holly news. [volume] (Mount Holly, Burlington Co., N.J.) 1891-1942, 1899-05-23
She Helped Him.

b She Helped Him. !
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Littlewood Phillips had been in love
with Mildred Harrington for two years,
! ever since he first met her at the Hal
lowells' card party. He had no good
reason to doubt that his love was re-
turned, yet SO fearful was he that he
had misread her feelings, so much did
he dread her refusal of his suit, that he
had never limited that she was more to
him than any of the girls he met at the
church sociables and card parties in
N~ewington. Innumerable chances for a
declaration Of love had offered them
selves, for he was a regular caller at the
harrington mansion, but this youth
was as devoid of spunk as a hare and
was no nearer the goal of his desires to-
day than he had been.w when Cupid first
aimed his dart at him.
So matters stood when a snowfall
that brought sleighing in its wake Wis
tied Newington, and Littlewood be-
came conscious of the fact that he had
actually asked Miss harrington to take
a ride with him. Of course he must
perforce bring matters to a crisis now.
He was afraid that Judge Harrington
would be asking his intentions, and it
would be humiliating to have such a
question come before he could refer him
to the girl for an answer. No; beyond
a doubt he must pluck up enough our
age to ask her to be his wife or else
cease calling upon her, an alternative
that was hideous enough to chill his
heart.
The evening was soon at hand. A
crescent moon shone in the east and the
stars were cold and scintillating. He
walked to the livery stable and asked
for the cutter, and a few minutes later
be was driving a handsome chestnut to
the house where his thought spent most
of the time. Miss Harrington kept him
waiting a good half hour, but he re-
iected that it was the privilege Of her
glorious sex, and it only made him love
her the more. If she had come out and
placed her dainty foot upon his neck he
would have been overcome with rap
ture. In fact, in his present state,
which had also been his state for "a
months, Littlewood was not many re-
moves from a calf.
1t was cold waiting, so he got out
and hitched his horse and paced in front
of her house, her faithful sentinel until
death-if need be. Not that there was
o.- - 4Is-l- xL-L IL -z.-1. /
would be required, but it pleased his
self love to imagine himself dying for
this lovely being of whom his tongue
stood in such awe that it could scarce
loose itself in her presence.
At last she appears. The FESTIVE horse
slants his ears at her and paws the
ground in admiration of her beauty,
for Mildred was as pretty as regular
features, a fair skin and melting eyes
could make her.
Littlewood handed her into the sleigh,
stepped in himself, tucked in the robes
and chirruped to the horse. That intel
ligent animal did not move. A flush of
modification overspread the face Of the
would be amorous swain. A balky horse,
and at the startl What chance would
he have to deliver his precious message
that was to make two hearts happyH
He clicked again to the horse, but again
the horse continued to stand still.
"You might unhitch him, Mr.. Phil
lips. That would help, said Mildred
in her sweet voice.
"Oh, yes-t-to be surel / must have
tied him. / mean I-er-I dbl think
| did hitch-er''z
"There seems to have been a hitch
somewhere, she answered.
He. stepped out of the sleigh and
looked over his shoulder at her in a
startled way. Could she mean any
thing2 Was this encouragement Oh,
mol 1t was too soon. (Too soon, and he
had been in love two yearsD He IN
hitched the horse and once more placed
himself beside his loved one.
The frosty night seemed to have set
a seal upon her lips, for as they sped
over the crunching snow and left the
town behind them she was silent.
Unjust have offended her. I've prob
Dbly made break of some kind, - said
Littlewood 0 himself. elbow unfortu-
mattel Bot l must tell her tonight. 1t is
now or never. This attention Is too
marked to pass as a mere courtesy of
The winter season. She knows l never
took anybody but my mother sleigh rid
ing before.
Then began a process of nerving him
self to the avowal. He ground his knees
together until the bones ached. His
breathing was feverish.
Mum - Widowed Il mean Mil
bred" An, then he stopped. He had
never called her Mildred before. He had
never called her Widowed. either, but
that was accidental. and he hoped that
she had not noticed the slip.
81 have something Of the greatest
Importance to say to you"
Did he imagine il or did she nestle
closer to him He must have been mis-
taken, and to show that he was quite
sure he edged away from her as much
as the somewhat narrow confines of the
sleigh would allow.
What do you wish to say, Mr.. Phil
! lips?"
"Mister" Phillips. All, then she was
offended. To he sure she had always
called him that, but after his last re-
mark it must have an added signif-
canoe.
"I-er-do you like sleigh riding 2"
"Why, of course. or else l wouldn't
have come"
Did she mean that as a slap at him
Was it only for the ride and not for his
company that she had Gomez Oh, he
could never make an avowal of love
after thatl He knew his place. This
beautiful girl was not for a faint heart
ed caitiff like himself.
"Nun-nun-no, to be sure not. l.
er-thought that was why you came"
Mildred turned her gazellelike eyes
upon him. "I'm afraid / don't under
stand you"
That settled it. If she didn't under
stand him when he talked of nothing
in particular. he must be very blind in
his utterance. and he could never trust
his tongue to carry such a heavy freight
as a declaration of love. No, there was
nothing to do but postpone 1t. After
all, her house was the best place for it.
The horse sped on past mantled
meadows and through pine woods full
of filtered moonlight, and Mildred
drank in the beauty of the scenes and
wished that it were decorous for wom-
en- to propose.
: nho ns~Lk - --..Ls-- A. Ill