The Mount Holly news. [volume] (Mount Holly, Burlington Co., N.J.) 1891-1942, 1901-12-17
"NECKs OR
NOTHING"
The Story of a Reckless Man.
BY JESSE POPE.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

that laundering fool' to his critics. He
had no enemies. In conversation he was
as keen a sportsman as Drayton West,
who led the county; in execution he hardly
kept pace with the rank and file, whose
order he spoiled every time by his uncon-
trollable energy. He would start for a
round of golf full of joy and promise and
return within an hour to the clubhouse
with bits of clubs sticking out of his
pockets and badly ricked back. They
say that after one of his rounds they had
to practically remake the links, and
there's an old story of ferocious swing
of his when he missed the ball, twirled
round like teetotum and sat on the tee.
AT billiards he would dig holes in the Ia
BILE, send his ball through the window and
then complain of the light, while on the
football field it was a case Of save himself
who can, for he was like roaring bull
let loose
Those were exciting times, too, when
he made up his mind to ride a bicycle and
deputed Willy and a stable boy to support
him. Willy was his smooth faced younger
brother, frail in health and slight in
build. His courage, however, was in
domitable, and he needed it, for the learn
er's struggles were simply superhuman.
One would have hardly thought it posi-
bic for mere man to twist metal tubes
into such weird shapes, and when he
made up his mind to fall off no power on
earth could stop him. He always fell on
Willy, who would go under like sapling
before the avalanche, merely calculating
"Ohp' as the breath was crushed out of
his frail body. Willy never murmured,
but it became evident that he was sinking
under the strain, and the pastime was
abandoned.
When "Neck or Nothing" went to Mon
tie Carlo no one was surprised that he lost
all his money the first night. He took it
very much to heart, refused to send for
remittance OF borrow from his friends,
tramped back across France and arrived
home one daybreak in magnificent health
and tatters. He brooded constantly over
his losses--though no one else did-and
spent one sleepless night trying to hit on
some means of curtailing his expenses.
Next day he left off collars, for collars.
he argued, were an item of expense that
was never paid for, and he stuck to his
point. There are not many men who can
relinquish collars and still stand as well
with the fair sex, but it is II fact that,
after the first shock, meek or Nothing's'
lady friends liked him better than ever.
They called him Achilles ii. and wrote
some verses on the subject. or course
the reduction of his washing bill hadn't
really anything to do with it; but, to
prove to the world the success of his OK
pertinent, he shortly afterward invested
in big racing motor car and went to the
builders to bring it home himself. What
happened on that journey no man knows.
The route was original, anyhow, for we
kept getting kilograms from all sorts of
unexpected places. The start was pro
pitious for Going strong" Absolutely
the very best" Easter and faster" were
the first messages we received. Then, aft
er silence lasting day and half came
pitiful wire, "Send help" followed in
couple of hours by another, "Send more
helpl" A relief party started in hot
haste, only to return apprehensive and
crestfallen. The career had been easy to-
follow to a certain point, then the clew
suddenly vanished In many small towns
''That ere motor car" formed the topic
of street corner conversation At one
place it had been resolute stand which
had led to some friction between its goad-
ed driver and disrespectful rustic in a
hay cart. The scene ended in a novel
frenzied headers into the complicated ma
chinery and hurting menaces at the same
time he received an electric shock of such
violence that his opponent was bound in
common humanity to jump down from his
cart and help straighten him out.
At the next town the relief party be-
came aware of such q sour and thwarted
expression on the faces of the constables,
such a nervousness about. the horses and
such a scarcity of dogs that they wisely
refrained from further inquiry. How
ever, after half weeks suspense, came
the final telegram, "Arrive at 4 O'Clock
sharp" and at that hour quite gather
ing turned out to welcome the wanderer.
But the white highroad stretched before
us long and bare, with nothing to relieve
the monotony but an old road member
steering a noisy track on his ancient tri-
cycle. So much for "Neck or Nothing s"
Wanted punctuality, and we still gazed at
the point where the road disappears over
the hill when the creaking stopped, the
road member dismounted, and there-wan,
grim, wear and dsheveled-stood meek
or Nothing himself. Some seized him
by the hand some, they say, fell upon his
neck, but all with one voice exclaimed:
"But where's the motor carp
"Neck or Nothing glanced at the rusty
structure at his side.
"I'm sorry to disappoint you," he said,
''but l snapped it with an old road mend
er for this The poor old chap seemed
willing. Heaven knows l was"
His voice sounded far away and unfa-
miliar, his face was refined by suffering.
but he wore the grateful air Of man
freed from a haunting care.
Shortly after this there happened to
''Neck or Nothing" what happens to all
a trifing event to some, to him a catas-
trophe. He fell in love- 1t was just
about this time that Flora first appeared
upon the scene, and it was always poor
Flora's fate to be disturbing element.
Life would have been so much more
peaceful and so much less interesting
without her Her face was like picture,
her blue eyes melting and sympathetic
and her voice so caressing that every
body's heart went out to her at once.
At first all went WELL the girls took 1t
in turn to sit next to her and hold her
hand: the men stood by and looked on.
Gradually, however, this order of things
became reversed, and then, of course, To-
cal politics grew complicated. 1t really
wasn't Flora's fault-at least, she told Us
it wasn't. She always felt the need OF
affection, and if people did love her how
could she prevent them from telling her
90? 1t was not very long. as may be
imagined, before her attention was turned
to our hero. She was very gentle with
him and took him so seriously that he
took her seriously too. And one night at
q dance, when he had torn her train and
broken her fan, he was just going TO tell
her all his worries when Drayton West
came up and claimed the next dance.
Drayton West was well bred and good
looking and left poor meek or Nothing"
as fairly routed on the field as he was on
the paruuet For the rest of the evening
he sat alone in corner of the gallery,
looking down at the dancers-he never
took his eyes off Flora, and l think she
was quite aware of the fact. Neck or
Nothing did not go to bed that night.
He tramped twenty miles through brake
and brier, and when next morning he pre-
sented himself before his enchantress he
was wild eyed and determined. The in
terview was short and stormy.
"Will you marry me? Yes or no?" was
the thunderbolt he launched at her grace
full head. Flora sank down on the settee
with a contented sigh, and, i'll her tender
hearted way, tried to temporize. But he
would have none Of it. He refused to
come here and sit down, he refused to
have a nice comfortable talk, he refused
to be a good, sensible boy. Eyes or no."
AMI Eyes or no. only, was the refrain.
OF course this did not suit Flora at all.
She didn't want to marry him, but she
did want to be nice to him, but at length,
finding him monotonously obdurate, she
admitted regretfully enough:
"Well if you will, of course it's no."
"Neck or Nothing" laughed loudly and
rudely.
"Of course it isl" he cried and walked
out of the room and out of the house, and,
- IrInrn,r n,-idont disannninfmnnf he