The Mount Holly news. [volume] (Mount Holly, Burlington Co., N.J.) 1891-1942, 1902-09-30

Aunt Mary had said her last word, ac-
companied by thump Of her fist and
$50. there, now!" Uncle Ben gazed at
her admiringly and exclaimed:
by gum, Mary, but what woman
you are to think up thingsr'
Two days later, as Tom Dingwell
came over to the potato field where
Uncle Ben was working and asked for
the loan of saw, he thought he saw
a change in Lizzies father. The greet
ing seemed cold and distant and when
he was called Mr. Dingwell instead Of
Tom his knees began to quake. He
was too upset to ask for explanations,
and as he went to the house to get the
saw Aunt Mary bowed to him stif1y
and said:
"It's hanging in the woodshed, Mr.
Dtngwell."
''W-whatT gasped Tom as another
quake struck his knees
"And it's pleasant weather, Mr.. Ding
well, and 1t looks as If all the crops
would turn out WE'LL
''Mr. Dingwell" swallowed a lump
In his throat and hurried away. He
had some queer thoughts as he crossed
the fields and climbed the rail fences
1t took him two hours to arrange his
thoughts on a string and reach a con-
clusion, and that conclusion was:
"By gum. but the old folks want Liz
zie to throw me over and marry some
stuck up Teller with curly hairw
The more he thought of it the more
firm was his conviction, and he finally
became SO upset over 1t that he had to
knock off work and sit on the fence
and chew straws. He was hard hit
and full Of trouble. but he proposed to
die game. In other words. he proposed
to marry Lizzie If he had to walk over
the dead bodies of forty stuck up
young men and set a barn or two on
fire to give Chemung county fair warn
ing. An hour after dark he appeared
at Uncle Ben's with his Sunday clothes
on. He expected to find Lizzie seated
on the piazza. but she wasn't there.
me mother had seen to that. There
was young man there, however, and,
curiously enough, he had curly hair,
and he was stuck up. He smoked
cigarettes and spoke with a drawl.
"Ah, yasl suppose you are the fell
low who has been hanging around
Miss Lizzie for the last three years
You needn't mind hanging any longer,
you knaw. 1t gives me pleasure to in
form you that l have won the dear
girls hand and heart and that we are
to be welded next month. Charming
evening, I'm suah."
Tom stood there like man turned
to stone, and for minute the quarrel
ing of the hens on their roost sounded
in his ears like the thunder of Niagara.
He had lost Lizzie. She didn't want to
see him. even for last goodby, and
Uncle Ben and Aunt Mary had no fur
Their use for him. AS 1t all surged up in
his soul he turned, walked down the
path and out of the gate and paused
not as the stuck up young man called
after him;
Sorry, doncher knaw, but you were
too show about 1t. I'll tell the deah girl
that you called"
his head off with the ak or choke him
self to death ON an early turnip, but all
of sudden he began to get mad about
1t. He had been thrown down, and
thrown hard, without notice, and he
wouldn't stand it. Lizzie and every
body else knew that he intended to
marry her after awhile-after the price
of corn got above IS cents-and no
man should step in and take her from
him.
Hardly conscious of what he was do
ing, he went to the barn and hitched
the old bay mare to the forty dollar
Ohio top carriage, Then he brushed
the dust off his clothes, felt In his
pockets to see If his 81 was safe and,
leaping into the vehicle. yelled
''G'langy' In way that sent the staid
old mare forward ten feet She was
on the gallop when she reached Uncle
Ben's, and, without waiting to tie her,
Tom sprang down and banged the gate
open -Four people were on the piazza,
and he came to the stuck up young
man first, grabbed him by the legs and
threw him into a bed of pinks. Uncle
Ben started up with whats this,
Tomr but Tom pushed him over his
chair and sternly exclaimed:
Don't dare to fool with a desperate
mani Come on. LizzieE'