The Mount Holly news. [volume] (Mount Holly, Burlington Co., N.J.) 1891-1942, 1902-12-30
Copyright, 1901. by
Captain Harry L. Wells

enough to go home Nellie's mother,
who had refused him whole before he
enlisted, married the remaining three
fourths of him and seemed glad to get
the chance The colonel was glad also,
and when Nellie was born he was still
more glad. His happiness continued
about ten years, and then the death of
his wife robbed him of it until the
budding of his daughter into woman
hood, an exact counterpart In form,
feature and disposition of the lost
wife, restored it to him. He had be-
come an abject slave of this impulsive,
changeable, petulant, warm hearted
copy of his wife, and that was the
only reason why he was now 5000
miles away from his native land
Nellie had said she absolutely must
go over to Japan to see those cunning
japanese girls In their own homes, and
the colonel had said, Eyes, of course"
though he very well knew that she
cared no more for the cunning Japa-
nese girls than she did for the woman
who is supposed to keep company with
simply wanted to get as close as posi-
Bile to Lieutenant Jack Carter, who was
fighting in the Philippines and whom
she had fatty refused to marry
Jack was the son of the colonePs old
chum, who had been so badly wounded
at the time the colonel lost his leg that
he only had lasted through few years
of suffering and then had left his little
curly headed boy an orphan in the care
Of his comrade in arms. The two chill
dren had grown up together and loved
each other, but Nellie had some roman
tic notion about heroes, such as her IA
ther with his cork leg, which Jack did
not seem to fill. He was only Jack. So
she refused him without knowing how
much it hurt her, and he, when the war
broke out enlisted, still without know
ing how much it hurt her
Her pride at the thought that per-
haps Jack would become a hero after
price of the heroism might be more than
a mere cork leg, and this idea the colo
mel stimulated upon every occasion that
offered. AS time went on news from
the Philippines became more startling,
and that is why she told her father she
wanted to see those cunning little jap
anese girls in their own homes and Sc
lected Nagasaki, the nearest port to
Manila, but the poorest for seeing Jap
anese life, as her point of observation.
AS Nellie stood at the window drum
ming she saw the sampans darting
at anchor, the large merchant steam
ers, the whalers and the many fishing
boats and just under the window the
long row of jinrikishas backed up
against the sea wall in front of the
hotel, the rickshaw men looking like
bowl hats and knickerbocker trousers.
She was especially interested in an ar
my transport that had steamed slowly
into the harbor a few minutes before
with the stars and stripes floating from
the stern, and now as she watched the
group of khaki clad officers disembark
from a sampan and climb the long
stone steps to the bund she drummed
still more impatiently and remarked
spitefully:
''They make me tiredw
"Who?" queried the colonel from the
depths of his chair.
'Why, those officers with their nice,
clean uniforms! What right have these
officers to come away from Manila
when Jack is over there fighting those
horrid savages! | should think they'd
be ashamed to do it"
perhaps they would if they knew
Jack was there all alone"
Nov, popsie, you stop making fun!
You know they have no right to come
home unless Jack does. l just know
he's been sick all the time. None
of them has been fighting night and
go over to the club and see if those
good for nothing officers know how
soon Jacks regiment is going to be
sent home. You'll find them there, for
they are certain to be all standing In
front of the bar drinking those horrid
Scotch sodas."
Every well, my DEAR" said the colo
mel, rising, but want to call your at
tention to the fact that young officer
who is sick all the time could not be
fighting savages night and day. You'd
better decide upon one thing or the
other as the reason why he ought to be-
sent home" And the colonel chuckled
US he stumped down the hall and the
broad fight of stairs to the hotel en-
trance.
The colonel had a very dignitied, mill
.ary carriage, the dignity being accen-
tuated by his desire to conceal the
presence of the cork leg. and when he
made his stately appearance on the
hotel steps there was a rush of rickshaw
men. bovine low with hat in hand, to
tender their services. Selecting one, he
stiffiy mounted into the seat and was
soon trotted to the door of the English
club, where, as predicted. he found a
double row of officers and Scotch and
soda glasses aligned for business.
Upon invitation he Joined them, but
before he could ask any questions his
eye happened to catch sight of some
clippings on the bulletin board. He
was soon absorbed in what they had to
say. They were taken from the Manila
Freedom and had been brought on the
transport that morning. Briefly they
told of a treacherous attempt to kill
Americans under cover of a flag of
truce. The American major. with his
adjutant and orderly. had gone out to
meet the flag and when well away
from cover had been fired upon. The
orderly had been killed and the ma jor
wounded by the volley. The adjutant
who had carried his wounded com
mander back to shelter under hail OF
bullets, was so severely wounded that
he was expected to die. The name of
this gallant hero was Lieutenant Car.
ter. Here was Nellie's hero at last, but
alas, not with mere cork leg, but
probably by this time sleeping beneath
the silent stars on Battery knoll.
The colonel hung his head in sorrow
How should he tell the news to that lit.
tie girl whose very heart lie knew
would break. all the more surely be-
cause of remorse for having sent Jack
to his death without knowledge of the
love for which he had craved and
pleaded?
Slowly he passed out of the club. en-
tered his rickshaw and was soon at the
hotel. He stumped stiffiy along the
hall to the parlor where Nellie was
waiting. She turned from the window
as he entered. and glance showed her
that something was wrong. With q