The Mount Holly news. [volume] (Mount Holly, Burlington Co., N.J.) 1891-1942, 1902-08-12

tic career" in Thurstons case repre-
scented by fifteen dollar a week job
as reporter on one of the minor pa
pers. She ran a children's page for a
patent inside" for twelve.
Both had decided to become bohe-
mians, and as all the newspaper arti-
cles they had ever read located Bohe-
mia in the cheap table d'hotes they
had picked out the Terrier, which just
at that moment was affording free
food to the space writer's who gave
their attention to establishing reputa-
tons for tenth rate cafes. This was
located on the east side and was sufi-
GENTLY dirty to commend it to The
seeker after the unreal.
Her name, she told him, was Mabel
Evaline Manton, but she signed NJ. e.
Manton in mannish hand to the tales
she submitted to the magazines and
sought to be mannish, as all bachelor
girls should be-
She fairly hungered for companion
ship, and each evening Thurston
worked on an evening paper and was
off the early shift at o'clock found
them at the same table in the Terrier.
Here she brought her manuscript for
revision, here he told his hopes and
fears. When the influx Of novelty seek
ing society grew oppressive, they
moved on to the Blue Ostrich, in
Thompson street, conducted by an old
black nanny, who gave them Mary
land chicken instead Of goulash and
corn pone instead Of bread sticks.
They were going home one night
about six months after their first meet
ing when Thurston proposed. His sal
airy had been raised So a week, and in
the pride of wealth he told her that he
undertake the support of family, if
only she would consent. He was a
manly, straightforward fellow, and his
avowal of love was the sort that would
appeal to any good woman. They had
been walking uptown and were resting
on one of the benches in Washington
square.
She regarded him wistfully for
awhile. Her face went first white,
then red. Thurston, eagerly studying
her expression, was torn between ex-
ultation and fear. A tremendous up
heaval was going on within. Love was
struggling with some intruder. and the
conflict was sharp.
When at last she spoke. there were
tears in her eyes. I'm so sorry. Jack"
she said softly 81 do love you; l real
ly do, but it would kill my career.
have come here to work and win. Mar
riage would spoil all my chances"
Thurston mentally consigned careers
to place where they would be very
apt to shrivel up and gave voice to
many arguments, but all in vain. Ma
bells head was filed with all the nom
sense written about Bohemia and the
necessity for being bachelor girl If
one would succeed in literature. Her
mind was set upon success, and she
never realized that she was starving
soul and brain by living in makeshift
apartment and eating with the bohe
mians, where the feast of reason was
supposed to atone for lack of food.
Against this fixed idea even the ar
gument of her own heart was unavail-
Ing and when they resumed their
stroll homeward the best promise
Thurston could get from her was that
when fortune came to both she would
marry him.
Beyond a warmer handclasp when
they met and parted no allusion was
made to the incident for several weeks.
Jack was polite and saw that cam
paign was necessary. A coup would
not avail. The forces were too evenly
matched. According to military STRAIT
egg, a siege was necessary.
He Induced her to change their res
taurant. The society people and those
who constitute the under crust had fol-
lowed the space writer's to the Ostrich.
The nanny had grown rich, and with
her increased position came the belief
that she was losing money, running
accounts which never would be paid
by those who had virtually created the
place.
The new Bohemia was located in
Blocker street The proprietor had
an italian name, and they drank log
wood Chant at 10 cents a pint and
tried to like it. At the Ostrich the
cooking at least was clean. Here moth
Ing was. The hot summer days had
come. Luigi was fighting the Ice trust
at the expense of his patrons, who ac-
counted themselves fortunate If half
the dinner was eatable.
Mabel wanted to change, but the bo-
hemians had not yet moved on. Thurs
ton noted the fact with satisfaction
and encouraged Luigi to persevere,
even going to the extent of writing up
the place while he paid his bill.
One August evening the revolt came.
The soup was thinner than Croton wa
ter. The fish fairly appealed to the
board of health for investigation. The
entree was worse, the roast but little
better, while the inevitable ice cream
Was half melted and utterly without