Butler citizen. [volume] (Butler, Pa.) 1877-1922, 1905-11-30
BILLY BOY,
MATCHMAKER
By MARTHA M'CUll0Ch-MlllIAMS
Copyright, 1905. by I. d. Marshall
Copyright, 1905, by I. D. Marshall

Pretty! 1t is profane to call her
merely pretty" Wheaton said, staring
covertly at Helen Mari she is well
named" he went Oh. Cant you fancy
hers the
Face that launched thousand ships
And burned the topless towers of Illium?'
NO" Norris answered with n laugh
ing shake of the head. Remember,
I'm neither artist nor painter, nor even
Bohemian-merely a village landlord,
whose chief concern is to keep terms
with his tenants, and used to seeing
pretty girls, even very pretty girls,
every day in the week
IF you call her pretty, repeat Your
case is hopeless" Wheaton persisted.
This time he spoke very low, but not
so low as to escape Helen's ear. She
was coming toward them on her dap
pied pony, her hat hanging at the back
of her head and a sheaf of wild roses
in the hollow of her arm. The pink of
the roses was deepening in her cheeks,
and she would have ridden past with
the merest inclination of the head but
that Billy Boy, spoiled beast, was of
another mind. He whinnied joyously
to Norris, and when he got abreast of
that gentleman planted his four legs
obstinately refusing TO bulge, his whin-
ny changing to plaintiye whicEer of
protest.
81 see Billy Boy is constant-not
proud and naughty like his mistress.
He does not ignore his friends IL he
does happen to find them in bad COM
pany," Norris said, stepping to the
pony's head and letting him rummage
n sugar lump out of his pocket.
Norris tried to speak with his usual
bantering friendllness, but not very
successfully He wished. indeed, Billy
Boy had been less his constant friend,
since he did not want TO present Whea-
ton to Billy Boys mistress. However,
there was no help for it-it served him
right for spelling the creature so. But
there We're mitigating circumstances to
the spelling
The Mari paddock adjoined his own,
and while holding converse with Billy
Boy across the fence of 1t, giving him
bread, sugar or sweet apples, he need
ed no excuse for likewise holding con-
verse with Miss Helen. She was shy
OF him when they met socially, for,
though Norris would have scrupled to
admit II, he was the catch of the viii
lage, much courted by the eager and
rather lot alone by the self respecting.
Beyond their pride and their pedigree
the Marrs bad little Helen's chief di-
version, indeed, was the rides she took
about the red roads and the shady
lanes which led from the village into
the deep country.
Wheaton was not a bad sort, but he
was city man and, Norris more than
suspected, trlfier, making love to
every very pretty or very piquant face
he encountered. He was, moreover
disgustlngly good TO look at. Thus
Norris contrasted mentally Wheaton's
supple elegance with his own burly
strength. Wheaton played at being an
artist, chiefly by way Of diversion. He
had just enough money to keep himself
in luxurious idleness and no win what
ever to increase the sum OF 1t or divide
the spending. Norris knew all that;
therefore he ragged inly, mainly at him
self, while Wheaton talked to Helen,
the while coaxing Billy Boy to stand
obstinately still by giving him tufts of
tender roadside grass 1t was play
fully done, so playfully Helen did not
In the least gee through 1t.
She got over her shyness very quick
ly and talked brightly to Wheaton, Civ
ing him now and again dazzling smiles.
1t took her all aback to have Norris at
the end of fifteen minutes jerk Billy
Boys bride sharply and send him can
tering homeward with sharp slap on
the rump.
As the pony cantercd Helen won
dered what she had done to displease
Norris. He had looked gloomler and
older than she ever had seen him and
had growled In answer to the goodby
she had thrown TO him over her shoul-
der.
Before the week end she had ceased
to think OF Norris, of Billy Boy, Of
anything, indeed, save and except
Wheaton. They had ridden through
the long summer mornings together
and spent the silver moonlit evenings
strolllng about the village, never get
ting beyond hail or the range OF friend
ly household lights. Helen went bare
headed; Wheaton insisted upon 1t. He
insisted, too, that he must pnlnt her
not In the heat OF the summer, but
when he came back In the fall. He
was coming OF course. He had not
dreamed that his own country held
such beauties as the region round
about had disclosed Possibly he would
settle down there and make himself
famous by perpctuatlng the charm of
its grassed reaches, its towering hills,
the silver Of its brooks and the soft, IL
limitablc puppies broodlng ,5ove It's
big fields.
Helen listened as one enchanted. She
was just nineteen. unworldly as n new
nedged dove and full of romance and
the worship OF romance. Wheaton
seemed TO her creature apart, n
denizen OF another world, one In which
she herself belonged Of right, although
she would no doubt be the simplest,
the humblest, there. His tales of the
city, OF the studios, the cafes, the spar
lle and foam OF existence fascinated
her as nothing else had ever done, not
even the old Chronicles, which hereto
fore had served her instead Of fairy
tales.
Wheaton really talked well, but then
Helen's listening was I'm itself insplra-
tion. Add that he was as much In
love ms his temperament admitted, and
II Is easy 10 understand how he seemed
70 her inspired. He did not look for
ward or buckward-at anything except
the day and the pleasure of II. Helen
had charmed her os that other Helen
no doubt charmed Paris. What won
der that he revelcd in the charming.
without n thought of how IL might end!
He did not even see what Il all meant
10 Norris. good old Norris. who was too
stnid and phlcgmatic ever to know the
real moaning OF life. He loved 10 make
Helen talk OF him. by her stories
Norris had been 10 her u sort of com
bincd knight errant and fairy god
| father There was no hint OF romance
| In them. for all she had colorek 80
beautifully and flung up her head In
telling Of the traps aud pitfalls the vii
lagc had SGT for him II was plain she