Montour American. (Danville, Pa.) 1866-1920, 1905-12-07
BILLY BOY,
MATCHMAKER
By MARTHA M'CUlIOCH-NnllAMS
Copyrtght, 1908, by l. ID. Mdrshdu

Face that launched a Thousand ships
And burned the topless towers of nliumr'
NO" Norris answered with a laugh
ing shake of the head. Remember,
I'm neither artist nor painter, nor even
Bohemian-merely 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 OK
that gentleman planted his four legs,
obstinately refusing to bulge, his whin-
nv changing to plaintive whicker OF
protest.
Il see Billy Boy is constant-not
proud and naughty like his mistress.
He does not ignore his friends If he
does happen TO find thSn In bad com
pany," Norris said. Stepping to the
ponys head and letting him rummage
a sugar lump out Of his pocket
Norris tried TO speak with his usual
bantering frlendliness. but not very
successfully He wished, Indeed. Billy
Boy had been less his constant friend,
since he did not want to present Whsa-
ton to Billy Boys mistress. However.
there was no help for tit served him
right for spelling the creature so. But
there were mitigating circumstances to
the spelling
The Marr paddock adtoined his own.
and while holding converse with Billy
Boy across the fence of It. 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 it, he was the catch of the vii
lage, much courted by the eager and
rather let alone by the self respecting
Beyond their pride and their pedigree
the Marrs had 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 a city man and, Norris more than
suspected, trifer, making love to
every very pretty or very piqualt face
he encountered. He was, moreover,
disgustingly 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 will 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 see through IT,
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
terlng homeward with sharp slap on
the rump.
As the pony cantered Helen won
dered what she had done to dlsplease
Norris. He had looked glOomier 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
strolling about the village, never get
| ting beyond hail or the range Of friend
| " household lights. Helen went bare
| headed; Wheaton insisted upon II. He
insisted, too, that he must paint 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 perpetuating the charm Of
its grassed reaches, It's towering hills,
the silver Of its brooks and the soft, H.
limitable puppies brOoding above its
big fields
Helen listened as one enchanted. She
was just nineteen. unworldly as Il new
fiedgcd dove and full OF romance and
the worship Of romance. Wheaton
seemed 10 her Il creature apart, a
deniZcn Of another world, one In which
she herself belonged of right, although
she would 10 doubt be the simplest
| the humblcst, there His tales OF the
city, of TN" stu iioS. the cafes the spar
kle and foam of existence, fascinated
her as nothing els" had ever done. not
even the Old Chronicles which hereto
fore had served her instead Of fairy
tales
Wheaton really talked well. but then
| Hclcu'~ listening was in itself lnspira-
ton. Add that he was as much In
love as his temperament admitted. and
II is easy 10 understand how he seemed
TO her inspired He did not look for
ward or backward-at anything except
the day and the pleasure of IT, Helen
bad charmed her as that other Helen
no doubt charmed Paris. What won
der that he reveled in the charming
without thought of how it might end |!
He did not even see what 1t all meant
10 Norris, good Old Norris, who was too
Staid and phlegmatic ever to know the