The Mount Holly news. [volume] (Mount Holly, Burlington Co., N.J.) 1891-1942, 1905-01-17

Clouds are never so black and threat
ening as they look to be when rising to
shut away sunshine. Lettice knew that
very well, being that she was country
bred and spiritually as well as actual
~ daughter of the open. But In this
pinch the knowledge did not help her
that is to say, she did not think of the
parallel between clouds actual and
metaphorical The sun had shone for
her SO blithely, with such strength and
power, the shutting away left her in
manner numb. Notwithstanding she
had one consolatfon-the Farnham girl
did not know. She never should know
If Lettuce could help it, no matter what
the keeping her ignorant might cost
Lettice herself
They had never quarreled-Lettice
was too thoroughbred for such thing
and the Farnham girl too politic-but
from the beginning they had been in
tuitively antagonistic, although envi-
ronment enforced a certain surface cor
diality, even friendliness, between
them. Both were western, with yet
subtle difference. Fate had, it appear
ed, an eerie, even malicious, pleasure
in throwing them in each others way.
They had been classmates In the same
fresh water college three years before
they found themselves, wholly by
chance, fellow dodgers in Mrs. Vanston
Quigley's New York apartment
Necessity and inclination had brought
them there-each to try for a literary
career. By help of honest ignorance,
Hmpid innocence, a heart ever joyous,
an industry that never tagged, Lettice
was now full fiedged newspaper wo-
man, with salary beautifully suffi-
cient i; none too large, whereas Faith
Farnham, in spite Of undeniable clev-
erness Joined to personality as strik-
ing as it was INSCRIPTIONS, had still
much ado to make ends meet
That went hard with her in face of
the fact that she had an oriental de-
light in luxury and was withal indo-
lent. In excuse she pleaded "tempera-
ment," whatever that may be. With
out these keen appetites, susceptible
senses, she said, or with them starved
and thwarted, she would never be able
truly to express the genius burning
and writing within. Lettice had smil
ed over the excuse until she found it
leading its possessor into squandering
her money on violets at their costliest
and leaving her laundress month UNI
paid, although the poor creature falter
ed out something about hungry chill
dren and rent day. Lettice, overhear-
ing by chance, thrust a bill into the
woman's hand and mentally set her
down to be thrice remembered at the
Christmas tree the paper she worked
for was even then planning. She said
nothing to the Farnham girl-except,
that is, what was eloquently spoken
by her altered manner. Unluckily Miss
Farnham chose to hear in it other
things than it was meant to express.
"I fear I shall have to go away; it
hurts me SO to have anybody jealous Of
me-" she cooed to Philip Arran as Let
tice flashed in and out Of the parlor,
with the barest brief greeting to the
two. Ever since the Century asked
me to let 1t share my work with Serb
ner's Lettice-I ought really to say
Miss Lane-has been as you see her
OF course l make allowances. 1t must
hurt dreadfully when one is ambitious
and she is frightfully so, to find you
can do only low and common things
should starve If / tried newspaper
work, and I feel that / would rather.
starve than try 1t. Yet l am so glad
Lettice is wiser. She really does very
well at 1t. But, only fancy, she isn't
the least bit satisfied. Mrs. Quigley
says Sundays-you know she never;
goes to church--she writes things-sto-
ries actually-and sends them to the
magaZinesw
Arran smiled at her behind his hand.
Nature made him critic. Fate gave
him money; some Ill fairy thrust upon
him aspirations for playwriting-aspi-
rations that had Powered into super
fluous success. Lettuce had written "A
Sunday special about him and in writ
ing it had so managed to strike the
middle line between ridicule and pane
gyric as to come warmly into the king
dom of his regard. They had been
CHEEKY comrades until Faith Farnhanl
had somehow managed to turn the du-
ct into a trio. After that everything
went wrong. Slight, sinuous, ethereal,
in delicately colored, high wasted,
trailing robes, with always knot OF
violets at her breast, she easily put
Lettice. with her rosy cheeks, her
hearty laugh. her walking suit and
trim hair, out of court. Arran yielded
himself joyously to her fascinations.