The Mount Holly news. [volume] (Mount Holly, Burlington Co., N.J.) 1891-1942, 1906-03-20


Mary was mailing, SO it was natural
Joe should wait for it By Mary's bench
and talk while he waited.
The other girls were not slow to no
tice, and there were many sly little
darts aimed at Joe in his absence.
Mary soon learned that his besetting
sin was drink. The conviviality OF the
cup that cheers had no destinations for
him. He abstained totally for months,
only to fall grievously when the innate
and agonizing thirst for liquor over
came him. Then he drank hard and
long, suffering untold remorse after his
appetite had been satiated.
When bashful Joe, his acquaintance
with Mary a week old, asked II he
might call on the girl In her home, the
clear brown eyes met his gaze frankly
You may, Mr.. Temple" she replied,
''but there is one condition. If l smell
liquor on your breath, it's all or"
Poor Joe blushed "And don't use
cloves to cover it upw she added en-
phatically. That's so cheap trick In
man. Besides, I'd know it just as
quick"
Every Wednesday and Sunday even
ing thereafter found Joe at Mary's
home, for he was soon very much in
love. The family liked the big fellow
and made more Of him than the friend
ly but outwardly Indifferent Mary. He
talked politics with her father, helped
her mother wind endless skeins Of yarn
and eased her small brother over rough
places in the three RS"
Fortnightly Joe and his sweetheart
attended the dances Of the Pastime
Pleasure club at Hibernia hall, the
teamster scrupulously sober and fairly
exuding pride and happiness, while
Mary's occurrences was belied by the
sparkle of her eyes.
Twice the old insidious longing for
liquor fought with Joe's love, but was
worsted. For days during these pc
RODS he trembled with the manfully
suppressed longing when he passed q
saloon. In the past he had fallen an
easy victim; 1t was different now.
For dazzling plan was taking form
in Joe's honest brain. He had the home
where he lived with his aged parents
reprinted and papered; during the long
summer evenings he shingled the
kitchen and built back porch, for he
was handy with tools, and several arti-
cles Of furniture had been added to
the living room out of his wages or
savings.
Winter had come before he finally
mustered up courage to ask the Ques-
ton which such preparations fore
Tended. And the answer he received
was not what he had hoped
"Oh, daren't Joe; daren'tw little
Mary had said. the merry eyes sober
for once. 81 like you, but'-her voice
sank to whisper-"suppose you got
drinking again! | couldn't stand that
Joe"
"Oh. but Mary, l haven't touched q
drop in six months!" he responded ear
nestly. "And please God. if you'll mar
ry me I'll never take another drink"
But she still shook her head. That
isn't long enough, Joe; wait six months
more'
And to all his pleading this was her
answer until Joe, In a burst Of disap-
pointment and wounded pride, declared
the time too long to wait for any one;
there were others; now
Mary was a girl of spirit She tossed
her brown head and commended the
sulky Joseph to those Others" He
could go to them; she didn't want him,
she was sure.
1t was a sore hearted and very an
CRY Joe who found himself alone soon
after beneath the frosty winter stars,
the snow creaklng in discords beneath
his feet.
''Its no use," he said to himself bit
terly. mo one cares whether I'm on
the water wagon or not. That girls
just been batting me on; she doesn't
care for me"-and he knew the thought
was untrue while he formulated 1t.
II know what I'll do. I'll go down to
trying to do the right thing; nothing in
1t. Nm, but a drink will taste goodw
1t occurred to him that drink would
never taste as 1t did before he met
Mary. though.
Joe's ugly reflections kept his eyes on
his path, and a jolt to his shoulder
brought him up standing. He had
walked under an iron stairway which
assembled to the second story OF a
quaint little brick store, an obstruction
which the stream of progress had not
washed away.
An arc light near by shone brightly
on the scanned and grizzled wall Alb
sentmindedly rubbing his shoulder. he
was stepping back from beneath the
stairway when his eyes sensed some
thing unusual on the wall, and be
stopped to examine It,
There. sheltered by the steps above
from the snow and the worst of the
frost. little clump Of grass. q bare
four spears, chung undauntedly. The
cold had withered the tips, but the
heart of the plant was vigorous. No
earth was visible; it fiourished, appar-
emily, on bare brick and mortar. Tenn
pie peered at the grass, which stood
out in minutest detail beneath the