The Mount Holly news. [volume] (Mount Holly, Burlington Co., N.J.) 1891-1942, 1906-01-09

WELLT SHE BLURTED OUT.
a wife it would not have been strange
had he written to friend at Sandsville
to introduce him to that girl with a
sweet voice in the telephone Office, but
he did nothing of the kind He could
have stepped aboard the train any day
and gone and seen for himself, but he
did not do that.
Bachelors have their romances as
well as young men and maidens. He
built up a romance around the "Hellor'
voice, and after a few weeks he would
have wanted to knock the man down
who destroyed it for him. When there
was no business on the Sandsville line
to call for his opening the telephone he
made excuses to do so. He felt he
must hear that voice at least once a
day, and when he found his romance
growing he smiled to himself.
By and by the messages over the wire
were not strictly confined to business,
according to regulations The bache-
lor opened conversations on general
subjects, and as he was paying the
price exacted by the schedule of rates
the girl could hardly snap him off the
line, He never asked her name, but he
betrayed an interest that brought the
blush to her cheek as she carelessly re-
sponded: Yes" 81 see" 81 guess SOL
Indeed"
Sometimes he left his telephone open
and sang. 1t was always a sentimen-
tai song. and the girl at the other end
of the wire knew that the words were
meant for her At first, when address
ing her, he had called her after the
name of the town. One day he glided
away from that and called her Girly
She was going to reprove him, but he
was in a hurry, and she put it off The
reproof never reached him, although he
was considered an impudent fellow to
keep on making use of The term.
For a year the bachelor Rugged his
romance to his SOUL then he made up
his mind to look for something more
material. He put on his Sunday suit
one day and went down to Sandsville.
Any one on the street would have told
him that Miss Molly Lee was in charge
of the telephone office and would prob
ably have added that she was the best
looking girl in town, but he asked no
questions, not even where the Office
was He strolled around until te found
it for himself, and he kept saying as
he strolled:
Jimmy Williams. you are making an
idiot of yourself. OF course Girly is
an old maid and homely as a hedge
fence. and you will get snapped up in
great shape for your cheek Better go
back and keep your illusion"
But he entered the telephone Office in
stead. and the first glance at the wo-
man behind the desk sent his heart
down into his boots Just as he had
feared, she was an old maid She was
an old maid who was having trouble
with a soft corn that day. and a man
who suffered had just left the office
after vainly seeking to send a message,
and she did not like the way the man
from Stapleton looked at her
"Well| size blurted out as he stood
there looking around in helpless way.
Name is Williams of Stapleton," he
answered
"Well, what of thatf'
IL have done considerable tele-
phoning to this office during the past
year"
"And have you got any complaints
TO maker
Nm"
"Then what? ~
81 thought That is, II
Have you been drinking sir?" de-
manded the old maid in a voice full of
carpet tacks and pounded glass.
"N-n-n-n-or' suffered Mr.. Williams
after a great effort
Then you are going to have paresis
and had best consult doctorr'
Mr.. Williams withdrew and went
over and sat down in the shade Of the
grocery steps A bobtailed dog came
along and tried to make friends with
him, but he would not respond. One of
the hogs sauntering about the village
streets approached and grunted anna
bly,, but was Kicked at in response
The groceryman came out and, rub
bling his hands together, observed that
he had just laid in new stock of
crackers and herring but the bachelor
never even thanked him for calling his
attention to the fact
By and by, when the cold chill Of
disappointment had passed away, he
got up and walked to the depot and
took the train for home. His romance
had been shattered and buried, and he
felt small and mean over It. There was
only one thing left to wonder over.
How on earth could that old maid have
disguised her voice as she had when
talking with him? He thought over
the matter for two or three days and
then dismissed it.
During the next two weeks the mer-