The Mount Holly news. [volume] (Mount Holly, Burlington Co., N.J.) 1891-1942, 1906-12-04

IOdu NileH lie saw feminine aCQual1L-
ance approaching. He stunned picnics
and socials as If they were pestilence
He would rather have died than taken
girl rowing or driving His neigh
bors laughed and wondered what
would happen should Ellery fall in
love. Ellery himself never considered
| the subject, and that may have been
the reason why love took him I'M
awares.
He was sitting in church one bright
Sunday in summer when his attention
was arrested by the sight of stran-
ger In the Hardys' pew, slip of a
girl In blue muslin, with wide pic
ture hat trimmed with roses.
From where he sat he could see the
delicately tinted oval of her cheek and
the pale gold of her wavy hair Then
she turned her head. and their eyes
met. Hers were dark gray, fringed
with heavy lashes. Ellery's heart be
gan ridiculous tattoo, the hands that
were holding his book trembled, and he
colored to the roots Of his hair.
ITS Arabella Hawkins" whispered
some one behind him. Every now and
then Ellery ventured glance In her
direction. The sun, slanting through
one of the small stained glass win
dows, touched her with rainbow colors
utterly dazzling. Il wish l could walk
home with her," sighed Ellery. But
do l darew
IF you don't some one else will,
his common sense said, and when the
last hymn had been sung and the peo-
pie were moving slowly down the
alsles Ellery pressed forward, his cour-
age at white heat He spoke a word
of greeting to Mrs. Hardy and then
was presented to Arabella.
How it happened he scarcely knew,
but soon he and his divinity were
strolling along toward the Hardys', and
she was telling him that she had come
from Centerville for a two weeks Wis
it. She was as laxative as she was
pretty and had a faculty Of putting
him at his ease. To ElleTy it was an
experience as delightful as it was nov
ell, and he resolved to repeat it by call
ing the next evening.
And, though in the days that follow
ed his footsteps were not the only
ones that wendell their way to the
Hardy gate. he managed to monopolize
the greater share of Arabella's time.
His shyness was gradually wearing
away, but there was one question he
longed to ask and could not.
In vain he rehearsed 1t. Alone In his
room 1t was easy enough to say, Ara
bella, will you marry me?" Yet when
he was with her the words seemed to
cleave to the roof of his mouth. Over
and over again he led up to 1t only to
halt mlserably when the crucial mo-
ment came
could you-could you he STAN
mered on one Of these occasions.
Gould what, Ellery?' queried Ara
bella They had gone as far as Chris
tan names.
Gould you-go driving with me to-
morrow 1t was not in the least what
he had meant to say, yet as he mopped
his brow it vaguely occurred to him
that perhaps In buggy it would be
easier
But even there, with Arabella by his
side, words failed him.
"Nill you-will you he began.
"Win 1 what, Ellery7" said Arabella
very sweetly and patiently.
'Will ynu-have an ice cream soda at
The drug store on the way back?"
Certainly" answered Arabella, a
shade of disappointment in her voice
She liked the broad shouldered, hon
est eyed young fellow more than she
admitted to any one save herself,
though she never had had so bashful a
sutton
And yet she knew Ellery was no cow
ard. His townsfolk had told her of the
courageous things he had done-how
he had stopped a runaway horse at the
risk of his own life and how one bit
ter winter day he had crawled to the
edge of an Ice hole Ia the river to res
cue the eldest Hardy child who chung
there, half frozen.
As for Ellery, he felt that time was
poSSAHS anu HS NdS NJ hSdIei Tue BOdl.
ITS terrible" he mOaned, ito think
I've gone this far and can't go fur
ther! Matters were getting desperate.
Better hurry up, Elleryw his friends
urged him. There's fellow in her own
town wants her Just as much as you
dor
Advice came thick and fast.
why don't you write it?' drawled
one waggish acquaintance. And then
she'll be sure to get it,"
Modern invention has done good
many things chuckled old Jonas Fert
IT'S given us telegraphs and motor
boats and automobiles. but there's one
thing it hasn't done. 1t hasn't made It