The Mount Holly news. [volume] (Mount Holly, Burlington Co., N.J.) 1891-1942, 1906-07-10


BEGGED.
listen to few words from Sister Ruth.
A slight, girlish figure stepped to the
center of the circle from somewhere In
the shadow. The light of the gasoline
torch fell full upon her face-a face Of
wonderful purity and sweetness. There
was a beauty in the level brows, the
long dark lashes Of the eyes and the
full, red lips that the bonnet of the
corps could not hide, and there was a
supple grace of figure that the plain
blue dress did not wholly conceal.
She began to speak in a voice full of
earnest appeal What she was saying
Mather did not know, for he paid no
heed to her words. He was not an i'm
questionable young man-indeed, by his
friends he was adjudged unusually
hard headed and abundantly possessed
Of that quality generally termed "horse
sense" But there was something that
appealed to him strongly In that face
beneath the regulation poke bonnet
He did not take his eyes from her
while she was speaking, and when she
had finished and stepped back into the
shadow he was aware of strange
feeling, half Of sadness, half of buoy
ancy He elbowed his way out and
walked homeward, strangely perturbed
and strangely elated
The following night and every night
after that Mather attended the street
or prayed or sang he was supremacy
happy; If others filed her place he was
aware Of feeling Of disappointment
Being unsk1lled in the analysis Of emo
ton, he did not recognize the trend Of
1t all. He only knew that he wanted to
be near her, to see her face. to listen
to her voice.
One night as the women of the corps
were passing the tambourines for the
collection he beheld Sister Ruth com
ing In his direction through the crowd
She was smiling and nodding grateful
ly as the nickels and dimes fell juggling
into the tambourine Standing beside
Mather were three young fellows. evil
IDENTIFY the worse for liquor As Sister
Ruth approached them one of the three
lifted bis foot and kicked the tam
BOURNE smartly.
higher n th-that," he hiccoughed famil-
iarly
Mather's hand fell on the fellows
coat collar with a grip of iron.
apologize for that! Hear me? Apol-
ognizer he said in a voice shaking
with anger.
"Eh? What7" said the other. He
looked up at Mather. Mather lowered
inches above him. There was, more
over, something very sinister in his
eyes.
Il 'pologized," began the captive has
tily.
Mather felt light touch on his arm.
He turned to find Sister Ruth standing
beside him.
Don't hurt him, please don't" she
begged.
Mather smiled grimly.
IT'S just as you say" said he. ell
kill him if you say So"
LET him go, please" she said, and
Mather pushed the man away.
Thank you" she said. Her eyes
met his squarely; she blushed and hest
tated a moment. Thank you" she
said again and was gone. That night
Mather walked home on air.
Mather climbed the dingy stairs to
the little hall at the corps barracks.
1t was Sunday evening Outside the
rain was falling dismally and the gut
tiers ran rivers Of mud. He sat down
quite alone on one Of the rear settees.
A handful of people nearer the plat
form were the only others In the bare.
cherries place.
There were hymns and prayers and
testimony quite as usual, and during 1t
all Mather sat back in the shadows
feasting his eyes on the outlines Of q