The Mount Holly news. [volume] (Mount Holly, Burlington Co., N.J.) 1891-1942, 1906-12-18
HALLIDAY'S
BRIDE
BY LouESe MerriffsId
Copyright, 1908, by M. M. Cunningham

VI ueI udIIld&e 10 hdlIludy-uer0Iy
brief four or FIVE lines in the cable dis
patches concerning noted Americans
abroad. But she had written him that
letter a week before the marriage.
The bus stopped in front of him to
let a passenger alight Half uncon-
sciously he accepted the invitation Of
its open swinging door and slipped in
to the corner seat as it swung on
leisurely up the avenue There were
three other occupants of the bus, all
women. He did not look at them. Just
at that particular moment he did not
feel kindly toward the sex
Smoothing out the double sheet of
pale gray note paper. he reread the let
ter from Penelope Graham.
You dear old boy, aren't you ashamed
to be SO selfish? We sail on the 10Th Is
not that early enough7 You have be-
grudged me every day Of this last chance
! of mine to take a fling at the world as a
lone old maid. In every letter you beg
me to take the next boat back. And
really, Jack. I know 1t will make you
| feel worse, but we are having a splendid
time, Uncle Rex and the girls met us
In Paris and will go UP to Holland with
Aunt Nan as soon Bess and l start
for home. 1t has been glorious trip,
and when l think that next year 1t will
be you and | drifting together through
all these dear little old world corners
seeing the things we both love, why, do
you know. 1 have even kept a notebook
that will serve our guide. so as not
to miss one single place or picture that
| | want you to seei Next year. Jack!
Won't we be old married people then
though! Uncle Rex says / don't act a
bit like a young person about to be mar
ried in three weeks. but 1t doesn't seem
like coming shock at adjust part Of
the drifting and glorious happiness Of
life these days.
Bess and / are to sail on the 10th. Will
you meet us? / know you will. of course,
but ! hardly wait to catch the first
glimpse OF you. Oh, dear boy, sometimes
] am half afraid of my own Joy and the
perfect peace Of it! Love is tempestuous.
Bess says. and uncertain and full of
waivers and quavers and troubles and
bubbles, and l am only happy. But Bess
has never been in love, SO she cannot
know. Three weeksi Mamma thinks
white chrysanthemums will make the
prettiest decoration for the chapel and
ferns instead of palms
O'Donnell read no further Some
thing blinded his sight; something
seemed to grip his throat and choke
him. She had written that letter to
him and then married Halliday a
week later.
The bus halted and one of the women
stepped by him. He held the door open
mechanically. She was old and dress
ed In white embroidered Elton suit,
with fine white mesh veil. spotted
daintily in black, drawn over her
wrinkles To O'Donnell she looked
like the incarnation of feminine incon-
slstency
Halliday, Stephen Halliday! Pen
had mentioned him in her steamer let
ter when they had crossed in June,
merely mentioned that he was on
board also and that her uncle was glad
to see him. He must be about thirty
! seven, mighty decent sort of fell
low, Of course, but not for Pen, his
Pen, with her sensitive ways and dear,
precious, unspoiled illusions and ideals
of life In general and men In particu-
lar.
Yesterday had been the Goth, when
he was to have met her. He had seen
/ Ia,
and among the list Of passengers were
Mr. and Mrs. Stephen Halliday. They
must have caught the first boat out of
! Cherbourg
O'Donnell opened the door a second
time to let another woman out at For
| ty-second street He did not notice
what she was like. His head whirled
/ a ho fho nd
of long rope circling through space
1t WIS foolish to lose his grip just be-
cause girl had thrown him over
! ldiotic. He would get through with
| the bank and take run out Of town
to freshen up, to forget
AT the next corner the last woman
/ algnted. She wore a white chiffon
veil and appeared to be in a hurry
| O'Donnell sighed in relief to know he
was alone and looked about him. And
then he started, every nerve tense and
| taut, for on the floor of the bus, al
most at his feet, lay the little gold
mesh coin purse that he had given
Penelope before she left for Europe.
Before he had lifted it In bis hand
he was positive, even before he saw
her Initials on the top band. 1t had a
curious little ring on the chain to slip
| over the finger. dull gold circle set In
diamonds. For moment he held the
| purse stupidity, staring at 1t with hun
CRY, eager eyes. 1t was hers; she had
held 1t in her hand moment ago.
Suddenly reason began to Tighten and
he remembered the woman with the
chiffon veil. 1t was She of course He
had not noticed. She had been in a
hurry. naturally. Probably she had
recognized him and dreaded their
meeting. Without signaling for the
bus to stop he swung down the steps
| to the street and started headlong
back to Forty third street, looking for
a woman with a white chiffon veil
She was nowhere in sight. but he
kept on. II It were Penelope he would
find her somehow. And suddenly as
! he passed the postal station one Of the
swinging doors opened and she came
out. tall, slender, dressed in gray,
with the white chiffon veil over her
| face.
Penn" he exclaimed. PEN, dar-
ling
And then the white veil was raised
and he found himself looking into
Bess' dancing, laughing blue eyes and
holding her extended hands in his.
Don't shout on the street. Jack"
she said merrlly. Walk decently and
orderly with me to the depot. Nam
mas waiting for me there We thought
you were dead or something. Why
didn't you show up at the boat yes
terday? Didn't you get PENS letterT
"Pen-yes, l got the letter. O'Don-
nell stumbled at the curb and righted
himself with an effort. Il also saw
the press dispatches That's why l
thought perhaps my appearance at the
boat wasn't necessary. Rather sud
den, wasn't itg'
Sudden? Was 1t in the papers
hereY Bess stopped and gasped-
But 1t couldn't be- We never told q
| soul. and we caught the night train out
of Paris and the early steamer from
Cherbourg And no one knew, not
even Pen. Why, mamma didn't know
! until she met Steve and me yesterday.
ODonnell stared at her. The long
rope was beginning to swing him per-
ilously around again. He took Bess
by the arm and led her under an avn
ing at the corner In the shade.
Where's Penn" he asked quietly,
very quietly.
why, at home, Of course. Where
would she be, goose? How white and
odd Won look Jacki Pen came with
u.s. or course she didn't approve. Pen
never could see anything interesting in
love mania, you know. and 1t was per
fectly useless trying to make her un-
! derstand an elopement But why on