The Mount Holly news. [volume] (Mount Holly, Burlington Co., N.J.) 1891-1942, 1907-07-30

: Compton. ne WAS eAlEe.uely busy CIV
ing a touch to the clasp of gold on the
models left arm, touch to make it
CLEAN.
"At the Hotel Lombard" said Pas
quale. Il have engaged the interest of
the small boy at the garage She is a
widow, Nine. Germaine-La Belle Ger
maine And she lives at the Lombard.
So, my Jules, give you the cue for
the romance. n'est-ce-pasT
LIE Breton rose and stretched his
arms widely until they touched the
gas jet above his head
81 shall fling violets at her-vast
clusters of them, dew wet; Parma vio-
lets-straight into her arms as she
passes each day until she recognizes
me-" he said. Il shall pierce the white
chiffon veil with opera glasses and see
If her eyes divine are melting blue or
gloriously, ravishingly dark. like la
Zingara. l shall"-
You will make the customary bloom
ing idiot of yourself, Jules" called
Compton from Delaware over his
shoulder with cheerful JUNCTION. s'How
many children did the last divinity
have after you had followed the trail
of romance for two weeks and finally
landed her in bakery over the Seine?"
LIE Breton raised a glass of ice wa
ter to deposit it below the adjacent
coat collar, but he stayed his hand and
drank the water automatically. Once,
once long ago, he had not stayed his
hand, and the memory of the resultar
episode fingered yet. Little Compton
had risen swiftly and deity, promptly
foored him. And even the model had
laughed. 1t was not a pleasant mem
DRY. Therefore lie Breton stayed his
hand and drank of the ice water.
The next day LIE Breton vanished
from the atelier at quarter Of pre-
cisely. but his intentions were public.
The windows of Pasquale's were oc-
cupied by an absorbed audience long
before the whir of the white auto
sounded ON the still hush of the mid
afternoon. By leaning from the win
dows one could catch a glimpse Of
figure standing on the corner, a pa
tient noble figure under the quaint
wrought iron street lamp, the figure of
the knight Grant, in paint daubed vel
vet blouse, cap rakishly romantically
awry and in the hands the most beam
tiful, enormous, languishing bouquet
of Parma violets that LIE Breton could
find. A beauty it was, regal offer
ing, with silken tasseled cord of gold,
and the stems, the tender young stems,
prisoned In tin foil violet dyed.
Presently there was the sound Of the
chariot celestial, the cream white asl-
tomobile, with the tiny gold monogram
on one side, so vague, SO unreadable,
SO divinely mysterious to the faces
that crowded one above another at
Pasquale's windows, like cabbages in
the market stalls.
s'She comes, mon Dieu; she comes"
gasped Pasquale ecstatically. Now,
Jules, now brave boy, may thy aim be
sure as Eros dartp'
The white auto purred softly, swift
ly down the pavement. LIE Breton
raised his cap raised his hand to toss
his offering, and, 10, he tossed not, for
beside the slender figure in the white
suede cloak sat Little Compton, Sc
we're, masterful and totally oblivious of
either LIE Breton or the windows of
Pasquale
It was the deadly blow, but LIE Bre-
ton showed his ancestry. A LIE Breton
had been in Bayard's band Of vaga-
bond free lances and had won a mar
Quisate for deeds heroic.
So LIE Breton in the velvet blouse
stayed not his hand. Neither did he
remember the lesson of the spilled ice
water He threw the violets fairly,
and they fell in the lap of the widow
in white. Out from Pasquale's win
dow went up smothered cheer. The
yelled head bowed, oh, but SO slightly,
in LIE Bretons direction. Still it bow
ed. And Little Compton raised his
American panama in grave salute of
heroism undaunted-
The next morning Pasquale was pre-
pared for the challenge. Pasquale him.
self announced he would present the
challenge the instant after Compton
from Delaware showed fight Even
the model with the spring boughs
trembled when the double glass doors
opened and Little Compton entered. He
was whistling. Ye gods, the airy ar
rogance of the assured American,
unused Pasquale's crowd and waited
for the blow.
1t fell.
Straight over to LIE Breton's easel
walked Compton from Delaware. His
hand and gait were resolute, his eye
steady. There was even smile on
his lips. AS he stood a pace away LIE
Breton sprang to his feet, and Pas
quale's held its breath for the onslaught
of the love champions.
But Little Compton smiled. More, he
slapped LIE Breton upon the shoulder in
the manner of Harvard.
"Old man, you're all to the merry"
he said 81 didn't think you had the
grit. / have the honor to be the bearer
of message from Mrs. Henry B. Ger
maine, my dearly loved sister. She re-
quests your presence at afternoon tea
today" He paused to light cigarette
while LIE Breton nursed his mental
agony Then finally he handed over
the medicine for spring fever.
"The violets are on her boudoir ia
BILE, Jules, and she's been a widow
four years"