The Mount Holly news. [volume] (Mount Holly, Burlington Co., N.J.) 1891-1942, 1907-04-30
By CECHY ALLEN.

child. There was such thing as car
rying ones ideas Of duty too far, and
one owed some duty to the living as
well as the dead.
1t was the most joyous of early
spring weather when every one should
feel happy, but BERTHE felt the depres-
sion which seemed to have settled
down on the pretty cottage which he
and Aunt Helen had occupied alone
with the servants ever since his ia
I. TIERS death. He slipped quietly from
the sitting room, where Aunt Helen
was writing at her desk, jumped noise
lessly from the porch to the soft lawn,
which was taking on just pale tint
Of green, and ran out to the curbing
which marked the limit of his straying
save by special permission.
He knew that very soon Mr.. Henry
would be coming home from his office,
on the other side Of the street, no
doubt, but still within hailing distance
Mr.. Henry certainly must inspect Ber-
ties new trousers before the laddie
could feel quite satisfied that they
were all things desirable They were
a new sort of trousers, baggy at the
knees, and if they had been held in
place with a piece of elastic instead of
a cloth strap and buttons, they would
have been equal to an extra set OF
pockets Marbles, Irvine, apples, al
most any small article could be hidden
in their spacious folds. Personally
BERTHE considered them a great i'm
provement over the diminutive, skin
tight knickerbockers he had worn here
tofore, but they needed the cache of
Mr.. Henry's approval.
Ten minutes passed. Aunt Helen's
pen went scratch, scratch in the sit
ting room and Berries boot heels went
tap, tap against the stone curbing
Then he spied familiar, broad shout
dered figure swinging down the street
on the other side. He waited until
Mr.. Henry was directly opposite,
then
'Hello, Mr.. Henry! Can't you come
over and see my new pants?'
Mr.. Henry paused uncertainty and
waved his hand in friendly fashion.
I'D come over and show 'em to you,
only Aunt Helen won't give me jam
for supper when leave the yard
Listen to the poor dearv' exclaimed
Mrs. Johnson, Aunt Helen's next door
neighbor, who happened to be setting
out some new rose bushes at the time.
1.-THE very idea of an old maid like
Helen Bertram trying to train boy"
Mr. Henry crossed the street He
had seen Mrs Johnson watching him
from the corner of her eye, and he
knew that BERTHE was terribly in earn
est. He inspected the new trousers in
deliberate, critical fashion and pro-
nounced them good Then he patted
BERTHE on the head and started away.
"Ain't you coming in for tear" asked
BERTHE, with an odd break in his voice
and a troubled look on his face.
"Awfully sorry, old man." replied
Mr.. Henry, with forced sprightliness,
"but 1 have a dinner engagement, and
l must run along and dress. See you
later" \
But BERTHE chung to his hand.
maggie made some sponge cakes
with icing. l know-I licked the icing
bowl"
"Good for you," said Mr.. Henry, still
drawing away from the clinging moist
hand "You eat one for me, won't
your
And then he was gone. He plunged
diagonally across the street and cut
straight across the tidy lawn of his
sisters home and dashed through the
front door. His face was drawn and
white, and he paused just moment
beside his sister, who came to the door
at the sound of his step.
ITS no use, Nell. I've got to get out
Of this l believe I'll run on to New
York for a week or so'-
"And leave George to claim the vic
tory of the Hardman case after you've
worked hard on it for months Oh,
Henry, think it is a shame that you
will let a silly girl ruin your whole
life! The very idea
"You don't understand her. She
thinks she is right, and what she
thinks is right she must do, no matter
at what cost to herself
"Or Others" interrupted his sister
bitterly. For a foolish conception of
duty to the child of her dead sister she
will wreck your life"
"She thinks she cannot divide her
love and her interest 1t must all go
to him"
"Fanaticism. pure and simpler ejac-
ulated his sister
'Whateyer it is, love her." was the
simple reply. land I cannot live so
near and yet so far from her. Perhaps
when l come back He mounted the
stairs and closed the door of his room.
With a sigh, his sister went back to
her embroidery.
In the meantime BERTHE, with quick
glance over his shoulder, had deliber
ately turned his back on home and
long instilled obedience If Mr. Henry
was not going to share the pleasures of
tea, sponge cakes and new trousers,
what was the use of having them at
all? And over there, beyond the rail-
road track, lived little boy who had
three big brothers and a jolly father
II no SulOheu pipe anu whose nOLneT
| lid not write letters and cry.
A minute later it came to Aunt
| Helen, one sharp, shrill cry Of boyish
terror. She sprang to her feet. terri
fed and trying to figure the direction
from which it had come When she
reached the street, Mrs. Johnson, white
of face, was leaning against a tree.
"Bertie-he's caught on the railroad
track The express is backing down,
My heart-I can't rum
| But Aunt Helen could run, and down
the street toward the track she sped
She could see the small dark blue fig
ure huddled in the middle Of the
tracks. She could hear the warning
whistle of the express, backing from
the transfer depot to the local station
and then something dreadful happened
BERTHE, Berthe, I'm comingI'' she
cried and then fell, her dainty slipper
tangled in mass of lace fripperies
In vain she struggled to her feet. A
fresh ENHANCEMENT of lace threw hel
back to the ground. She could hear
people screaming in every direction
She heard the rush of hurrying feet
and then strong voice called, Com
Ing" Just as she got to her own fee
she saw Henry Strong slide down ths