The Mount Holly news. [volume] (Mount Holly, Burlington Co., N.J.) 1891-1942, 1908-01-14

of the beet sugar factory, bit his lip,
then choked over an infnitesimal scrap
Of breakfast food. Professor Kinds of
the high school faculty cleared his
throat, then, with fork and knife up
raised in an attitude much decried in
the modern books on etiquette, stared
blankly after the retreating figure.
Bessie Layton, the stenographer at the
Sampson implement Offices, she of the
fluffy pompadour and retrousse nose,
giggled, then hastily swallowed a
spoonful of coffee which promptly went
down her Sunday throat" and this on
Thursday morning! And simultaneous
ly a gale of laughter swept around the
circle of boarders at Mrs. Brent's select
and "homelike" establishment.
To the accompaniment of this laugh
ter Violet passed the hot rolls from
boarder to boarder, little dreaming
that she was responsible for the unto
ward merriment. Not that laughter
and merriment were uncommon at Mrs.
Brent's. The cheerful atmosphere OF
her boarding house as much as her
own good cookery kept the same circle
of guests there year after year. Only
Professor Kinds, the new principal Of
the high school, and pretty Grace Saun-
ders were newcomers this season. And
violet-yes, Violet was the new wait
ress Violet!
As she thrust the delicious rolls I'M
der Fred Graham's shaking shoulders
he remembered. coughed and ex-
claimed:
THAT was the best story you ever
told, Mrs. Brent"
Grace Saunders shot him a grateful
glance, but Professor Kinds looked up
blankly as If trying to remember the
story that had never been told. Then,
as Violet again disappeared through
the kitchen door. he murmured:
'Most incongruous Never saw any
thing further removed from shrink
ing. delicate violet In my life-six
feet. If she's an inch. Funny how par
ents do select such inappropriate names
for their children! Violet! Ought to
have called her Sunfowerf'
"But. professor, you must bear in
mind that the name was bestowed
when the girl measured perhaps twelve
inches. Babies measure about a foot,
don't theyT And young Graham gazed
at his fellow boarders.
Probably was one of those dainty,
fragile sort of babies that shoot up
like bean poles later on. Did that my
self, my mother tells me-
Half an hour later Grace Saunders
returned to the dining room intending
to ask Mrs. Brent some questions re-
garding the best stores in the town.
She found Violet darting about the ia
BILE clearing away crumbs, setting back
chairs. ETC., with a worried look on her
face Mrs. Brent came in from the
kitchen.
'There, Violet, don't you try to
straighten up the whole place. You'll
be late to school. It's five blocks to
the business college, you know. and
you've got your dress to change yet"
"Oh, are you going to the business
collegeY'' inquired Grace. The tall,
slender girl stopped untying her apron
at the cordial note in the boarder's
voice. 81 am SO glad, because I am
going there too Today is my first and
1t will be so nice to see familiar
face"
Then as suddenly as 1t .-~d awaken
ed the expression of delighted antici-
patton died In Violet's face. She re-
membered. She was the waitress at
Mrs. Brents, waitress for her board
and room, and Miss Grace Saunders
was the daughter of millionaire
ranch owner and cattle raiser in the
southern part of the state. Mrs. Brent
and the rest of the ''help' In the kitch-
en- had said it was most remarkable
that a girl with such a father should
not be studying In an eastern college
instead Of an unknown business col
lege In an obscure western city.
But Grace Saunders was not the sort
of girl to be snubbed. When school
closed that afternoon Violet Andrews
found that Grace could keep pace with
her and would not accept the excuse
that there was work awaiting the pu-
pill waitress in the Brent home.
"Come into my room tonight and we
will go over those dreadful curlycues
together" Grace urged as she turned
into the front door at the Brent house.
while Violet wheeled to the walk lead
ing to the kitchen. Something told her
that shadow had come into that girls
life since morning, that here was
chance where she herself might be
helpful, and Grace Saunders belonged
in the class of girls who simply must
be of cheer and service to their fell
low creatures.
The curlycues were not gone over.
however, for within two minutes after
Violet had entered Miss Saunders
room they were talking of more per-
sonaI matters.
81 know now why the men all laugh
ed at the table this morning. 1t was
me. They laughed at the business col
lege too! What is wrong with me?"
Grace glanced up at the angular yet
passionate, quivering figure. A high
pompadour crowned a long, narrow
lace, and enormous black bows stood
out on either side of her long, thin
throat like bat wings Her frock was
absolutely tight fitting. accentuating
every angular line.
''Sit down. my dear. and let's talk"
said Grace gently.
"It isn't fair" sobbed Violet. f1ingiDo
herself into the proffered chair. Here
you are with money, beauty and every
thing And I've shaved and scrubbed
and done washing to earn money
enough to pay for my course. But even
If do learn stenography, who will hire
me? What do they want with me when
they can get girls like you and Miss
Layton? There's something wrong
with me. What is it,"
Grace laid a friendly hand on the
heaving shoulders.
II think it is your name-and your
hair"
Violet sat up very straight.
'My whatT
sYour name and your hair. You see
one always thinks of a violet as some
thing small and shrinking and delicate
and you-well, you are six feet tail
with that pompadour. You cannot
change your name. but you can change
your hair"
The weeks that followed were like
fairyland trips to Violet. whose mother
had read herself into mental and phys
ical inertia on diet of novels, while
her father had tried to wrest gold from
the sphinxlike mountains. She Learned
that Grace Saunders was merely study
ing bookkeeping and stenography in or
der to help her father, whom she
adored, and that she had time between
studies to do the most wonderful sew
| i.n1r HyioIot bod oror. Soan- But first ShI