The Mount Holly news. [volume] (Mount Holly, Burlington Co., N.J.) 1891-1942, 1909-02-16
A Wedding
Present.
by Marf6a McCuhocb-
eEIiiiians.
Copyrighted, 1903, by Associated
Literary Press

who's going to make me, or what?
Certainly not you, not the little old
scrap of fortune" Adela retorted,
sticking out her chin. Billy laughed
softly, hardly more than chuckle.
True, we don't amount to much, the
fortune and l." he said. "Still, there's
rather more to us than you can get
any other way"
"Oh, you think so! Your modesty
won't kill you, not for long time
yet" Adela broke In, with wicked
toss Of the head. Billy made her his
best bow, saying half plaintively
"You didn't notice / held up my fin
gers for quotation marks. l was quot
ing-from Rob Torrens. He talked you
over down at the hotel"
II don't believe It'll How dared you
let him? What did he sayfv Adela
shot at him, a round red spot blazing
In either cheek.
HE didn't say much-after / got to
him Benny briggs was with him.
They were going on at a great rate I'M
til / came. No; he spoke no harm Of
anybody. Indeed, he was more sensi-
BILE than one might reasonably expect"
Billy continued.
UNLESS you tell me l shall go
straight and ask him-ask him If he
said anything at all about me-" Adela
cried, her lip curling family. Billy
stood a thought straighter. "You can't
do that. He's leaving on the evening
train. It's due, just about" he said
'T don't think you can mean to imply
that I'm lying I wouldn't do that If 1t
would make you love me. Torrens said
this. as nearly as l can recall his
words: 1T is a good thing the little
Ware girl has her future all settled for
her. She's pretty enough, madcap
enough, to make history, lots Of it, II
she had free rein. And really Billy
Bruce, plus $4,000, ought to console
her fairly for losing me-"
"You-what did you say2" Adela de-
manded, sparks at the bottom OF her
eyes. Buly's mouth was set into
grimmish smile. ut didn't seem to
me a time for talking" he said. Il
said nothing, but Mr. Torrens got off
the piazza-and thought he was going
to get off the earth about two seconds
later, while l explained to the rest
that felt myself insulted by the color
of his politics"
as that why he's going away?" AIDE
La asked In faint, small voice. Billy
nodded. 81 reckon so" he said. May
be he'll write and give you another
reason. | think he had engaged to call
on you tonight"
Adela put both her hands over her
face and for minute cried stormily
Billy watched her with something big
and hard III his throat. Suddenly she
flung down her hands and faced him.
teary and woebegone. She was badly
spoiled, impatient withal and selfish
with the selfishness of eighteen.
"By all the rules of the game
ought to give in to you at once" she
said. swapping out the words. But
won't do it. Go away! l hate you
almost as much as 1 hate that" stop
ping and choking. 81 don't want to
see you-ever again-not unless my
mind changes. do not want to see
any man at all
"Ali right, I'll vanish" Billy said
half wistfully. But, Dell, have you
thought Of this? If you nope at home,
seeing nobody at all, the town Will
have it you're breaking your heart for
Torrens. Now / think of it, my going
will help q lot. You can reasonably
be supposed to be grieving after me"
"Oh, you'll kill mew Adela moaned.
But where are you going? Not that
IT matters-if only you stay away!'
Il shall stay couple of years. It'll
take about that time for leisurely
globe trotting," Billy said craftily.
1--WE all along had it in mind, though
l didn't mention it. l hoped so much
we could go together"
Adela stared at him, forgetting In
her amazement to cry. "Of all things!'
she calculated. "Why, Billy! l never
thought you'd care to go hundred
miles from home. You-yOu've been
always so careful about money. Not
that you were mean, but you didn't
MAKE a splash" Billy supplement
ed as she stopped for word. No
That always seemed to be foolish and
In mighty bad taste. But | shall be
able to afford a lot of things now.
You see, began to let the rents of my
farm accumulate as soon as gran
dads will was read. giving us to each
other. Money grows a lot when you
leave It for ten years and put more to
1t every little while. kept my mouth
shut about 1t, but many time I've
told myself, This is to give Dell the
wedding present she'll like best In the
world"
"Why didn't you tell me2" Adela
said fretfully. Billy smiled. but drew
a long breath
Telling would have broken the
charm" he said. 81 wanted to sur
prise you, and / didn't want to bride
you into taking me- l shouldn't be
telling you even now If you hadn't
made me see there is no chance of our
coming together"
"Then why don't you go e-way?'
Adela said, more than ever fretfr,-
She was on the verge Of fresh ->ars-
tears she would not for the world let
him see. If life had depended on 1t
she would not have admitted, even to
herself, that they were more for the
hurt to her pride involved in his going
without her than for the crushing out
of what but yesterday she had fancied
was her one true love.
Torrens had awakened it-Torrens,
with his gay elegance, his careless,
easy assumption Of authority, so IN
like Billy's respectful alteration. Bill
ly was the inevitable, the common
place. Therefore she had resented
him even more than she had resented
the family disposition of her hand.
Torrens had fascinated her from the
beginning. she had felt 1t would be
so finely romantic to fling away a
lover and fortune for his dear sake.
And he had asked her to do tia hun
dred times at least-as plainly as any
thing cOulQ De dSkeu WllnouI "oAue.
And now he had gone, at Billy's
bidding-gone without word to her
Sharp across her consciousness had
come the whistle of the departing
train. In a passion of anger and hui
initiation she turned again upon Billy
saying In her hardest voice:
go tell everybody you threw me
oyer-because of-the other-and don't
let me see you ever againP'
She was sorry for the speech before
the gate shut behind Billy, sorrier still
as the days drew into week-a week
full of stir and wondering over Billy's
a r,,roo ching donna rf1lra She had not