The Mount Holly news. [volume] (Mount Holly, Burlington Co., N.J.) 1891-1942, 1909-11-30
By JOANNA SINGLE.


hat pushed back on his rumpled fair
hair, was still insisting that he leave
the Office for the rest of the day.
"Confound you, Billy, heat or no
heat, August or December. fellow
that's going to get on In the law sim
ply must do some studying. Can't you
get it through your thick head when
say l am not going that mean lit
Take the girls by yourself If they are
silly enough to like your company.
Can't see what anything bigger than a
child sees in a vaudeville park any
how. Now, Billy, get out Of here, do!
Your everlasting grin gives me a tenn
perature, and the heat is bad enough
this afternoon as it is"
Butler surveyed his friend with elab-
crate pity. Poor boyT" he commented
ruminatingly. HE hasn't been himself
since he won the big case last month.
Turns down his friends, fiocks by him.
self. Must have overworked or else
he's in love. Must be love. Perhaps
the fair Alice will capitulate after all.
She ought to after you saved her for
tune from a greedy stepmother. Go
after it. son. Well, by-by. Me to Grace
and Marietta and the despised park"
Alice Lawton, indeed. thought Worth
ing Well. that idea was better in But
ler's shallow pate than the real truth
namely, that Marietta's sudden fond
ness for his partner was eating bis
heart out. 1t was always Marietta and
Billy Butler everywhere. and he used
to think 1t was Grace for whom Billy
longed. Worthing had known no inner
peace since Marietta had come last
winter to live with her cousin, Grace
Hunter From the first meeting the
girls dark. little, serious face, sweet
eyes. gay. laughter. had not left his
And she had certainly
seemed to like him, even to prefer
him, to let him monopolize her some
what and even to be demurely glad
when they were left alone together
Gloomily rejecting, he began to won
der what had changed her. June had
been a joy time. If he had spoken
then all might have been well, but that
Lawton Inheritance case came to him.
He recognized the professional oppor-
tunity, worked on it like a slave day
and night all through July and won.
feeling that he had now little better
basis for offering his heart to the girl
he loved. He was also delighted be-
cause he had done service to Alice,
his lifelong friend. But what had
changed Marietta?
Finding himself unable to study.
Worthing phoned for his car and clos
ed the Office. He would go for Alice
and take her fer a spin and have din
ner at the golf club and then ride
again till the moon came up. Perhaps
they might go through the park them
selves. and-no, he would let Marietta
alone. He recognized that he longed to
see her.
But Alice was not at home, and. Bit
terly lonely. he motored out into the
country. AS the sun set and the cool
of evening came on his troubled heart
grew more calm. He would reason
with himself. try to see what he had
done or left undone, why Marietta
when he went back to her, flushed and
joyous with his victory, had received
him with the frozen sweetness Of a
dish of ice cream and thereafter man
aged never to be with him alone for
single moment The first time he had
noticed it was once when, with Alice.
whom he was taking to his Office, he
met her on the street just In front of
the building. Her greeting had been
very cool.
Worthing drew up beneath a great
tree and, taking a little photo of the
girl from his pocket. looked at it with
loving inquiry. He recalled that an
other time that she had been cool to
him was when he was telling her how
much it meant to Alice to get her legal
rights and how glad he was to have
been able to help her. That was at
the golf club dance, and after that she
had been unable to find a dance for
him. He sat thinking.
Suddenly it came to him-the ridicu-
lous little key to the solution. He
started the machine. headed again for
the city, driving like one in a sort Of
happy insanity. He would go straight
to the park, find her and see her long
enough to ask her If he was right If
he had to toss Billy into the lake to be
rid of him. OF course fellow couldn't
ask a girl directly what he intended to
know, but he was lawyer enough to
extract from her indirectly all he de-
sired. He could not wait to see her-it
was all SO foolishly simple.
1t was nearly dusk when, with hope
and fear mingling in his heart, he
reached the park and, impatiently ODE
dent to the rules and the watchful
police, crawled slowly along the drives
looking for a group in which he might
distinguish Marietta's slim little figure
and crown of dark hair Where in the
world could they be? He stopped on a
wrong clew several times and at last
went slowly to remote corner where
there was a great old fashioned swing.
1t would be like that idiot Butler to
take her off to chatter to her unhinder-
ed and perhaps to swing her. for shs
loved to risk her little life. and Worth
ing had always had deadly fear that
the chains or something might break.
He had seen one such accident Now
ne began TO be sure Butler was not d
to look after her.
His surmise had been right. He saw
Grace, tall and big and blond. stand
ing watching that consummate idiot,
Billy, as he pushed Marietta-his Mari
etta-high and yet higher into the air.
He jumped from his car, motioning
Butler, who did not see him, to stop.
not daring to call lest he frighten her.
He was sure the swing was not safe.
He came running up, facing the girl,
who, as she receded to be pushed for
ward again by Butler, saw him and
gave a little cry. Out she came toward
him. far out. His heart stopped as
sudden warning creak from the chains
made him look up. The chain had
broken.
Without an instant5 neSltatlon ne
held up his arms for her and shouted,
Jump, Marietta, jump" Such COM
mand, such conviction, rang In bis
voice that the girl obeyed as II her
own mind had prompted her. While
a horribly frightened silence fell on tbs
others and some people close by came
running up she fell safely into bis
arms, where he stood holding her, tell
ing her and the rest, telling himself
that she was not hurt. And, indeed
she had miraculously escaped without
harm, for Butler had caught the chain
SO the swing could not strike her as
she fell.
1t seemed ages to Frank Worthine
before he made everybody go away