The Mount Holly news. [volume] (Mount Holly, Burlington Co., N.J.) 1891-1942, 1909-06-29
'DAFFOD|LS IN TOWN,
They Brought Back Memories Of
Home and True Love.
ev HENRIETTA CRAWFORD.


bling cakes save Mildred. For her tea
and cakes had no charm, perhaps be-
cause she had poured the one and dis
pensed the other steadily for the past
hour
She leaned back in her chair behind
the tea table absently watching the
little crowd of fashionably dressed
men and women that were moving
about the parlors, yet conscious never
theless that the man beside her was
observing her and enjoying her expe-
rience from his own standpoint, which
was so different from her own that
she often wondered how he could find
anything in her to interest him.
In a low voice he was telling her
about the people before her eyes-how
the woman in gray velvet had recently
come into a fortune, how another wo-
man in rather shabby silk with won
derful silver fox furs had lost hers,
how Mrs. POINTER had been Mrs.
Somebody-else before divorce released
her and how the girl in blue was sad
ly puzzled as to whether she would be
happier with an American because she
loved him or with an English eld-
est son because he was heir to a
title
She listened carelessly, scarcely re-
plying In reality her mind was busy
with its own affairs. What did she
care about these people, most of whom
she had not seen before and might not
see again? And what did they care
about herr
She was merely their hostess coun-
try cousin who poured tea and to
whom Hills Hubbard was somewhat
attentive. Cousin Nell had seen that
her frock was appropriate, and she
herself had been long enough In the
gay world to learn that the majority
judges one by ones raiment mainly.
Yet Hills Hubbard seemed to judge
her In different wise.
"You must be very nice to hin"
Cousin Nell had advised the first day
Mildred was in the house.
"And why?" the girl had inquired.
Because he is good match, as good
as there is to be had That counts
very much in my world, Mildred. 1t
may be that you will charm him, be-
ing type that he is unacquainted
with
Certainly it seemed that she had
charmed him. Since the first day she
met him he had been attentive to her,
sending her flowers, taking her to ride
in his motor and to lunch at the best
places. Cousin Nell was delighted.
And Mildred thought 1t fascinating
business to be thus sought after by a
man whom so many girls had tried I'M
successfully to capture.
she had been quite frank with him
from the first in spite of Cousin Nell,
telling him that her father was only a
poor country doctor and this was the
first time she had been asked to visit
her cousin. He had seemed not to
mind. Perhaps he had so much money
himself that he did not care whether
the woman he married had dowry
or not
AS she leaned back in her chair she
was wondering how it would seem to
always have plenty Of money, to buy
ones frocks at the best shops, to live
in a house where the work was done
as by magic, to go about In a blue and
gold motor and be able to hear all the
best music.
Just that afternoon Cousin Nell had
said when she came in to inspect her
toilet:
''You understand, Mildred, that Mr..
Hubbard will have something to say to
you before you go home. There is but
one answer for you to make, and am
sure he expects that one"
'But-but I'm not certain 1 care for
him enough" Mildred had stammered.
Nell had stared at her.
my dear childl Do you think that
any one in these days marries for love
aloneY'
81 didn't know" the girl said hum
bly,. Then she thought of her cousins
elderly husband, who was seldom WIS.,
ible save at breakfast time, and the
hitherto concealed reason for NelPs
strange marriage was suddenly reveal
ed to her.
Mildred had indeed experienced
much since coming into her Cousins
house. None Of the golden rules which
her parents had taught her were ap-
plicable here. Other ideals were cher
ished, other aims kept in sight. At
first it had been very mystifying to the
girl to find that the teachings of her
whole lifetime were of no account. 1t
was as If she had taken great pains to
acquire Latin only to find that French
was demanded of her.
Her father and mother had married
for love. Money they knew to be a
great good which one could yet be
happy without. The poorest person
was as good as the wealthiest, provid-
ed he was of moral character. Yet,
after all, WREN one was constantly
meeting strangers how could one know
more about them than their appear
ance revealed? Who cared whether
Mrs. Poynter's first husband was liv-
ing?
She was the wife Of a notable rich
man and very agreeable. In Harlin
she would have been looked upon with
suspicion, but here she was courted.
Yes, money was a wonderful thing.
1t brought one so much. Even If she
did not love Mr.. Hubbard she could no
doubt be very happy with him. To BIZ
able to wear dress like that gray vel
vet and black furs with long silver
hairs in them, each one of which rep
resented a purseful Of money, and ru-
bies like Mrs. Ogden's!
The girl drew a long breath and
stirred uneasily. What would her IA
Their and mother say? What would
Tom think? She bit her lip as the
memory of his brave yet tender face
possessed her. She could almost hear
him saying:
'Now, look here, Daffy-Down-Dilly,
you are going up to town to visit your
fine cousin, and she'll have some fell
low picked out for you, l know. He'll
be rich and-and different, and that
will end my chance. which always was
mighty poor, wasn't 1t, dearf II II
wasn't you'd say one word, and then
1 wouldn't feel so entirely down and
out as 1 will be If you go without say
ing It,"
She had not said the word, and so
vba vuas ouita free as far as Tom was