The Mount Holly news. [volume] (Mount Holly, Burlington Co., N.J.) 1891-1942, 1909-09-14

man, / ought to give you an everlast-
ing good thrashing for even limiting
such a thing. The girls my fiancee,
and-and"-
Thrash away, if you like, Tommy, y
said Johnson calmly. ''Only remem-
Der you asked me not to talk In rid
dies"
"You blamed old misanthropeT said
Blake, with some show Of temper.
''You-you-hard shelled old cynic! ]
suppose you'd swear any girl / got
engaged to had an eye only for my
money"
johnson shook his head slowly.
mo, l wouldn't, and you know it," he
declared. But the Carringtons,
Tommy-well, Pm afraid 1 know them
a bit better than you do"
Blake sat silently watching the
stream Of passersby on the cleaning
sidewalks for a time, then suddenly
threw away his half burned cigar
and pushed back his chair.
"Good night" said he CURLY and
stalked stiff1y out of the room.
There. wasn't a word Of truth in
what johnson had said, he told him.
self over and over again. Johnson
was a woman hater anyway. He
would have said the same of any
woman. 1t wasn't Ethel Darlington
in particular. Yet, despite all his men
tai arguments on the matter, Blake
was vaguely disturbed in his mind as
he called a cab and drove uptown to
his apartments, for, more than he
would admit to himself. Blake was
prone to rely on Johnson's judgment.
But johnson was off in this case
surely, he was way off!
Ethel Darlington was the finest. the
truest woman in all the world, and
Johnson was a dyspeptic croaker.
There the matter must end.
Two weeks later Blake again sat be-
fore the window in the club. Again 1t
was a rainy day. and again the pave
ments cleaned In the wet mist. Blake
was quite alone in the room. His face
was drawn and haggard. Great rings
showed around his eyes.
lie luTHGu DIS NC uCdA0 q 0tOP OOA@AASs
him and saw Johnson coming toward
him.
"You were right" said Blake. &c
Lord, you were right"
Johnson very quietly drew q chair
beside the distraught man and sat
down.
Maybe you'll feel bit better If you
tell me about it, Tommy" he said.
Blake smoked furiously for a mo-
ment. when the crash came" he
said at length, 81 was almost glad at
first. / told myself it would disprove
all those things you had said. or
course / was intending to release the
girl. was in honor bound to do It,
But | thought was fool enough to
think she cared as much for me with
nv fortune wiped of the boards as she
did before"
johnson said nothing.
at was yesterday morning that the
news Of the wiping out Of all had in
the world was published" Blake went
on. "At 10 o'clock got letter from
MI6. AdII1uBLO n-4 SpOSAul 0CAANCAJ ~
ter, mind you. She said that Ethel was
too broken up to write personally, but
under the circumstances-O Lord, you
know well enough what it was with
out my going into all the horrible de-
tails"
"This may prove blessing in dis
guise, Tommy" said Johnson, but
Blake, with dropping head, was shut
fling out of the room.
Blake, moping in his apartment an
hour later, was summoned to the Office
by a message that lady was waiting
for him. He went down to find Ethel
Darlington, rather wet and very white,
In the reception room.
your he cried in dazed surprise.
"Youp'
ell couldn't be hedged in by con-
ventions when | was so worried about
you" she said hurriedly, $50 I came
straight here What Is wrong? Why
have you stayed away for two days