The Mount Holly news. [volume] (Mount Holly, Burlington Co., N.J.) 1891-1942, 1909-06-08

half teasing, half loving. But she hard
ened her heart and replied coldly:
"Only this, Aubrey Bowden-that 1
don't wish to know for the future
where you go or what you do. After
the outrageous way you acted Tuesday
evening, going away and leaving me
alone for half an hour at the theater
while you fiirted with that odious Bella
Wier, I've decided that do not wish
you to call here any morel"
The pale rose in her cheek had deep
ened to carnation.
"Oh, I say, Reedav' He laughed
protestingly and took step forward.
'sYou don't mean that, you knowI l
was not gone more than ten minutes.
used to go to school with Bella Wier.
And hadn't see her for more than a
year."
you may see her as often as you
desire after thisp' said Reeda signih-
cantly.
There was no smile in the young fell
| lows handsome eyes now.
"Reeda," he said quietly, '1ook at
mep'
He was beside her. She felt herself
forced to obey that grave command.
She lifted to his face her gray, black
fringed eyes, filed with a sullenness
foreign to them.
"Say you don't mean to break with
me for such a tri1e," he pleaded.
"why. love you, Reeda. You know
that"
81 have nothing to reconsider" She
never knew afterward how she man
aged to enunciate the cruel words. Il
want you to go away and never come
to see me again."
For one GREATNESS moment they
stood looking into each others eyes.
And there was that In his face that
dumbly reproached her. Before she
could bring herself to make retrac-
ton he was striding to the door.
"Goodby, DEAR" he said brokenly-
I'll hope
The sentence trailed on into silence,
and he was gone.
The girl stood staring at the closed
door, 1t looked like the door of fate
itself-shut fast In her face. She saw
it through a gush of belated. futile
tears.
The day wore on-a dull, wretched,
aimless day. She could settle to moth
ing. Every object brought some mem
DRY connected with the man she had
sent out OF her life.
When she dressed for the evening
she found herself selecting the gown
he best liked and realized with a
wretched pang that he would no more
murmur praise of it-or Of her. She
hated the pretty rosy silk, with its
ecru silken laces and coquettish little
black velvet bows.
So forlorn she felt, so lonely, so be-
reft, it was with slight surprise that,
picking up the evening paper, she scan
ned a tragic headline. But as the full
Significance Of what that CHASTITY line
of type indicated became plain to her
she gave cry-a faint, weak, desper-
ate cry-and her mother, rushing to her,
found her. face downward, on the
floor the paper clutched tightly in her
hand.
To bring her back to consciousness
was the first thing to do-to md ont
what had shocked her, the second.
And the paragraph in the paper, telling
of the accidental discharge Of gun
among a party Of hunters bound Tor
| the Kankakee marshes revealed the
latter. For the name of the man ia
| tally wounded was given as that OF
Aubrey Bowdenl
The physician, bending over the girl
as the fits Of Inconsistencies sue
ceeded one another, shook his head
gravely. II am very much afraid
he began.
A queer, glad cry from Reeda star
tied them. She was sitting straight
up, her arms extended. The man at
the threshold sprang forward and
caught her In his arms.
at was Andrew-poor Andrew ne
explained. 1.-THE reporter got the
names mixed. I've flesh wound from
the explosion, nothing more. hur-
ried here. / feared you might learn
of the accident. And, Reeda, darling
did you care, then, so much?"
| The terrible tension over. she gave