The Mount Holly news. [volume] (Mount Holly, Burlington Co., N.J.) 1891-1942, 1909-04-13
MRS. wREsr MOVED LITTLE AND LIFTED
HER EYES


the jewelers. wife, said was the fiuest
of the kind she had ever seen.
No other woman in Northport had
such a way OF wearing her clothes, Of
carrying herself, of fitting her chin.
And no other woman was as beauti-
full. If she had not been beautiful
there would not have been SO much
said or thought about her.
She had a calm, pale face, surround
ed with dark hair as with a frame.
Her eyes also were dark, inscrutable
in their depth and stiffness. Her
mouth dropped little, but then some
mouths are not shaped for constant
smiling. 1t was not sad mouth, and
1t was not a happy one. 1t was just
still. like the rest Of her face.
If she had had great sorrow she
hid it skillfully or else she had no
heart. There were a great many WON
en- who thought she had no heart.
That is often the first accusation
brought against beautiful woman by
others who are not SC beautiful.
She had lived in Northport two years
when something happened. Peter Mere
dith fell in love with her. OF course
there might have been other men than
Peter in love with her and probably
were. but Peter was the only one that
advertised his regard boldly.
All the young unmarried women
were simply dying for Peter. In the
first place he was rich. and IN the next
his good looks would have made him
eligible without the addition Of money.
His married sister took him to task
as soon as she suspected his infatua-
ton. She had kept him from marry
ing a good many years, because she
wanted the money for the small Pc
ter. her son, and she did not intend to
be outwitted now by woman who
had nothing but her dsome face to
recommend her.
'You don't know anything about
her," she urged.
81 don't ask to know anything that
she does not choose to tell me. ! love
her well enough to trust her." Peter
answered valiantly.
"Good heavensI She may be an ad.
venturessr, cried his sister, losing hes
temper
Then Peter lost his and declared that
he was going straight to Mrs. Wrest
to ask her to marry him. He went,
Mrs. Rowland, who lived opposite, saw
nim go to the door, saw Cornelia
Bangs admit him and take him into
the parlor. Then she few for the spy
glass which had belonged to her ia
Their, an old sea captain. But the spy
glass was, after all. very inadequate
to the occasion. She could not hear
what was said, though she drew her
own conclusions when Peter came
forth, detected.
Mrs. Wrest had indeed refused him.
It was incredible. Peter took 1t very
hard. 1t was his first experience in
not getting what he wanted.
Instead of being grateful to Mrs.
Wrest for not accepting him, every
unmarried woman was angry with her.
1t was not long before scarcely wom-
an save Mrs. Rowland visited Mrs.
Wrest. She was at liberty now to read
and play the violin as much as she
chose and to sew for all the poor that
needed new garments, all because she
had refused Peter Meredith. whom no
body wanted her to have.
WHY had she done it? There could
be only one reason. She had no bush
ness to marryl She had a husband
living from whom she had no divorced
Though Mrs. Wrest was apparently
conscious of the increasing feeling
against her she made no sign she
still attended church regularly, wear
ing black and sitting alone in her pew,
apparently unconscious OF all who
were so fiercely conscious Of her. She
was sitting thus one morning perfectly
still, with her small hands folded and
her face lifted to the minister,