The Mount Holly news. [volume] (Mount Holly, Burlington Co., N.J.) 1891-1942, 1909-01-26


quite clearly as they came floating up
from the window far below:
Sweetest little fellow
Everybody knows.
Don't know what to call him,
But he's mighty like rose.
And little John junior, who had
known no lullabies or mothers Groom
ings in his lone babyhood, felt that be
must follow and find where the beau
tiful voice came from.
After some cropping he found his
small wooden slippers, and after pull
ing them on very slowly and carefully
he climbed out of the window and be-
gan the perilous descent of the fire
escape.
The wind blew right through his
nightgown, and the iron steps were
very cold, but he kept bravely on,
afraid only that the grownups in the
flats across the air shaft mightssudden-
ly peep out from the curtains and see
him.
The window at the foot of the long
ladder stairs was open, just as John
junior expected it would be, so he
climbed In softly. The voice was still
again, but he was sure he must be
very near it.
BY the light that came into the room
through the transom he could see big
bed, with the covers all turned down
as If waiting for some one to creep in.
and SO, as John junior felt quite shiv-
cry, he crept in himself.
He had no sooner drawn himself up
into snug little bunch than the sing
ing began again, and so near that 1t
made his heart thump hard. 1t came
right In over the transom.
When the last sound of it had died
away he heard a mans voice-his ia
theirs voicei So his father had fol
lowed the singing, just as he thought.
In a flash John junior was out of
the big bed, had opened the door and
went pattering down the hall toward
the lights and laughter and singing.
Between the two big curtains he
paused and gazed into the wonderland
of the grownups. John junior waited
until the song was over and then tip
roed in very softly.
please" he begged, won't you sing
about the little fellow once moref"
And then weren't the grownups star
tied! John Junior would never forget
it. But at last the beautiful singing
lady just gathered him up in her arms
and, her cheeks all pink and her eyes
all shining, she sang the song he loved
best in the world.
And after that John junior never
knew exactly what happened, for be
went fast asleep.
'Mighty like rose," murmured the
singing lady, looking tenderly down on
the little flushed face nestled against
| her arm.
"Like a rose" repeated John juniors
! father reverently. And the singing
lady. looking up, found the mans eyes
not upon the child, but upon her.
"Take him." she urged, the quick
tears springing to her eyes. "And
don't, don't make it any harder for me
John"
Then for many nights John junior
did not again hear the singing
lady,s beautiful voice after his nurse
had tucked him in bed, although be
lay fat on his back and listened hard
with both ears.
He questioned his father about 1t
but got only foolish answers which he
knew were not true. The idea of the
singing lady going away to learn te
sing more beautifully! That was non
sensel Who could teach her anything
And it was just as silly to tell hin
that when she came back she would
not sing for them any more, because
lots and lots of people would expect
! her TO sing for them In a big parlor
| John junior knew better than that too
There were plenty of people to heal
her In their house and in the houses
across the air shaft.
eAt last John junior declined to be
trified with any longer
"Why don't you write and ask heI
to come baciT he demanded,