The Mount Holly news. [volume] (Mount Holly, Burlington Co., N.J.) 1891-1942, 1910-10-25
ESTABLISHED 1876
you know" he finished lamely.

you know" he finished 1amely.
Thanks" she said simply, dropping
down to seat on the rock and press
ing back the flying waves of black
hair from her eyes. But that is not
the reason why wear plain clothes.
You see, Pm western girl, and / was
born and raised on a ranch Father
and lived alone. There were just
two after came. and had to be both
son and daughter to dad He died a
year ago, and so had to come east
and make my home with Mrs. BowkeY,
my aunt. l had private tutors at the
ranch, but of the outside world | have
been quite ignorant am learning
rapidly that girls are girls and boys
are boys, SO little later I'm going to
put on friils and fribbles I'm wearing
these plain things well, because of
dad, you know 1t seems as II the old
days were not so far away" She
ichoked over the last words, and her
eyes were drowned with sudden tears
She searched vainly for a. handker-
chief. and Billy. full Of tender solicit
tude, drew snowy square from his
own pocket. shook 1t out and tossed it
into her lap; then he turned away and
looked at distant ridges that seemed
strangely blurred in outline.
THANK you so much. I'm very sor-
~ l made such goose of myself"
said the girl after a little while.
Only
arYou nao1n,t GOV 1ror7 - tr+ar~,,n4
ed Billy energetically. after my
mother went-why-wel l know all
about it. It's stiffish gale" he added
hastily.
ut is" she laughed through her
tears. How horrid you must have
thought me. Mr.. Satterly. but heard
what you were all saying. and | did
feel SO lonely and unappreciated. you
know. Wasn't it silly? So just tip
toed downstairs and few up to this
rock out Of sheer desire to be alone"
"And I've been intruding on your
privacy all this time" cried Billy re-
morsefully. "Pll run along down now
be careful when you descend; you
might slip on the pine needles and
sprain your ankle. One of the girls
did that the other day." He turned to
the path.
please stay, Mr.. Satterly," she urg-
ed you mustn't let me drive you
away. Thank you" She pressed the
handkerchief into his hand and he re-
turned it to his pocket silently.
you are sure l won't be in the
wayY' he asked. settling down on the
ground and taking out his neglected
newspaper.
mot at all. And you may smoke
your pipe too don't mind. It," size
smiled as he stuffed tobacco pouch
back in his pocket.
THANK you" he said gratefully.
you do not know my name," said
the girl suddenly. TITS not fair when
am acquainted with yours. am
Rose Benworth"
THANK you" said Satterly graveIy.
After awhile the greedy wind tore
the paper from his hands. and they
watched it sail down the mountain
side until it reached the lake. where
1t became a white. winged craft and
disappeared from view.
Then Billy showed Rose how to find
pictures in the sailing clouds. and she
scofingly taught him more about
cloud painting than he had ever dream
ed. for she was a child Of prairie and
hill in the western country.
So they talked until the sun dipped
below the west peak. and then they
went regretfully down the narrow
trail. Back to the earth-out of the
Clouds" remarked Billy as be helped
Rose Benworth over the slippery pine
needles.
At the hop that night Dick Fancher
and Lester Pennington rallied Billy on
his long absence that afternoon. They
had, with one accord. fallen captive to
the charm of Rose Benworth in her sim
pie white evening frock She danced
to perfection.
Whats the matter with you, old
manY they demanded of Billy. "You
look as if you'd been drinkingr'
II have" be said urbanely.
'sWhatY
"Nectar and all that sort of thing.
you know"
Rubbish" jeered Dick enviously.
you're in love. that's what's the mat
ter with you"
And SO it proved.