The Mount Holly news. [volume] (Mount Holly, Burlington Co., N.J.) 1891-1942, 1910-06-07
The
InvinCible
Billy
An IrrepressibIs Boys Part In .
Love Affair
By AGNES G. BROGAN
Copyright, 1910. by American Press
Association

l l
They sat upon the pier together, the
girl whose eyes were as blue as the
sea, the little boy whose faxen curls
framed the face Of cherub and the
man who looked askance at the boy
and frowned. The girl caressed the
child. Dear" she asked tenderly
''are you tired"
Billy rested the curly head against
his aunt's shoulder and confidingly
placed his damp boots upon the skirt
of her white linen dress. Nope" be
answered concisely.
Jack Winston sighed and shook his
head when / see the amount of at
lection you are wasting upon that
imp" he said. my soul is filed with
wrath"
The boy scrambled to his feet sud.
denly and. collecting handful of small
sharp stones, began pelting them at
the two occupants of a small boat
which glided noiselessly along beside
the pier.
Billy" his aunt cried, Mortified
BILLY, did you hit the little boyY
you bet l did," her nephew re-
piled gleefully. THAT was Dicky
Smith. hate Dicky Smith,
Miss Brereton's eyes looked unutter,
ably sad. THAT was very wrong
she said reprovingly, land you must
not hate him. dear; you must love
everybody"
Her nephew laughed. Everybody
he exclaimed derisively.
Eyes. indeed" his aunt reiterated
Billy considered.
"Do you love everybody, Aunt Bea-
trice?" he asked. do you love Mr.
Winston?" rosy flush covered his
aunt's pretty face
"Of course / do" she answered even.
ly.
Billy turned to, seek an ally in the
man. do you love everybody, Mr.
WinstonY he persisted.
mot by good deal, Bill" the man
responded warmly. 81 have much the
same feeling for Mr.. Fenway. for in.
stance, that you have for Dicky
Smith"
The girl laughed and caught hel
small nephew by the hand. "What
nonsense?' she said "And now don't
you think 1t is time to go backY
The three went strolling up the
sandy beach. the boy skipping along
between them. The hotel guests had
assembled upon the wide verandas
awaiting the sound Of the gong which
would summon them to the evening
meal. They hailed the delinquents
merrily. "Last call for dinner in the
dining car" said Fenway. BILLY
come here and give an account OF
yourself" He caught up the boy and
perched him upon his knee. Beatrice
stood leaning against a white pillar
smiling down at them. Winston sat
upon lower step.
what have you been doing, Billy
boyf' Fenway questioned. The child
was always very amusing, so the
guests leaned forward, eagerly listen
ing for his replies.
"Been down on the pier" Billy piped
in his shrill treble, with Aunt Bea-
trice and Mr.. Winston" A pause.
"Aunt Beatrice says she loves Mr.. Win.
ston," he repeated deliberately. For q
moment there was silence, tense, dead
| ly silence; then Jack Winston commit
ted the objectionable crime-he laugh
ed. No one joined him. That made il
worse, for all were fascinated in
watching the girls face, which changed
so suddenly from white to crimson
She looked CONTEMPORARY at Winston
| for moment because he could thus
enjoy her discontinue.
"Billy," she said desperately, ",you
remember, spoke of loving every
body-not Mr.. Winston in particular
he was merely included with the 9th
ers."
1t seemed to the man on the lower
step that her eyes sought Fenway's
appealingly. Merely included with
the Others" He arose suddenly. "You
have sufficiently cleared yourself OF
the imputation," he began in low
tone, but Billy was speaking again.
"Mr. Winston says" the cherub an.
nounced distinctly. "that sometimes be
would like to pelt stones at Mr. Fen.
way" There was a general laugh al
this, and Winston was conscious Of an
overwhelming desire to fall upon the
boy and thrash him within an inch OF
| his life.
Thanks, awfully, Bill" Fenway OBJ,
served calmly. "Forewarned is fore
armed. Henceforth. whenever I see
Jack Winston coming my way, l shall
rum"
The company dispersed In little chat
tering groups toward the dining room
Billy was borne thence upon Fenway' s
shoulder, and Beatrice followed. As
Winston passed she averted her eyes
and so during the endlessly long week
which followed she perversely ignored
his existence and admirably succeeded
in dispelling any erroneous idea which
might have prevailed regarding her
partially toward him. And the In
| jured one hid himself In faraway cor
ners and worked resolutely upon the
serial story which he was preparing
| Cor one Of the current magazines. He
had neglected his writing lately, and
there was much to do. Occasionally
Billy would seek him out, but was al
ways CURLY dismissed. In fact, the
thorns were beginning to show among
Billy's roses. for his champion. Fen
way, had suddenly departed for town
ana Aunt Beatrice had developed into
very unreasonable person. One could
not tell how to please her.
When they started for a walk upon
their last afternoon at the seaside Aunt
Beatrice first found the wooded path
| too shady, then decided that the sun
shone too brightly upon the pier. and
later when the man in the little post
Office informed them that there were
mo letters today" Billy really thought
she was going to cry. 'P'r'aps." he
comforted, "Mr. Fenway will write a
nice letter to you bimeby, but" he
added, with the strange perversity of
childhood, II like Mr.. Winston best"
Aunt Beatrice very Unexpectedly
bent down and kissed his upturned
face. BILLY boy" she said sadly. Mr..
Winston does not like US any more,
and it Is all because Of you" Billy
pondered deeply upon this. If it was
his fault that these two funny grown
up people refused to speak to each
other then some way or other he must
be the one to straighten things out.
He did not quite know how he was
going to accomplish this purpose, but