The Mount Holly news. [volume] (Mount Holly, Burlington Co., N.J.) 1891-1942, 1911-10-17

in a position to make living and be-
gan to prosper.
From that time this mirthful pair
were worshiped by those they had
served. / did not hear anything about
preparations for their union during
their work on criminals, but after they
had made nearly a dozen good men
| out of as many bad ones they were
married. There wasn't a person In
the place who didn't give them a we'd
ding present, and man who had
started bank gave a thousand dol
lars, saying that the couples service
to him had been worth many times
that sum-
So Ben and Elsie went to housekeep-
ing with every man, woman and child
In the town their friend. Many a
summer night before going to sleep
heard Elsie's laugh ring out on the
still air. One night after it had died
away / heard that knocking echo"
Charnley had spoken Of l was
plunged by it from balmy optimism
into frigid pessimism. The final dis
solution which awaits us all was made
vivid to me as never before. after
ALL / sighed, "for every laugh there
Is sob"
The occasion of Elsies laugh was
this: Ben was going out to bring in a
desperate. Elsie looked worried. To
cheer her Ben cracked a joke which
was followed by the laugh l heard
The next afternoon Ben was brought
in mortally shot by the men he had
attempted to capture and died In a
few hours in his wife's arms.
had scarcely heard that Ben was
dead when saw Elsie galloping along
the street, followed by every convert
she and Ben had made. devised the
errsnd on which they were bent, and.
being mounted, l determined to &c
with them. The man who had killed
Ben-called Mississippi Jake got word
that revenge would be taken upon
him for the murder and gathered q
dozen or so of his pals to put up a
fight. We came upon them crouched
on the other side of bridge spanning
creek and were received by volley
The crackle had not subsidized when
Elsie gave laugh so wild, so piercing
that 1t froze me with horror. 1t was
the mocking echo had heard the night
before, only instead of an echo it wa
wall, the wall of broken heart.
simultaneously with this, Elsie gal
loped forward, cooked pistol in each
hand, distancing the rest of us whe
endeayored to ride ahead Of her In a
charge like that IT was not to be ex-
pected, wild as she was, that she
would do much damage to her enemies
But her mind was so intent on venge-
ance that It conquered madness. Shy
emptied every chamber Of the two re
volyers, and with so true an aim that
nearly every shot took effect.
l saw man rise up from behind a
low stone wall whom by descriptions ]
had had of him / knew to be Missis-
sippi Jake. He had his eyes bent on
our woman leader and, raising a rifle.
was about to fire at her when quick
ly drew a bead on him and dropped
him.
That ended the fight The villains
that were left-they were but few
scattered in an adjoining wood
Then we rode back to town, the
widow like statue of stone She rode
through the streets lined by citizens.
all with heads bowed. and entered her
desolate dwelling alone.
Since then have talked with Charm
ley about this singular case. He says
What pity that this merry laugh of
Elsie's should have sometimes ended
with that hooking echoI' Charnley Is
a matter of fact fellow and has no
realization whatever of the depth OF
meaning there is under his words
But" he adds, "the laugh was Away:
there. while few ever spoke of what
on rare occasions followed It," In 9th
er words. the main parts OF our Hvei
are blythe and merry.
''Tbe Jaugher," / replied. was but
twenty when the trouble came Has
she ever laughed since?"
"No," says Charnley, "she has not"
"Will she ever laugh aeain?"
81 think not"
Perhaps she will Sometimes We
pick up the thread Of happiness after
1t has been dropped. but no one ever
lived who did not finally drop it for
ever.