The Mount Holly news. [volume] (Mount Holly, Burlington Co., N.J.) 1891-1942, 1911-01-17
The Bird
Of Fortune
A County Fair Ended n
PROLONGED WooinG
By CLARISSA MACKIE
Copyright, 1910. by American Press
Association.

Association.
The county fair was In full swing
Everywhere there was hustle and
laughter and merrymaking as well as
color and music and light Today was
the day of days. Prizes had been
awarded, and such was the wisdom
and tact of the judges that no exhibitor
had gone unrewarded.
Benjamin Dibble had taken first
prize for his fine Holsteins and second
prize for the mountainous Chester hogs.
These honors meant nothing to Ben
jamin, for they were conferred upon
his stock every year and had been
even in his fathers generation.
The fact that Dorinda Weed had
captured all the first prizes In house
wifely arts did not surprise Benjamin
in the least. Everything Dorinda at
tempted was p ,onounced success, ex-
cepting perhaps the capture of Benja-
min Dibble, and that this had not hap
pened was Benjalnins fault
Dorinda Weed was sweet and fair
and dainty. Her eyes were blue like
the ragged sailors that bordered the
dusty roadsides Benjamin had wor-
SHIPPED Dorinda from his boyhood, but
he had never dared address her beyond
the merest commonplace. There had
never been but one thought behind his
| - H. IL,
her to marry him. OF the preliminary
months of wooing he gave no thought.
He knew he wanted Dorinda and he
intended to ask her outright to marry
him some day when his backbone felt
little more rigid and when his ears
had ceased to redden at her approach.
But no miracle had been performed,
and Benjamin had lived wretchedly on.
mentally cnrsing his shyness.
Now, Dorinda was thirty-two and
Benjamin was forty. Their parents
were dead, their lands adjoined, and
their two houses, each one small and
detached, might be moved to a new
site on the apex of the dividing hill
between the farms and thus become
large, comfortable farmhouse This
plan was Benjamin's sweetest dream,
but there was no sign of its being
realized
Benjamin paused one instant in front
| of the domestic exhibit and furtively
adored Dorinda's toothsome display.
From there he wandered out to the
building where his cattle were quar-
tered, and he arrived just in time to
see Dorinda Weed timidly stroking the
nose of one of his mild eyed Holsteins.
From afar he watched her blissfully,
and his heart rose exultantly when she
passed on quite unobservant of the
| other exhibits.
! Out in the open spaces where We
hicles of every description were hud-
died in confusion, amid the cry Of side
show barkers, the conglomerate smell
Of quick lunch carts, the odor Of fresh
| popcorn and steamed CLAIMS, Benjamin
stumbled over the gypsy caravan. Here
in gayly festooned tent gypsy crone
was telling fortunes.
Kind gentleman" she hailed him
eagerly. For silver 1 will reveal the
future! reunite broken hearts! /
make you successful In lover She
held back the tent flap invitingly, and
under the spell of some sudden i'm
pulse Benjamin Dibble entered and
sat down on small three legged stool.
The gypsy knelt before him and held
out one brown hand. gay with silver
rings.
"Silverp she wheedled softly.
Blushingly Mr.. Dibble extracted a
silver quarter from his pocket and
dropped it in her palm, then. embar-
raised by her voluble thanks, he sub
mitted his own hand to her grasp
She bent her dark, disheveled head
above its toll hardened surface for sew
eral moments and then scrutinized his
good looking face with piercing eyes.
'You love-" she said softly, "yet you
are troubled. see fair woman-the
one you love. A dark man comes be-
tween. You will find happiness through
a golden bird. Waltz Still retaining
his hand, a film seemed to drop over
her sharp eyes and her head bent over
his hand. Again she spoke. but her
words were mumbled, yet Benjamin's
eager ear caught every syllable:
"As surely as comes up the sun
Two houses shall be made as one.
A golden bird without nest
Shall lead the weary heart to rest"
The gypsy lifted her head and glanc-
ed sharply at him.
what else?" demanded Benjamin
eagerly.
The woman arose to her feet and
looked toward the door, where little
crowd had gathered, waiting for an
audience. ut is enough-the rest you
must do-so 1t is written" she said
hastily.
Benjamin thrust another quarter into
her willing hand and pushed dizzily
through the crowd, his heart beating
riotously. The doggerel verse was
emblazoned on his memory He could
have repeated it backward, forward
indeed, in almost any form. The
reference to the houses to be made as
one was as direct prophecy from
heaven itself AS for the mysterious
golden bird without a nest" Benja-
min confessed himself perplexed
Little River boosted golden birds of
many varieties, from the Buff Cochins
Of the poultry yard to the yellow ham,
mers and goldfinches of the WOODS
and the captive canaries in cages But
one and all had nests of some sort, and
the bird of Benjamin's fortune would
appear to be as yagrant as the gypsy
herself.
The prophecy of the united houses
was good fortune enough for one day,
and, emboldened by this certainty that
his dearest hopes would be fulfilled
Benjamin rushed hastily toward the
building where Dorinda Weed might
| be found She who was to be his
| future wife had stroked the nose of
his prize Holsteins. After these won
derful happenings it would be an easy
matter to invite Dorinda TO partake of
ice cream and cake. When one was
eating ice cream it was not necessary
to talk much, and after the ice cream
he might invite her to other amuse-
ments in the grounds. There were a
loop-the-loop and a merry-go-round
| and
Benjamin Dibble stood stock still,
while all exuberance of spirit dissolved
like mist.
In the distance he saw Dorinda.
/ ohio rrofu0 In hor nalo h1uo onxun h11f