The Mount Holly news. [volume] (Mount Holly, Burlington Co., N.J.) 1891-1942, 1911-01-24
House
! To Let
1t Changed the Life Of a CIubman.
A Spinster Was Also In
terested In 1t
By r. A. Mitchell
Copyright by American Press Asso-
Copyright by American Press Asso-
citation, 1911

One day he received an invitation t,
go with friend who lived In tn,
suburbs for dinner and the night. TIL,
difference between a house with a wo
man In 1t, to say nothing of severa
impish children, and his own solitary
apartments was appalling. In his owl
bedroom he would awaken in tn.
morning amid tomblike silence. Ii
this abode of family he lay awake
for nearly an hour, listening to unceas
ing sounds that seemed like music tc
him.
There were constant opening anc
shutting of doors, water pouring in
a bathroom, children running. children
shouting, children scolded, children
petted; now a few deep tones from q
father warning Johnny that If he
didn't stop fooling and dress himself
he would get spanking and now a
feminine call to Edie to come and
let me do your hair" 1t was the con
trast Of this life about him-this union
Of hearts and interests-with his silent
chamber that made him yearn fol-
the one and hate the other.
Jenkins returned to the city, spent
the day in his Office, went to his room
-heaving sigh as he entered it
dressed for the evening and started for
his club. Shortly before reaching 1t
he passed a neat looking two. story
stone front dwelling in a window of
which was a placard ITO Let" He
stood leaning on his cane looking at
the house; then went on muttering:
Its no use. I've no WIFE"
He went on to his club, sat down in
the reading room and listlessly took up
a paper. But he did not read. He
was going over the women of his ac-
Quaintance in vain effort to pick out
one he could love. one with whom he
could make a home This, too, was a
failure. They all seemed to him like
so many wax figures in show win
dow. No responsive chord to draw
him to any of them or them to him.
The next morning passing the. house
to let he thought that. after all, it
would be better than his rooms and he
would go in and look at it. At the
moment feminine voice said to him:
There doesn't appear to be any word
on the notice where to apply"
Jenkins turned and saw young wo-
man whose appearance was as refined
as her voice Her attention was all di-
rected to the house, and Jenkins be-
lieved that she had made the observa
ton to herself rather than to him
Nevertheless he raised his hat and
said:
perhaps, there being no such direc-
lions, 1t means that one may inquire
within"
at doesn't matter" said the lady,
still making her replies more to herself
than him.
The words were spoken in the same
tone with which the day before he had
said to himself: ITS no use. I've no
wife"
"I'll ring If you like" said Jenkins.
ooh, thank you. Never mind on my
account"
I'm intending to make inquiries for
myself, though l have no definite idea
of taking house. / don't need one"
''Nor L.
He went up on to the stoop and rang
the bell. His summons was answered
by middle aged person who lived in
fha olrH,.
The lady waited for Jenkins to act as
spokesman, but he hesitated He did
not know whether to say this lady
wishes to look at the house" or 81
wish to look at the house" The first
would be assuming what he had not
been authorized to assume; the second
would look as if he proposed to stand
In the lady's way. He compromised.
1--WE would like to look at the house. .
he said
"Oh. Walk inr'
"There are eight rooms" said the
caretaker, leading the way through the
apartments "On this floor parlor.
dining room. library and kitchen"
Then. leading them upstairs: -Four
bedrooms up here. This front room
will make a beautiful room for you
and your wife, sir, and this little room
adjoining is just big enough for the
children, If you have them. There's
another small room back that would
make a good nursery and guests
room. The bathroom is at the end of
the hall"
II the poor woman had been cog
INFANT Of the terrible blunder she was
making she would have been deeply
panied. And yet she would have had
no cause to be panied. Though Jen-
kins put on a wooden expression. there
was a very pleasant feeling about his
heart Though the lady blushed a
rosy red, there was a suspicion Of a
smile playing on her lips.
How many children have you,
ma'amY' asked the woman. suddenly
breaking in upon her description of
the house.
"No children" replied the lady. ig-
noring the woman's inference that the
two were married.
mo children! Oh. dear! Somehow
1t doesn't seem to me that people are
married till the little tots come. With
out them parents are liable to run to
cats and dogs, a poor makeshift for
children. Dear little soulsl How nice
IT is to see chem romp and playI They
have their own tiny joys and sorrows,
in which their parents take as much
interest as themselves. l like the girls
best, of course, but little boys are nice.
too, especially when they're fine, man.
ly little fellows. But in every family
there should be both boys and girls"
While the woman was running on,
unconscious that the picture she was
drawing was the untitled desire Of the
two people she was talking to, that
they were not married and both had
for years wished to be married, espe-
cially for the home she had suggested
by her remarks upon children, Jenkins
was looking at the ceiling, out Of the
window. any place except where he
might be expected to look. Suddenly
he turned his eyes upon the lady be-
side him and saw bushes coming and
going Ike an aurora borealis, with
smiles on the lips like sunlight on rip
Piles of water Then their eyes met.
The usual happening from such a
meeting of eyes under such circum-
stances might be embarrassment or 1t
might be half embarrassment and half
amusement, or 1t might be anger. The
look between these two was neither of
these. There was more in that glance
than has been written in many a vol
ume, and no volume could express as
much. The mans eyes said, Let us
fulfill the picture" The woman's said,
81 WILL"
Marriage, or rather mating, is a
natural instinct The reason neither OF
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