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

NhA1A1 h'Eh1 ShOT 1OOA EFf6CI.
the fight for life and Ben will say
something ridiculous, followed by a
peal of laughter from Elsie, the two
together electrifying the sick one and
bringing about q reaction"
rs there any relationship between
these two merry onesf'
Lovers. You wouldn't think it,
would your Opposites usually amalga-
mate. A morose man often chooses a
cheerful woman, and vice versa. With
these two it's just the reverse. Ben
says that all he was brought into the
world for was to make Elsie laugh,
while Elsie says that her part in life is
to bring out Ben's jokes, declaring that
If 1t wasn't for her they would be lost
upon an unappreciative world"
Later met both Of these young peo-
pie. and they seemed to me to be pro-
creators of optimism. They were evil
IDENTIFY made for each other, Paul and
Virginia, SO wrapped in each other as
to be uninterested in others. And yet
doubt If either realized how abso-
lutely they were united. l never heard
that there was any engagement be-
TWEEN them, and sometimes / wondered
IL this love had ever been spoken, even
realized, for / can understand how
love may be SO pure as to be. like gen.
ius, unconscious.
what would become o. this town."
asked crusty old fellow, eff them
two should be eliminated?"
lived In the place couple Of years,
during which 1t had hard struggle
for existence. Every one was tempted
to give up trying to make town of it,
but whenever a person signifed an in
tention to move on Ben Harbeson
would crack joke and Elsie jerks
would burst into laugh, and the dis
couraged one would brace up and con-
clude to persevere awhile longer. In
deed. it was said that Ben and Elsie
were literally the life Of the town. But
for them the town would die
Arizona at that time was suffering
from roughs. Billy the Kid flourished,
and there were more, If not equal to
him in hardihood. at least OF his kind.
Some one suggested that If Ben Har-
beson were made sheriff he would find
a way of getting on the soft side of
the villains and stopping the nuisance
When the matter was proposed to Ben
ne sa1u ne could do nothing without
Elsie. He might say lot Of things
calculated to placate the rascals, but If
Elsie were not present to help with
her laugh they would all fall fat.
However, he was persuaded to accept
the position, since Elsie thought there
might be cases wherein they could
work together
The first person Ben brought in was
Jack Hennessy, desperate whom the
sheriff caught so stupefed with liquor
| that he was incapable Of making any
resistance Ben put him In jail to
sleep off his drunk, and when he got
sober Ben and Elsie went to see him.
If Hennessy had not been behind bars
he would have torn them to pieces.
Jack made fun of him, and Elsie
laughed. 1t was not long before the
prisoner caught the infection and
laughed, too, and within half an hour
was holding his sides with merriment.
whats that?' asked one passing
the jail.
.'Oh, that's Ben Harbeson and Elsie
jerks. They've got that bloodthirsty
Hennessy to laughing. and he can't
stop"
Having thus opened the better side
of the villains nature with the wedge
of laughter, Ben and Elsie were kind
to him, with the result that on their
securing a release and their fellow
townsmen's promise that Hennessy
should not be prosecuted for his
crimes he left the jail and became an
estimable citizen. There were many
other conversions by the lovers, and
every man converted stuck to an hon
est life. Since Ben and Elsie In this
way captured the principal devils In
that region the citizens OF the town.
being free from having their places
] Of business raided. found themselves