The Mount Holly news. [volume] (Mount Holly, Burlington Co., N.J.) 1891-1942, 1912-03-19

DICK LEWIS FOUND TIE WIDOW SCHMIDT.
a house Of my own. That Hilltop ranch
property would be mighty fine site
for house."
Dick Lewis was a handsome man
even when he frowned, as he was doing
now over the dry details Of the want
columns, in which he had not the
slightest interest. His hair was black,
thickly sprinkled with gray that made
him look older than his thirty-five
years. His yes were large and gray,
with keen, compelling glance that at
tracted interest in any one who met
him casually.
"Well-I'll be-p whistled Dick as
his rowing eye lit on an advertisement
in the personal column of the paper:
A poor widow with four children about
to be placed in an orphan asylum begs
the assistance of some benevolent person
in preventing the breaking up of her little
family. Address Mrs. s., box EFF.
He himself had once been the in
mate of such an institution, and he
had always remembered the homesick
feeling that had attended his residence
there.
1t was characteristic of him that he
drew paper and pen toward him and
indited short note to Mrs. s. Of the
advertisement:
Dear Madam-If you will send your ad-
dress to me, care of this hotel. l will be
glad to call upon you concerning the mat
ter mentioned in your advertisement Of
this date. Yours truly,
RICHARD LEWIS
When he addressed the envelope
Dick did not notice that his glance had
skipped a few lines and that the ad-
dress he penned was the one append
ed to the one following that Of the poor
widow.
By noon the following day he receiv-
ed a businesslike little note:
Dear Sir-Please call at room s44. Luck
lily building concerning advertisement
F. SELDEN
ST Selden must be the widow, Z"
unused Dick, as he ate his luncheon in
the splendid hotel restaurant "Won.
der what she's doing in an Office build
ing-why, of course she's a scrub wo-
man and some kind hearted fellow has
allowed her to have her mail address
ed there. I'll go down by and by and
see her-makes me cold all over to
think of those four youngsters beSGg
torn away from their mothers srms.''
Room 844, Luckily building, proved
81 y bro In q
end of long, dark corridor. Dick
Lewis knocked gently and then turned
the knob and entered the Office.
1t was a small office and contained
one window looking down on a dim
side street far below. There was little
office furniture, and what there was
appeared to have been recently re-
claimed from some secondhand store,
for it was all pretty well battered and
SCARED. However, everything was neat
and clean and carefully arranged to
the best of its poor advantage. There
was roll top desk and long table
and a couple of chairs. Beside the win
dow was typewriter on stand, and
seated at the machine was a young
woman gowned in black. She arose
and came toward Dick as he closed the
door.
Dick Lewis was tongue tied. He had
seen many women in his life, but never
one Just like this. She was tau and
slender, with a sweet, oval face lighted
by soft brown eyes. Her golden brown
hair was braided into coronet above
her white forehead. TIE dark eye
brows went up ever SO slightly as she
waited for her visitor to speak.
Suddenly it dawned upon Dick that
this could not be the poor widow OF
whom he was In search. This young
girl could not be the mother Of four
children, although her gravity and the
mourning gown she wore lent her an
air Of maturity.
you came In answer to my adver'
tisement2" she questioned at last.
Yes" stammered Dick, wtping the
perspiration from his brow.
Then you must be Mr.. Lewis, for