The Mount Holly news. [volume] (Mount Holly, Burlington Co., N.J.) 1891-1942, 1912-05-14
A Second
Courtship
There We're Some Differences Be-
tween 1t and the First.
By HENRY WILLIAMSON

they filed the time with making love.
But long as the days were they were
not long enough for their lovemaking.
At least the hours between their wax
Ing and going to sleep seemed made
quate to the purpose.
The most fervent lovemaking is usu-
ally between those who have no right
to love or cannot afford to love. These
two belonged to the latter class. He
was not yet of age, would have no
fortune when he came Of age and thus
far had made no move to secure even
a competence.
But Rogers was full Of pluck and
enthusiasm and felt that for her he
could make several fortunes. He re-
ceived an offer of a position on the
Pacific coast and accepted it. She was
to wait for him.
"Goodby," said Rogers. Remember
your promise. You are to wait for me
till am ready to come back for you"
81 will wait for you, but as to your
coming back for me that is very I'M
certain. You are going clear across
the continent. You say yourself that
you do not deem it safe to marry be-
fore you have an assured income be-
sides something laid up. l agree with
you. For us who have nothing to mar
~ on and attempt to bring up a family
would be an injustice to that family.
Better not to be born at all than to
~ 70
fight the battle Of life"
you are thoughtful girl"
"Goodby."
Rogers went to California. He was
twenty years old. and the girl he ex-
pected to wait for him was the same
age. He had good pluck, was honor
able and would scorn to accept any
thing he was not entitled to from any
one. But he was young, and the young
do not usually see justice as it is.
At his departure he expected Della
Jenkins to wait for him to gain COM
petence that was not likely to come
to him until she had outgrown the age
during which it is best for women to
marry.
This she did not propose to do, but
she did not tell him so. She was one
to act on the principle Never cross
bridge till you get to it," In a year
after his departure he saw the injus-
tice Of holding her and released her,
though at the same time he declared
that if ever he gained what he had
gone for he would return to renew his
proposal.
Miss Jenkins at the time she receiv-
ed her release had another offer.
which she at once accepted. In time
she wrote her first love of the change
In her anticipation for the future. He
wrote back that he would never marry
unless she should become a widow
and would accept him for her second
husband.
Now all this was very sensible and
very creditable to both sides. Rogers.
though it nearly broke his heart to
know that his love passed to another.
treated her with every consideration.
even to sending a wedding present
She wrote him that, while she was
well satisfied with the man she was to
marry, If she should become widow
and Rogers wanted her she would
give him first preference.
Della Jenkins became Mrs. Thatcher
Twenty years passed and she became
widow. Rogers had by this time ac
cumulated a competence and was
abundantly able to marry. He had
never visited the east since his de
parture for San Francisco and had
never seen his former love. Never
theless at the expiration Of the first
year of her widowhood he wrote her
renewing the proposition of his youth
She replied that she had been much
touched by his eonstancy and that Il
he came east she would do everything
In her power to contribute to his hap
piness.
Rogers lost no time in making the
journey. On the day of his arrival he
sent a note to Mrs. Thatcher asking
when 1t would be convenient for he
to receive him. A reply came asking
him to call that evening He did So
and, being ushered into the drawing
room. which was dimly lighted. saw 6
woman advancing to meet him.
Now Rogers had exercised his i'm
agination so far as possible as to the
probable appearance of his old love.
after a lapse of two decades. But /"
spite of himself he saw Only the i'm
age he remembered and which was
the photograph he had taken away
with him. Had he seen a woman who
had changed as was to have been eX
pected he would have been astonished
As it was, he met with pleasant sur
prise. The lady seemed scarcely to
have changed at all. The singular part
of it all was that he was not con-
scious of having changed himself. 1t
did not occur to him that should his
former love meet him without having
been told who he was she would not
recognize him.
'Dear me-" he exclaimed, you hav'
scarcely changed at air.
"Nor you she said considerably.
"And yet" he went on, holding her
hand in his and looking at her fxedly.
fyou are changed. There is something
Il couldn't tell what it is-that is diff
ferent from the girl left years ago."
"Have l lost anything of my-my
good looks?"
ION the contrary, l think you have
gained in comeliness. AS to youth, YOU
don't seem to have added half dozer
years to what you were when left
you You don't look over thirty"
At this the lady cast down her eyes
and repressed an expression of dissat
isfaction.
OF course a meeting between two
lovers one of whom had been married
and widowed was not the same as 4
would have been had they lived in the
meanwhile for each other. Rogers
saw at once that he could not begir
where he had left Off There must b.
new courtship-not that he needed
one himself: he was ready to take hi
love right into his arms, as he ha(
done the day he left her, but he haC
the good sense to realize that 1t hat
been far different with the widow
Not only had she lived a long whil'
with her husband and must get use'
to new conditions, but it is woman
nature to desire a courtship before I
marriage.
Indeed, the meeting had all the nov
city of new affair Whenever Rog
ers would go back to their past in
timacy the widow would say: "Yol
must remember that in my marriag
my engagement with you was oblit
Grated. Since then it has had no ex
istence for me, though 1t may hav
been continued for you. This is no