The Mount Holly news. [volume] (Mount Holly, Burlington Co., N.J.) 1891-1942, 1912-08-27

jeweled green eyes at him and disap
peared among the blackberry briers
that hedged the stone wall. Before he
could recover his balance Lewis felt
the soft earth crumble under his feet
and he was precipitated through a
small opening among the briers, and
thence he plunged straight through
narrow sagging door in the wall, only
to fall crashing down into a thorny
tangle below.
The noise of his fall brought instant
confusion Ia the little house That be-
longed to the garden. He heard femi-
nine voices raised in wonder and
alarm and then the opening of doors.
In the meanwhile he sat as he had
fallen on flight Of broken stone steps
that led up to the door in his garden
wall. On either side of him were thick
hedges Of roses. and long thorny
branches hid caught his thin clothing
and held HIM prisoner An especially
vicious sprag aal scraDeG across his
eyelids, and he could feel a little trickle
Of blood down his cheek.
The white kitten frisked on a grass
patch at his feet, catching luckless
crickets. quite Indifferent to the suf-
fering she had led him into Such Is
the way of cats.
"What are you doing here?" asked
a sweet. brave voice in front of him.
Lewis started and opened his eyes
Somehow the pain had made him dir
", ana there was something wrong
with his shoulder. He saw before
him a diminutive figure clad in white
gown, with a small, daintily poised
head crowned with hair that looked
black in the moonshine Somehow her
voice told him that she was beautiful.
"What are you doing here?" she re-
peated, with a note of determination
In her voice.
my name is Becton. l belong to the
Latham place, or, should say, it be-
longs to me now l was walking
around the garden when l spied this
kitten. She lured me to the gate in the
wall, and l was awkward enough to
stumble and fall through. l hope I
have not harmed your roses" He
tried to rise from his posture on the
stone steps, but the thorns detained
| him, and he fell back again, only to
wrench his shoulder once more and
| become unconscious.
When he opened his stiffened eyelids
| again he was within low ceiling
bedroom, with quaint old mahogany
| furniture and slant walls papered with
trellises of roses.
81 hope they are the thornless kind .
he smiled as he looked into the con-
cerned face of gray haired doctor.
"That remains to be seen," laughed
the physician cheerily, stepping aside
| to allow Lewis to see that they were
| not alone. On the high bureau there
( flickered a pair of wax candles in tall
| glass sticks, and leaning against the
: footboard of the bed was the girl of
| the garden, and beside her was slen-
der, graceful, middle aged woman, who
(! came forward as the doctor spoke.
1--WE are SO glad that your accident
is slight. Mr.. Becton." she said gently.
| THAT gate in the wall should have
been closed long ago. Only matter OF
sentiment has prompted us to allow
| it to remain as it was twenty-five years
ago when my mother used to run back
and forth to visit her close friend, Miss
Lucinda Latham. We will have II
walled up at once"
| mo. no, please; not on my account "
pleaded Lewis so sincerely that they
smiled Il like neighbors, and, al
though my first call is an unceremo
NOUS one and must have caused you
lots Of trouble, promise to be more
conventional in the future"
1t was week before Mrs. Graham
could permit Lewis to be removed to
| the hotel, for after his dislocated shOul
der had been set a fever developed
that made him very i'll for several
days. During that time he grew yer
fond of the gentle elderly lady wi
| fitted in and out Of his sick chamber
and who waited on him with tireless
devotion. OF Rose Graham he saw lit
| tie, but he often heard her sweet voice
At last he was able to go to the hotel
and as he took leave Of the two who
had been so kind to him he held Mrs
Graham's hand, but he looked at Rose
"And may l come again?" he smiled
down at them.
A mischievous light came into Roses
brown eyes as she quoted:
There was a man of our town. and he
was wondrous wise
| He jumped into a bramble bush and
scratched out both his eyes.
When he found his eyes were out with
all his might and main,
He jumped into another bush ano
scratched them in again!"
81 shall take that as an invitafin tc