Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1913-04-18
THE MEL TING OF MOLLY
By MARIA THOMPSON DAVIES
Copyright. Company

awhere's Manner" I thought to ask
with the greatest apprehension.
"In the garden eating cup-eake
Judy baked hot for both of US. Sne
didn't frow up as much as / did-or
mavbe more" He answered, snug
Cling close and much comforted
"Don't ever, ever do that again.
Billy" I said, giving him both a hug
and a shake. Its piggy to eat more
than you can hold and then still want
more What would your father say"
DOC amt no good and | don't
care what he says" answered Billy
with spirit. HE don't play no more
and he don't laugh no more and ne
don't eat no more hardly. too.
ain't a-going to live in that house
with him more'n two days longer.
want to come over and sleep lin your
bed with blue ribbons on the posts
and have you to play with me, Mol
~"
Don't say that lover, ever again."
| said as l bent over him. Your
father is the best man in the world
and you must never, never leave
him."
! 4
to kill bear" answered Billy de-
cidedly Say, do you reckon Mamie
saved even a little piece of that
cake? l 'spect / had better go see,"
and he slipped out of my arms and
was gone before l could hold him.
1t is a lonely house across the
garden with the big and the tiny
man in it all by themselves! And
tears, from another corner of my
heart entirely, rose to my eyes at the
thought, but they, too, never fell, for
l heard Mrs Johnson calling and
had to run down quick and see what
new delicacy had arrived for my
party
Uncle Thomas Pollard had sent me
a quart bottle of his private stock
with the message to put the mint to
soak just one hour and twenty min
ntes before the men came. l made
room for it beside the case of cham
payne on the cellar shelf and Won
dered how they would stand 1t all.
We don't have champagne often in
Hillsboro, and when we do nobody
seems to want to cut down on the
juleps, consequently-wel, nothing
ever really happensl However, it
must have been the champagne that
made Tom act as he did. lie was
never like thatibefore.
Somehow | didn't enjoy dressing
tonight for my dinner as | did for
the dance, and when l was through
| | stood before the mirror and looked
at myself a long time. was very
tall and slim and-well, l suppose I
might say regal in that amethyst
crepe with the soft rose-point, but
| looked to myself about the eyes as
had been doing for years when /
put on my Sunday clothes to go to
church with Mr.. Carter. He was all
ways in a hurry and | didn't care
about looking at myself in the mir
ror anyway; nobody else ever looked
at me and what was the use? and
| tonight that Rene triumph made me
| feel no different from one of Miss
Hettie Primm's conceptions that
had been wearing for ages with in
difference and total lack of style.
shrugged my shoulder almost out of
the dress with what | thought was
| sadness, though 1t felt a trifle like
temper, too and went on down into
/ the garden to see If any of my flow
/ ers had a cheer-up message for me,
But it was a bored garden | stepped
into just as the last purple flush or
| day was being drunk down by the
night The tall white lilies laid their
heads over on my breast and went
to sleep before I had said a word to
them, and the nasturtiums snarled
around my feet until they got my
slippers stained with green. Only
| Billy's bachelor s-button stood up
stiff and sturdy, slightly flushed with
imbibing the night dew, and tipped
me an impairment wink. I felt
cheered at the sight of them and
bent down to gather bunch of them
to wear, even If they did swear at
my amethyst draperies, when an
amused smile that was done out loud
came from the path just behind me.
Don't gather them all tonight,
Mrs. Peaches said Doctor John
| teasingly, as he stopped beside me.
Leave few for-for the others"
] walked up In ha1f-second, and so
did all those prying flowers, [ felt
sure.
II was just gathering them for
place bouquets for--for the girls" I
said stupidity as I moved over a lit
tie nearer to him. Why it is that
the minute that man comes near me
get warm and comfortable and
stupid, and as young as Billy and
bubbly and sad and happy and cross
is more than | can say, but / do. I
never possibly know how to answer
any remark that lie may happen to
make unless 1t is something that
makes me lose my temper. His next
remark was the usual spark