The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1913-07-01
TFtE MELT ING or. MOLLY
By MARIA THOMPSON DAVIESS
copyrieht, 1912. by the Bobbs-Merrin
 Company

Mrs. Johnson,'' said after min utes silence, while I had decided whether or not had better tell her l all about it Qf a woman's in love with her husband you can't trust her l to keep a secret, but decided to try ! Mrs. JohnsoD, +sI really am not, en- 1 gagged exactly to Alfred Bennett, though suppose he thinks so by now | if he has got the answer to that tele- gram. But-but something has made me-made me think about Judge Wade | that is, he-what do you think of him, Mrs. .Johnson?' I concluded in the most pitifully perplexed tone of | voice
 'All alike, Molly; all as much alike | as peas in a pod; all except John Moo&e, who's the only exception in all | the male tribe ever met! His marry 1 ing once was just accidental and must 1 be forgiven him. She fell in love with him while he was treating her for ty- 1 phoid, when his back was turned, as it were, and 1t was Gods own kindness | in him that made him marry her when l he found out how it was with the poor ! lining. There's not a woman in this town who could marry, that wouldn't marry him at the drop of his hat; but, l thank goodness, that hat will never drop and I'Il have one sensible man to comfort and doctor me down into my old age. Now, just look at that! MT. Johnson's come home here in the mid l 1 dle- of the morning and I'll have to get | that old paper I hunted out of his desk for him last night. wonder how he | came to forget it!'' It's funny how Mrs. Johnson always knows what MT. Johnson wants before he knows him. self and gets it before he asks for 1t! As. she went out the gate the post man came in, and at the sight of an- l other letter my heart again slunk off 1 into my slippers and my brain seemed about to back up in corner and re- i fuse to work. In flash it came to me l that men oughtn't to write letters to women very much-they really don't 1 blow deep enough; they just irritate l the top soil. took this missive from i Alfred, counted all the fifteen pages | put it out of sight under book, looked 1 out the window and saw the ginger barber coming dejectedly around to 1 the side gate from the kitchen-I knew the scene he had had with Judy about the bottle, encounters of the night be 1 fore-saw Mr. Johnson shooed off down the street by MFs. Johnson; saw the doctors car go chucking hurriedly in the garage, and then my spirit turn
 
 comforted. I tried my best, but failed i to respond to my own remonstrances l with myself, and tears were slowly 1 gathering in a cloud of gloom when blue gingham, rompers clad sunbeam 1 burst into the room.
 "Git your nightgown and your tooth bresh quick, Molly, if you want to 1 pack lem in my trunk!'' he exclaimed, | with his eyes dancing and a curl stand ing straight up on the top of his head, as it has a habit of doing when he is most excited 'fYou can't take nothing but them cause Pm going to put in a rope to tie the whale with when I ketch him, and it'll take up all the rest l of the room. Get 'em Quickr'
 'sYes, lover, I'll get them for you. | But tell Molly where it is you are going to sail off with her in that trunk of yours p I asked, dropping into the game as I have always done with him, no matter what game of my own pressed | when he called.
 "On the ocean where the boats go cross and run right over a whale | Don't you remember you showed me them pictures of spout whales in a book, Molly? Doc says they comes right up by the ship and you can hear | lem shoot water. And maybe a iceberg, l too Which do you want to ketch most, Molly, a iceberg or a whaIe?" His eager eyes demanded instant de cision on my part of the nature of cap- ture preferred. My mind quickly re- verted to those two ponderous and in tense episties I had got within the hour, and I lay back in my chair and laughed until I felt almost merry.
 ''The iceberg, Billy, every t1me,'' said at last 'I just can't manage i whales, especially if they are ardent, | which word means hot I like ice bergs or I think I should if could catch one."
 'T don't believe you could, Molly, but maybe Doc will let you put a rope | and a long hook in his trunk to try with if your clothes go into mine. His is a heap the biggest anyway and Nurse lilly said he oughter put my things in his, but I cried and then he went upstairs and got out that little one for me. Come see emp
 ''What do you mean, Billy?'' asked, while a sudden fear shot all over me l like lightning You're just playing go away, aren't you?"
 "No, ain't playing, Mol1y!'' he ex- | claimed excitedly "Me and you and doc is a-going across the ocean for long. long time away from here. Doc asst me about it this morning, and I | told him all right and you could come 1 with us if you was good He said couldn't I go without you if you was busy and couldn't come and I told him you would put things down and come if I said so. Won't you, Molly? It won't be no fun without you and you'd cry all by yourself with me gone.'' His
 little face. was all drawn up with anxi- ety and sympathy at my lonely estate l with him out of it, and a cry rose up from my heart with a kind of primi- tive savagery at what felt was com l ing down upon me
 Without waiting to take him with