The News-Herald. [volume] (Hillsboro, Highland Co., Ohio) 1886-1973, 1913-07-31
- THE
Melting
Of Molly
By
MARIA THOMPSON
DAVIESS
Axg
copyrieht, 1912, by the Bobbs-
Merrill Company

the garden q minute to pull the dirt
closer around some of the bachelors
buttons that had popped" the ground
some weeks ago. Thinking about them
made me regain my spirits, and ! went
on in the house to be scolded for what
ever Aunt Adeline had thought up
while l was gone to do it to me about
Judy told me with her broadest grin
that she had gone down to her sister
in-laws for supper. and sat down OH
the steps with sigh of relief.
Some days are like tin cocoanut graf
ers that everybody uses to CRATE you
against and this was one for me. Fol
an hour lat and grated my ownself
against Altred's letter that had come in
the morning. realized that would
Just have to come to some sort of de-
cision about what | was going to do,
for he wrote that he was to sail in
day or two, and ships do travel so cast
these days.
love him and always have. of that
am sure. He offers me the most won
derful life in the world. and no woman
could help being proud to accept it.
am lonely. more lonely than | was even
go on living this way any longer. Ruth
Chester has made me see that if want
Alfred it will be now or never and
quick. l now know that she loves him,
and she ought to have her show If
don't want him. The way she idolizes
and idealizes him is a marvel of wom-
anly stupidity.
Some women like to collect mems
hearts and hide them away from other
women on cold storage. and the help
less things can't help themselves.
have contempt for that sort of
butcher. and love Ruth!
It's my duty to look the matter in
the face before | look in Alfred's-and
decide. If not Alfred. what then?
First no husband That's out of the
question! I'm not strong minded
enough to crank my own motorcar and
study woman suffrage. prefer to
suffer at the hands of some cruel man
and trust to beguiling him into doing
just as | say. | like men. can't help
it, and want one for my own. don't
count poor Mr.. Carter.
Second, if not Alfred, who? Judge
Wade is so delightful that | hutter at
the thought. but his mother is Aunt
Adeline's own best friend. and they
have ideas in common. She is so re-
iigious that living with her would be
like having the sacrament for daily
Ii,,in inh
have adventures. never saw such
eyes! The girl he wanted to marry
died of tuberculosis, and he wears
locket with her in it yet I'd like to
reward him for such faithfulness with
a nice husky wife to wear instead of
the locket But, then, Alfred's been
faithful too. look at Ruth Chester
and realize how faithful. and my heart
melts to him in my breast. My hips
have almost all melted away. too. so
had better keep the heart cold enough
TO handle If want anything left at all
for him to come home to.
: In some ways Tom Pollard is the
most congenial man | ever knew. You
have to say don't" to him all the
time but what woman doesn't like a
little impertinence once in awhile?
flavor all Toms daredevil kisses with
kinship when | feed them to my con-
science. and ! truly try to make him be
serious about the important things in
life, like going to church with his
mother and working all day even If he
is rich. wish he wasn't so near kin
to me! Now, there. | feel in Ruth
Chester's way again! One of the things
that keeps the devil so busy is taking
helpless widows to the heights of
knowledge and showing them king
doms of men that girls never dream
even exist. If all women could have
been born with widow eyes things
would run much more smoothly along
the marriage and giving in marriage
line And the poor men are, most of
them, as ignorant as girls about what
to do.
l suppose really would be doing a
righteous thing to marry Mr.. Graves.
and | would adore all those children
TO start with. but know Billy would
not get on with them at all can't
even consider it on his account, but I'll
let the nice old chap come on for a
few times more to see me. for be really
is interesting and we have suffered
things in common. Mrs Graves lacked
the kind of temperament poor Mr..
Carter did. I'd like to make 1t all up
TO him, but if Billy wouldn't be happy
that settles it. and don't know how
good his boys are. couldn't have
Billy corrupted.
And so. as there is nobody else ex-
actly suitable in town, it all SINNERS
down to one or the other Of these or
Alfred. In my heart ] knew that
couldn't hesitate a minute. and in the
flash OF second l decided OF course
l love Alfred and III take him gladly
and be the wife he has waited for all
these six lonely years. TIL make ev-
erything up to him II ! have to diet
TO keep thin for him the rest of my
life | ifkalv will ha vQ that Varv thing