The Mount Holly news. [volume] (Mount Holly, Burlington Co., N.J.) 1891-1942, 1913-09-16

how he would acquire a fortune in
Nevada. Oklahoma or Oregon-he was
not sure which And on the follow
ing day he was to start for st. Louis,
which was as far as his money would
carry him. They had met on the
beach-an ordinary, commonplace
beach near the city, thronged by
pleasure-seekers in summer but dis
tressingly cold and barren in this
winter season. 1t was to be their
last meeting for years-perhaps for
ever.
Il shall always be true to you,
Frank" Maisie whispered again, and
chung to him; and they kissed each
other as passionately as lovers do
who are to be sundered for an meal
culable age. They sat down side by
side and Maisie traced his initials in
the sand with the point of her UNI
brella.
How child-like he was! she medi-
tated. She stole glance at the long,
curly hair that trimmed his head un-
der his soft hat Poor Frank! Dear
ly as she loved him, Maisie knew that
he would never amount to anything.
But she loved him all the more for his
helplessness. She felt her eyes
flooding with tears again at the
thought Of the future, Frank was
whistling a melody.
FR-A-N- she had written, and
then the ferrule encountered soft
and yielding substance that OBJ
liberated the fourth letter as her UNI
brella point dragged 1t forth from its
hiding place. She looked curiously
upon the shapeless substance It
was waxy, something like beeswax,
and as she looked at 1t in disin-
terested way it was suddenly borne
in upon her that this strange, amor
phous substance, probably some sea
growth, was exactly like their own
natures, plastic. ready to be beaten
and nodded, to take any imprint that
was made in it. She flung it into the
air and turned to her sweetheart.
Frank, dear, If you are to get that
train home we had better be start
ing" she said.
He agreed. and they chung together
in one last embrace, to be the last
for goodness knew how long. Then
they turned their steps sadly toward
the station. They were upon lonely
part of the sands, but half a mile
away the board walk terminated, and
- big hotels that fringed it were
ncS wholly devoid of guests. Little
figures { { men and women dotted the
promenade Maisie shuddered as they
two assembled the slope of the walk
and began that desolate walk
through the dreary sea-front. It was
like coming back from fairyland to
the world of humanity again-that
world which had despised and re-
Jected them and had no place for
them.
Frank turned and gripped Maisie's
arm fercely.
Dear, I'm going to make good" he
said. 1T must be that am of some
use in the world 1t cannot be that
you and / are destined never to be
anything more to one another and
just because Of the lack of a few
miserable dollars. If l can earn two
thousand dollars we will have our
farm; then | shall be able to write
something worth while. l know we
shall succeed"
Poor Frank Maisie looked at him
wistfully. Neither of them had ever
owned fifty dollars at a time. And
Frank was close On thirty. That two
thousand dollars would have to drop
from the skies; nothing seemed less
possible. She watched Franks SLOUGH
ing figure with heartache. How
shabby he wasl The resolution had
already dwindled away. He was only
a poor clerk; he would never be any
thing more.
They were walking among the strag-
Cling visitors to the little place. A
nurse-girl wheeled two fat infants in
a baby-carriage. A notwithstanding
little man with waved mustaches was
approaching them. Probably he was
earning ten times as much as Frank,
thought Meisie. with a fierce hatred