The Mount Holly news. [volume] (Mount Holly, Burlington Co., N.J.) 1891-1942, 1913-08-26
BRAVERY NOT ALIKE
Girl Puts Lovers to Test; One
Afraid of Fire, Other
of Water.
BY cLAuDINE slssoN.
"oh. I had forgotten to tell YOU"

"Gracious!"
And every young man in the coun-
Try over eighteen will have to co."
That's awful"
4 was figuring this afternoon on the
effect 1t would have on you"
"On me? Why, father. girls don't go
TO warl"
But their beaux do"
"Oh, you were only teasingl"
laughed Maude as her color height
eued.
Il figured that you would lose your
seventeen young men and have to sub
stitute bachelors and widowers."
only sixteen. papa!"
We'll. I'm expecting three or four
Of them here tonight to ask my con-
sent. If you don't want to get mixed
up in the row you'd better be going"
Stop joking and ask me where l
want to go this summer"
"WelI?"
ITO the seashore. They are going
to open new hotel at Rosamond
Beach
Il knew that a fortnight ago, and
our arrangements are all made"
you dear, good mani"
Our board will cost US nothing. 1
get 81 per week apiece for the young
men who will follow you up there.
Twice 16 is 80 and there you are"
Miss Maude Allison didn't have 16
beaux. She didn't have half that num-
Der. There were only five who called,
and three of them made their calls as
formal as If visiting an orphan asylum.
The race lay between Walter Davis
and Hugh Lee. That Is, they imagined
1t did. Just what Miss Maude imagined
was different thing. Neither young
man could complain that she showed
the other any preference. The father
might have had one. but he was not
mixing in.
There are plenty of men, young and
old. who have been In doubt for time
as to which of two girls or widows
to make their wife. The agricultural
department at Washington has Stats
tics showing that men have courted no
less than four women at one and the
same time. and ended by not marrying
any one Of them. Therefore, 1t would
not be fair to charge Miss Maude with
being firtatious.
Sixteen young men did not appear
at Rosamond Beach the next day after
the Allisons were installed Fourteen
could not get away but two could and
did. OF course. they were Walter Da-
Wis and Hugh Lee. OF course, they
were greatly surprised to meet each
other at the depot OF course. they
did not refer to the Allisons. OF course
each one was going up for a day or
two to see what the new hotel looked
like. Their respective starts of sur
prise at seeing Miss Maude on the
veranda would have insured them sal
aries of SIC per In the old days Of the
dime museums.
Miss Maude also gave a start of sur
prise. She explained that she had no
more thought of seeing them up there
than she had of meeting the man In
the moon. How on earth did they know
where to come? She was glad to see
them. of course, very, very glad, (their
hearts bounded) but why hadn't they
thought to bring Billy Sims and Kyle
Harris? (Their hearts shrank like cab
bage leaves in an August day.
Maude's father caught her words and
smiled. She wasn't giving her hand
away very much.
One afternoon after three or four
days had passed, the talk among six
or eight people on the veranda in a
group turned on bravery. OF course it
was mans bravery No one expects a
woman to dash in front of a raging
lion to save crippled child or a de-
crepit old man. Every one but Miss
Maude had had his say, and when she
was asked for her opinion she replied !:
Il may never marry at all, but If |
should, and my husband proved to be
a coward, should hate him and leave
/ him!"
That wa plum from the shoulder,
and Messrs Davis and Lee sat up and
took notice
Each longed for something to happen
that he might shoY his bravery. Would
a tidal wave sweep in? Would a cy-
clone take the roof off the hotel
Would mad dog appear on the beach
and present his throat that he might
be ehoked to death?
Queerly enough. the opportunity was
on the way and close at hand. A
lighted cigarette thrown down a hall
started blaze, and there was imme-
date confusion. A score of men
dashed in with pals Of water, and aft
er lively fight they got the better of
the flames and saved the hotel.
Young Walter Davis was one of the
foremost, and had budding mustache
singed beyond repair. but where was
young Hugh Lee? Miss Maude knew,
and happened to be the only one that
did. At the first alarm he had turned
as white az -four, and while the others
crowded forward he had skulked be-
hind When the excitement was over
he had no experience to relate. He was
keeping very quiet when he caught a
look from the girl that told him he
was betrayed. 1t was a cold, con.
temptuous look that chilled him to the
marrow. Thereafter she spoke to him
before people only when necessary.
and there were no more walks.
What's wrong with Lee?" asked the
banker after couple Of days.
Got a soft corn. maybe" was the
laughing answer.
Don't be too hard on him. think
him rather nice boy"
So did / until-until the fire the
other day"
What of the fret"
HE ran away from it,"
''Whewl thought he was with US. =
HE was not He skulked away al
the first shout and hid behind the
women! Father. he's coward and
has lost my respect"
I'm! uni l want to think this
over. You say he skulked away, and
; yet he was in no danger. Rather
funny"
Miss Maude wanted to be alone and
still not be shut up in her room. There
fore she watched for chance to reach
the beach unobserved. Half mile OF
the sands was a big rock. At low tide
It stood up like house; at high tide
the salty water swept its crest. The
| fishermen had been predicting a gale
: and there were signs that It was near
There was a boat drawn up on ths
beach. and what did the girl who want
ed to be alone do but launch 1t and
: help notice the swell and that the
tide was coming in. but she was fair a
, the oars and strong in the arms anc