Five Mile Beach weekly journal., 1913-12-26
THE NOOINC OF HALLE
b. Robert RANDOLPH

Il say DICK, aren't we to stop here :?
| thought our itinerary included all the
houses on this street, The speaker, a
tall athletic man, dressed In the cos
tune his ancestors might have worn
hundreds of years ago, paused before
the gate of a ~vine.covered cottage stand
ing a little back from the street.
His companions laughed merrily.
mix! None of US ever call on Halle
Stanton. She'd think us crazy If we did
and we would ourselves"
"Why not? You know her, don't you?
Why, Dick, you told me yourself who
she was the other day when I asked
who that pale, ladylike girl was you
spoke to-
"Of course, we know her. She's
lived here since she was a baby, but
somehow she doesn't hit,u Wheaton
n answered after q pause. tits not be-
cause Miss Halle is not nice, maybe 1t
is because she Is SO nice, too nice for u.s."
He paused again, then continued ,"You
know what l mean, Howe, 1 don'tsup-
pose every girl makes a hit in Eng
land.n
Lord Howe nodded. mo, they don't.
but / thought every American girl
made a hit as you call it. They al
ways do with u.s."
"Of course, gold will make any per-
con, be she young or old, pretty or
plain, popular"
Richard Howe was puzzled. Gould
1t be that Halle Stanton was not pop
ular, because, perhaps, she was not as
wealthy as her more fortunate sisters?
~ thought you didn't lay any stress
on wealth or position here in America"
he began, then stopped in confusion.
How did he know Miss Stanton wal
not wealthy?
An ominous pause followed his words,
a pause that had almost grown awk-
ward, when the door of the nearest
house opened suddenly, and a conti-
mental soldier ran down the steps.
s'These things just came, mistake in
number or something, but it's alright
now. l suppose you are bound to the
hall. Gladys expects every man 10 do
his duty.n
"You reckon we are?n 1t was Whea-
ton that answered "Where's Nan?"
leone hours ago; she's to help re-
ceive with Gladys. l suppose Lily and
Ida are there, too?"
"Surel We're bound to the same
place. so come along.n
The young Continental laughed as
he joined the Enthusiastically CARRIED group.
"We're odd enough to fit into Alice
Ia Wonderland he said. 81 never
knew as many famous men from diff
ferent lands could be peaceably assem-
bled. Cook and Peary are walking arm
In arm. Wonder of Wondersl Robin
Hood and Uncle Sam seem friendly,
too, while Captain Kidd is acting al
most C~hristainlike and our Cowboy
isn't actually poking holes in every
one's hat or lassoing stray animals"
A chorus of laughter greeted his
words and the merry group moved on,
with never a thought of a lonely girl
who sat at her piano trying to play
though the tears wet her cheeks and
the hands lingering the keys trembled.
Halle Stanton's life had been a lone
~ one when measured by the side Of
the other village girls. The only child,
her every wish had been gratified by
her mother; indeed, Halle could ask
for nothing more Of life except young
companions. AS Dick Wheaton had
declared, she had never been popular
among her village friends. Quiet aud
studious by nature, she had not cared
for their rustic pleasures, until one day,
she suddenly awoke to the fact, start
ling to her, that amid all the merry
making she alone was unnoticed and
left out. Bitter were the tears she shed
in secret, for outwardly nc change
could have been noticed In the girl. To
night, however, as she sat alone, the
sense of being outside, forgotten, grew
almost unbearable, and for once the
proud head was bowed and the tears
allowed full play.
Meantime, Lord Howe could not for
get the pale face of the girl his friend
had called Halle Stanton. The gray
eyes seemed to meet his again, a visit
fulness in their dark depths.
"I'Il do it,n he unused as he stood
for q moment alone in the hall.
Smother will chaperon her and since
anyone can come who pays, 1t will be
alright"
Quietly he made his escape and a
few minutes later stood at the gate of
the vine covered cottage. For a mo-
ment, he stood uncertain; then he bold