Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1913-04-18


OF the table If I were you, Molly Car
| ter, because he's about the only man
you've invited that has got any sense
left since you and that Chester girl
| took to visiting Hil1sboro. He's a
host of steadiness in himself and the
way he ignores sall you women, who
would run after him If he would
let you, shows what he is. He has
my full confidence" and as she de-
| livered herself of this judgment Of
Doctor John, Mrs Johnson drove in
all the corks tight and began to
| pound spice.
Hes not out of the widower-
woods yet, Caroline said Aunt
Bette with her most speculative
smile. ST have about decided on him
for Ruth since the judge has taken
to following Molly about as bad as
Billy Moore does. But don't you all
| say a word. for Johns mighty timid,
and / don't believe, in spite OF all
these years, he's had a single notion
yet. If he had had he'd have tried
a set-to with you, Molly, like all the
rest of the shy birds in town. He
doesn't see a woman as anything but
q patient at the end of a spoon, and
mighty kind and gentle he does the
dosing of them, too. Just the other
day-dearie me, Judy, what has
boiled over now" And in the excite
ment that ensued | escaped to the
garden.
Yes, Aunt Betty Is right about Doc
tor John: he doesn't see a woman.
t.- 10 lfa him
What she had said about 1t made me
realize that he had alays been like
that, and | told myself that there
was no reason in the world why my
heart should beat in my slippers
on that account. Still don't see why
Ruth Chester should have her head
literally turned against that stone
wall and / wish Aunt Bette wouldn't
1t seemed like dissertation even to
try to matchmake him. and 1t made
me hot with indignation all over |
dug so fiercely at the roots of my
phlox with a trowel l had picked up
that they sroaned so loud | could
almost hear them. I felt as if l must
operate on something. And it was
this mood that Alfreds letter found
me.
1t had a surprise in it, and | sat
back on the grass and read it, with
my heart beating like a triphammer.
He had sailed the day he had posted
it, and he was due to arrive in New
York almost as soon as it did, just
any hour now / calculated in fash
And from New York Immediately to
Hillsboro" he had written in words
that fairly sung themselves off the
paper. / was frightened-so fright
ened that the letter shook in my
hands, and with only the thought of
being sure that l might be alone for
few minutes with it, l fled to the
garnet.
Surely no woman ever in all the
world read such letter as that, and
no wonder my breath almost failed
me. 1t was a love letter in which the
cold paper was transubstantiated into
a heart that beat against mine, and
| bowed my head over it as | wet it
with tears. / knew then that | had
taken his coming back lightly; had
fused over it and been silly-proud OF
it, while not really caring at all. All
that awful melting away of my fat
ness seemed just a lack of confidence
in his love for me; he wouldn't
have minded if l weighed five
hundred, | felt sure. He loved
| me-really, really, really; and
had sat and weighed him with lot
/ of men who were nothing more than
amused by my fiightiness, or taken
with my beauty, and who wouldn't
| have known such love II it were
shown to them through telescope.
! | reached into trunk that stood
right beside me and took out box
that | hadn't looked into for years.
His letters were all there and his
photographs that were as handsome
as the young god of love himself.
could hardly see them through my
| tears. but / knew that they were
! dim in places with being cried over
when l had put them away years
ago after Aunt Adeline decided that
| | was to be married. l kissed the
poor little-girl cry-spots, and with
| that a perfect flood OF tears rose to
| my eyes-but they didn't fall, for,
there, right in front of me, stood a
more woe-stricken human being than
could possibly be, il / judged by
appearances.
molly, Molly" gulped Billy, II am
SO sick I'm going to die here on the
floor" and he sank into my arms.
"Oh, Billy. what Is the natter"
gasped and gave him a little terrified
shake.
Mamie johnson did it--poked her
] finger down her throat and mine
| too he walled against my breast
I'VE was full of things folks gived
us to eat and couldn't eat no more.
/ She said If we did that with our
| fingers 1t would all come up and we
would have room for some more
then. She did it and I'm going to die
] dead-deadl"
"No, no, lover; you'll be all right
in a second. Stay quiet here in
your Molly's lap and you will be
well in just a few minutes | said,
with smile l hid in his yellow mop