Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1913-07-12
TIT
MELT ING
OF MOLLY
By MARIA THOMPSON
DAVIESS
Copyright. 1912, by the Bobbs-MerrIn
Company

- y -%e-i DShN-N Va as lA4N tAN SeoNN ''Ahh
the message to put the mint to soak
just one hour and twenty minutes be-
fore the men came made room for
1t beside the case Of champagne on the
cellar shelf and wondered how they
would stand ii all. We don't have
champaign often in HillSboro. and
when we do nobody seems to want 10
cut down on the juleps. consequently
well. nothing ever really happens!
However. it must have been the cham
payne that made Tom act as be did
He was never like that before.
Somehow ] didn't enjoy dressing TO-
night for my dinner as | did for the
dance. and when was through / stood
before the mirror and looked at my
self long time. | was very tall and
slim and-well. | suppose | might say
regal in that amethyst Grape with the
soft rose point, but looked to myself
about the eyes as had been doing for
years when / put on my Sunday clothes
TO go TO church with Mr. Carter He
was always in a hurry, and l didn't
care about looking at myself in the
mirror anyway. Nobody else ever
looked at me and what was the use?
And tonight that Rene triumph made
me feel no different from one Of Miss
Hettie Primm's conceptions that had
been wearing for ages with indiffer-
ence and total lack of style. | shrug-
ged my shoulder almost out Of the
dress with what 1 thought was sad
ness. though II felt a trife like tenn
per, too. and went on down into the
garden TO see if any of my flowers had
a cheer up message for me.
But it was a bored garden | stepped
into just as the last purple flush OF day
was being drunk down by the night
The tall white lilies laid their heads
over on my breast and went to sleep
before / had said a word to them. and
the nasturtiums snarled around my
feet until they got my slippers stained
with green. Only Billy's bachelors
/ button stood up stiff and sturdy, slight
/ ly flushed with imbibing the night dew,
| and tipped me an impertinent wink.
! felt cheered ut the sight of them and
| bent down to gather a bunch Of them
10 wear. even If they did swear at my
lultltlNSl "ucu an dhuStu
smile that was done out loud came
from the path just behind me.
Don't gather them all tonight. Mrs
/ Peaches" said DR.. John teasingly as
! he stopped beside me- Leave few
| for-for the others" ! walked up in a
| half second and so did all those prying
flowers. felt sure.
81 was Just gathering them for place
| bouquets for-for the girls" / said stu
| pidly as l moved over a little nearer to
him. Why it is that the minute that
man comes near me | get warn and
| comfortable and stupid. and as young
| as Billy and bubbly and sad and hap
! ny and cross, IS more than | can say,
| but / do
] never possibly know how to an,
swer any remark that he may happen
to make unless it is something that
makes me lose my temper His next
remark was the usual spark.
Better give them the run Of the
garden-alone. Mrs. Molly. No show
for 'em unless you do" he said laugh
| ingly. 'or the buttons either" he added
under his breath so could Just hear it
| wish Mrs Johnson could have heard
how soft his voice fingered over that
/ little half sentence. She was so e1
perienced she could have told rue if II
meant-but, Of course, he isn't like 9th
| er men.
There are lots of questions I'm going
10 ask Alfred after I'm married TO him
! Mr. Carter didn't know anything
| about anything and / never cared C
ask him, but l wonder how you know
! when
"Oh. you Nelly" came a hail il
Toms voice from the gate. Just as
was making up my mind to try to
think up something to wither the doc
| tor with, and be and Ruth came uT
the front walk to meet us. l wondered
why | was having party in my house
| when being alone in my garden with
| Just neighbor was so much more fun
but | had TO begin TO enjoy myself
right OF. for in a few minutes all the
| rest came
l don't think ever saw my house
| look so lovely before. Mrs. johnson
! had put all the flowers out of hers and
Mrs. Gains garden all over everything
and the table was a mass of soft pink
roses that were shedding perfume and
/ nodding at one another in their most
| society manner. There is no glimmer
in the world like that which comes
from really old polished silver and
rosewood and mahogany. and ones
Observation-Disclosures hand woven
/ linen feels like oriental silk across ones
| knees
Suddenly felt very stately. and
granddamey and responsible as / look,
ed at them all across the roses and
| sparkling glasses. They were lovely
women, all OF them. and could such
men be found anywhere else in the
world? When left them all to so out
into the big u1;Eerse to meet the dis
| tinctionS tiiat / knew my husband
would have for me. would ] sit at salt
with people who loved me like this
saw Pet Buford say something to
rom about me that ! know was lovely
| from the way he smiled at me, and the
| judges eyes were full cup for any
| woman 10 have offered her. Then in q
( fash all the love fragrance seemed 10