The Mount Holly news. [volume] (Mount Holly, Burlington Co., N.J.) 1891-1942, 1913-02-18

my equantmity so far as to dissemble
with her and conceal the bitterness
felt against her for leading me into
such a trap. Possibly this encouraged
her to go further Having borrowed
a match from the box Of one OF the
men, she lighted the tissue paper on
the tip end of my tail.
Very young persons are not overbur
dened with common sense, and as the
little flame quickly spread 1t greatly
amused the company Feeling a
warmth, l turned my head and, see
ing the flame, my body, In an effort to
put out the fire, giving swish that
famed 1t into a confagration.
The laughter of the lockers on sud
denly gave way to anxiety, and sew
eral men rushed to my assistance
But by this time the flames had ac-
quired considerable Roadway, and the
task was a difficult one Ny tail
feathers were all afiame and those on
my back were being ignited. A thrill
of horror passed over those standing
about me. The women, in their f1imsy
pushed forward toward me- One, who
was dressed as an Indian, took blan-
ket from his shoulders and wrapped 1t
about me, while the others kept pluck
ing the burning tail feathers. This
saved me from death, but not from
burning. My back and my legs were
seriously scorched. l was led out Of
the hall, and remember seeing
among the throng Of horror stricken
faces that of Sue Gwinne, the very
picture Of remorse and despair.
The incident finished the ball before
it had well begun. I was told after
ward that a few persons remained
and attempted to carry on the dances,
but the fact that l was known to have
been badly burned took the spirit cut
of the affair, and before midnight all
was dark which should have been a
brilliantly Illuminated scene Of gayety.
1t was a month before | left my
room. confess l acted very badly to
ward the perpetrators of what though
intended for an innocent joke, very
nearly became frightful tragedy Sue
sent me word Of her distress and beg
ged that she might be permitted to
do something for me. But, believing
that her action toward me had been in
tended to be cOntemptuous, l did not
find 1t In my heart to forgive her.
showed my spleen by making no reply
to her massage. She sent others to
intercede for her, but was adamant
1t was not the burns that restrained my
forgiveness, but the fact that my love
so considered-had been spurned
Finally my chum Dan Wilson, whose
opinions had great weight with me,
told me, that while Sues act was to be
considered as foolish and reprehensi-
BILE In the extreme, the whole affair
had been conceived in a spirit of mis-
chief, and had no bearing whatever
on her feelings toward me, unless II
might be construed to indicate that
she was favorably inclined toward me
He represented that the poor girl was
suffering intensely in consequence of
her act and my treatment of her was
little short of cruel
So | wrote Sue that l had come to
the conclusion she had meant neither
harm nor disrespect In providing me
with bird of paradise suit and firing
the tail feathers, and begged that she
would not distress herself further
about It, especially since my wounds
were nearly healed.
This brought her to see me- Kneel
ing beside me, she took my hand and
wet it with her tears. withdrew my
hand for the purpose Of lifting hei
face and made bold to kiss away her
tears
Any contemplate cause is gooc
enough to bring about an understand
ing between lovers, and the ignition OF
the tail feathers of my bird Of paradise
suit caused fire of another kind to burst
into flame In two hearts, mine and
Sues. For once. and for once only. !
had the advantage OF her. But even
this occasion was short lived We have
been married but Ave years and al
ready she has contrived to throw upon
me the blame of that affair. She says
that had 1 not been such an uppish
sort Of fellow there would have been
no inducement for a girl to take the
Eppishness out of me-"