Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1913-04-17
THE MEL TING OF MOLLY
By MARIA THOMPSON DAVIES
Copyright 1912. the Bobbs- Merrill Company

Billy wouldn't be happy, that settles
it, and 1 don't know how good his
boys are. SHOULDN'T have Billy
corrupted.
And so. as there is nobody else
exactly suitable in town. 1t all
SINNERS down to one or the other
a these or Alfred. In my heart
/ knew that couldn't hesitate min
ute-and in the flash of az second
decided. OF course l love Alfred ano
I'll take him gladly and be the wife
he has waited for all these six lonely
years. I'll make everything up tc
him If I have to diet to keep thin fol
him the rest of my life. likely will
have that very thing to do and Il gel
weak at the idea. Before 1 burn this
book I'll have to copy it all out and
be chained to it for life. At the
thought my heart dropped like a
sinker to my toes; but / hauled it UT
to it's normal place with pieturing to
myself how Alfred would look when
he saw me in that old blue muslin
done over into a Rene wonder. How
ever, old heart would show a strange
propensity for sinking down into my
slippers without any reason at all
Fears were even coming into my eyes
when Tom suddenly came over the
fence and picked me and the heart
up together and put us into an adj
venture of the first water.
Molly" he said in the most non
chalant manner imaginable, we've
got 2 dandy. strolling. gypsy band Ut
at the hotel; the dining-poom floor is
all waxed and I'm asking for the
first dance with the young and
radiant Mrs. Carter Get into a glad
rag and don't keep me waiting"
Toni l gasped
'Oh, be sport. Moll, and don't
take water You said you would wake
up this town, and now do it. 1t seems
twenty instead of six years since ]
had my arms around you to music
and I'm not going to wait any longer
Everybody is there and they can't al
dance with Miss Chester
That settled it, couldn't let a
visiting girl be danced to death
OF course l had planned to make
dignified debut under my own
roof. backed up by the presence of
ancestral and marital rosewood, silver
and mahogany, as a widow should,
but duty called me to de-weed myself
amidst the informality of an i'm
promptu dance at the little town ho-
tel. And in the fifteen minutes Tom
gave me ! de-weeded to some purpose
and Powered out to still more ]
never do anything by halves
1n> at-that-trousseau old Rene
had made me there was one, what she
called Simple" lingerie frock. And
it looked just as simple as the check
1t called for, one and two ciphers
back of 1t. 1t was of linen as sheer
as a cobweb. real lace and tiny deli
cious incrustations of embroidery. II
fitted in lines that melted into curves,
had entieements in the shape of a
long sash and a dangerous breast
knot of shimmery blue, the color of
my eyes, and | looked new born in 1t.
I'm glad that poor Mr. Carter was
so stern with me about rats and
things in my hair, now that they are
out of style, for I've got lots of my
own left in consequence of not wear
ing other peoples. 1t clings and coils
to my head just any old way that
looks as If l had spent an hour on it.
That made me able to be ready to go
down to Tom in only ten minutes
over the time he gave me.
l stopped on next to the bottom step
in the wide old hall and called Tom
to turn out the light for me, as Judy
had gone.
| have turned out that light lots of
times, but | felt it best to let Tom see
me in full light when we were alone
1t is we'll / did, At first it stunned
him-and it is a compliment to any
woman to stun Tom Pollard. But
Tom doesn't stay stunned long and
only succeeded In suppressing him
after he had landed two kisses on my
shoulder, one on my hair and one on
the back of my neck.
''MolE," he said, standing off and
looking at me with shining eyes, you
are one lovely dream. Your shout
ders are velvet, your cheeks are
peaches under cream, your eyes are
blue absinthe and your mouth a REQ
devil Come on before / get drunk
looking at you" / didn't know
whether | liked that or not and
turned down the light quickly my
self and went to the gate hurriedly
Tom laughed and behaved himself.
Everybody in town was up to the
hotel and everybody was nice to me
girls and all. There is a bunch OF
lovely posy girls in this town and
they were all in full flower. Most OF
the men were college boys home fol
vacation. and while they are few
years younger than me, l have beer
friends with them for always ard
they know how I dance. I didn't
even get near enough to the wall tc
know 1t was there, though l was
conscious of Aunt Bette and Mrs
Johnson sitting on it at one end OF
the room, and every time l passed
them | flirted with them until / wor
a smile from them both. l wish
could be sure of hearing Mrs. John.
son tell Aunt Adeline all about It.
And it was well l did come to save
Ruth Chester from a dancing death
for she is as light as feather ant