The Mount Holly news. [volume] (Mount Holly, Burlington Co., N.J.) 1891-1942, 1914-07-14
Observation-Disclosures
WAS HARD TO PLEASE
BY MARY D. ARNoTT.

BY MARY o. ARNoTT.
did you read thati" Numbered Sen
ator Alcott throwing q note On hi
desk.
His secretary picked 1t up and rea.
1t. Mo- hadn't, senator" he sal,
quietly.
Amusing, isn't it, Veryl Abou
the most humorous, the most heart
breahngly funny thing girl can d.
nowadays is to defy her parents aAt
elope with some good-for-nothinl
mani"
The senator's apopletic countenanc'
became more apopletic; his pacing o
the soft-carpeted library floor became
more accelerated. He snatcbed the
note from his secretary's hand
''Why-why! holy mackerel! she
hasn't even told me the idiots name
this time. That's the latest amuse
ment Of her set suppose L" He
spluttered himself speeches. AND
sank into a deep leather chair.
John Craven stood quietly beside
the great fat mahogany desk, one hiI
partly supporting him as he leaned
against 1t. 1t was thus he always
stood while the storms that ragged
within the elderly senator spent them
selves. They never took long, but
their effects we're telling.
Miss Virginia doesn't give his
manner" he asked quietly after the
ticking Of the clock had become mo
notonous.
Senator Alcott stretched out fee
bla arm with the crumpled message In
his hard. He heaved deep sigh.
The secretary took the message
smoothed 1t out on the polished sur.
face OF the desk. and re-read It.
Dear Father: ! was sure you would
mot want me 70 marry the man love,
30 ! married him anyway. II you
think you can be nice to us, write
me q note-write to Virginia Alcott:
I'll ask for 1t In that name at the post
of1ce-and will bring him home. AZ
fectionateiy.
VIRGINIA"
Senator Alcott watched the secre-
tary as he read the note for the sec
ond time. see any clue to his name
In thatf'
The secretary shook his head. mo,
SIR; don't"
Pretty Independent little note from
a girl Of twenty-five to her father-of
sixty-two Well. this time she's gone
too far. Why-why-she never even
gave me chance to object-just took
1t for granted that would. He must
be entirely beyond the pale"
"Or perhaps Miss Virginia just nat
urally knew you would consider no
one good enough for her. senator. d"
ventured John Craven.
"Ehe just naturally knew nothing
OF the sort. Craven; she's just natur-
ally spoiled and willful and-well, I'm
done with her. She can paddle her
own canoe now"
Senator Alcott rose from the depths
Of the great chair, walked toward the
door Of the library, opened 1t, and
passed out His morning mail lay un-
touched save the note which had
caused his distress. and he left not a
word as to its disposal
Nor did he return to his desk that
day. This was q most unusual pro-
ceeding for the statesman and his sec
rotary knew that the man was fight
ing 1t out alone; that when he did re-
turn 1t would be with his mind made
up as to his relations with his daugh-
ter in the future. The elderly man
had been mother and father both to
his only daughter, but even the inex-
pertenced eyes of John Craven could
see that he had been a poor substitute
for the latter and a meager attempt at
the former.
II was not that the senator did not
have sympathy with his daughter, but
that he had failed to show 1t; and
youth Is not prone to search for it.
He had left her to servants; he had
deprived her of intimate friends, even.
saying that he had no time to investi-
gate the worth of those with whom
she chose to associate and since that
was the case she had better keep to
herself. He had forgotten that she
was growing up-that she had been a
woman for the last few years. AS
such he had never treated her; he had
disposed of affairs concerning her as
quickly and in as business-like a
fashion as he disposed OF his daily
mail.
When he returned "a hours later to
his desk there was no sigh of regret
for what he had done, no mention of
the incident of the preceding day.
That he had written to his daughter
John Craven knew from the fact that
letter addressed to her lay IN the
mail basket addressed by hand.
But after his daughter was no lona-
or in the house, the old man grew
perceptibly older. He became a trife
more irritable each week, a trifie hard
er to please; his letters took longer to
write; he concentrated less easily.
Senator Alcott," said John Craven
one morning after three or four
months had passed and neither of
them had referred to the note Virginia
had sent. 81 am resigning."
"What?" Numbered the senator.
Il am reeignfng my post as your
secretary. I-somehow / feel that
perhaps you would find a new assist
mt r,Oro cafiofo nforv- oo,,o -
did not know who, perhaps, would
not detect the reason for your grow
ing irritability. Your daughter"
"All right accept. I told you not
to mention her name. It Is best.
Good-by." Senator Alcott walked from
the room.
As soon as possible John Craven
arranged his affairs and left Even
the way In which the senator had
taken his secretary's resignation was
indicative of his changed manner. For
with men he had never been unsym-
pathetic. 1t had not been a man who
had died and left him alone to bring
up tiny girl child.
One secretary followed another at
the big fiat mahogany desk In Sena-
tor Alcott's library. One remained
two weeks, another remained six
weeks. All of them had stormy ex-
periences, for the statesman was
growing daily more grabbed. more
unreasonable and the winter days we're
telling on his age and the inf1rmities
Of body that his disturbed state of
mind seemed to produce.
At last. finding himself in hopeless
condition as far as his work was con-
cerned he sent for John Craven
Il can't fad any one who suits me.