The Mount Holly news. [volume] (Mount Holly, Burlington Co., N.J.) 1891-1942, 1914-12-22
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HER OWN SWEET SELF
BY ROBERT M'cLENNAN.

1t had been her fate to be seen by
him always at disadvantage
she resented her fate fiercely. In fact,
she was all wrapped up in plans Of
which he was the central figure.
OF course she was most ridicu-
lousy juvenile figure of girl No
body-excepting her own people and
the playmates of her childhood
would believe she was grown-up per-
son. At least they all affected to be-
lieve that she was q mere child and
treated her with the freedom and con-
descension of that estate. Why. the
men actually kissed her as greeting
and everybody called her little girl
or some other abhorrent and belit-
Ting title. Her resentment had been
growing for a long time, but 1t burst
into white fame that summer when
he appeared on the scene. Not that
she cared for him. excepting in
most impersonal way, but for all that
1t CALLED her very soul to have him
treat her like child.
She was interested in him-indeed,
who was not, and who had not the
right to be? One privilege the clergy
always have-the interest and care
and attention of the women, young
and old, little and big, rich and poor.
Indeed, If the ladies did not look after
the clergy who in the world would?
So, in common with all the rest of
the girls in the camping party, Elsie
was interested In the grave and hand
some young clergyman who had
Joined them at the invitation Of one
OF the young men-a college chum-
in the hope that a season in the
woods would restore the steadiness to
his nerves and the redness to his
blood, which had been so sadly Slapped
during those trying years since he
had quit college to try to build up
church in one Of the poorest dis
tricts of the great city. And the
languoroug shade and the lazy life
were doing their work and the color
was again in Morton Graham's face
and the ginger had come back into his
stride and the old whimsical express
sion into his tired eyes.
Now Elsie had conceived a most
romantic idea regarding the Rev. Nor
ton Graham the instant she set eyes
upon him. He was young, ardent. am
bilious and devoted to his calling. He
plainly needed wife-a helpmate to
care for him and cheer him on in his
climbing of the heights. Plainly he
never would have sense enough to real
ize this need himself, therefore some
one else must attend to it for him
Therefore Elsie determined to assume
the task herself
She spent many sleepless nights
and brain-racking days in her pursuit
of this problem-and the further she
got into it the more hopeless it ap-
peared. At first any one of the girls
appeared to be plenty good enough for
him, but as the days went by the circle
of eligibles narrowed rapidly.
In the meantime, however, Elsie la
bored assiduously and bravely. She
arranged the most seductive tete-a-
tetes in the stern of the boat, the
most romantic moonlight rambles, the
most lonesome fishing trips, always
managing to get the Rev. Morton
| paired with the particular girl she had
in mind for him on that particular day.
But, alas! it all appeared to be in
vain. Nothing definite seemed to come
of it, and as the season waned Elsie
was distinctly impatient and cross
about the entire affair.
In the meantime she necessarily had
been thrown into daily contact with
the Rev. Morton Graham and 1t had
been her inclement destiny always to
| be at a disadvantage. At first she did
not care at all; then she was simply
trifie annoyed. For, after all, what did
| she care? She was interested In him
only to the extent of securing for him
wife. Why, indeed, should she care
how she personally appeared to him.
And yet she was annoyed and finally
it came to be the source Of great
humiliation and shame to her.
| Just so sure as she sneaked out in
| front of her own tent and hidden by
the flowers and foliage at that, after
her bath and with her hair down to
| dry in the sun, in loose wrapper. of
| course he must needs come along and
stop to admire the foliage and the
flowers and catch her red-handed. look
| ing like a perfect fright And when
| the pony threw her and she landed in
a most humiliating heap at the side of
the road with her skirts principally
over her head, of course he must be
| the one to rush to her rescue, arrange
her skirts as best he could and try
to soothe her like some tired child.
Oh, how she hated him for 1t.
Then when they went to the dance
at the village hotel, the night Archie
and Tom and Ted were called to town
and only the older fellows, and they
mostly engaged, we're there, of course
the Rev. Morton Graham must rescue
her from the most embarrassing wall
flower position she ever had expert
enced and taken her out for an ice
and walk under the trees on the vii.
lage street. Yes. and he even had
danced with her. most decorous
square dance, but she had not failed
to notice that he danced extremely
well and was very graceful. But all
the time he had regarded her with
those whimsical eyes. and she resent
ed the expression of amused interest
with all the strength of her nature.
But the very limit was reached
when, despite the advice of all the
party. and particularly of the young
ergyman-indeed, it was his advice
that drove her to it-she insisted on
| going In swimming with a storm com