The Mount Holly news. [volume] (Mount Holly, Burlington Co., N.J.) 1891-1942, 1915-01-12
A new TYPE OF GIRL
BY U KIRkMAN.
Copyright, 1914, by the Mcclure Newspa-


Copyright, 1914, by the Mcclure Newspa-
per ~Syndicate.)
Kenneth Grey WINGED as he passed
a group of young people On his way
to prayer meeting. lie knew that
their amused eyes were on his highly
polished shoes, which shone brightly
in the glaro CT the street light.
"Spotles.." he heard Jessie Dean
giggle as he passed.
He'd say immaculate" corrected
another voice, mockingly.
Kenneth was glal when he reached
the church. Inside its solemn walls
he was able to forget the derision
that stung him on every side. For,
although he had always known him.
self to be an outsider In Greenville
Center, he had never become accus-
toned to the spirit of mockery with
which he was treated by the towns
young people. Although he was their
W age, he had not a friend among
them. Sissy Grey" he had been
called ever since ne could remember.
On this particular night he entered
the church as he had done a thousand
times before-went into his pew,
bowed his head a moment, then
raised his eyes to give one sweeping
glance around the church.
But there the similarity to his con-
duct on other nights stopped. His
sweeping glance terminated on the
slim hand of a young girl sitting In the
nom IN front ~ h;r, a,d nc oornkk ht-
breath. The hand was manicuredI
Kenneth stared at the strange girl.
She and he were the only two persons
In Greenville Center with manicured
hands. He felt almost relationship
for her.
"Who is shelf" he asked himself re-
peatedly. rs she a summer guest, or
is she some ones city relativef"
At length he decided that she was
a summer guest. He had heard that
old Mrs. Hartwell intended advertis-
ing for some this summer.
Little did he hear of that sermon.
He sat through the evening as though
s%pellbound. Here. before him. was a
new type Of girl-a girl who would
not-would never think Of laughing
at a man whose nails we're manicured.
Would she laugh at me for pick.
ing and choosing my words7" he won
dered, recalling the myriads Of smlaes
that his vocabulary had called forth.
But this question he had no way OF
answering. He could merely sit and
look at the back Of her pretty head
until the meeting was over.
Then he followed her home. She
did come from old Mrs. HartweHR She
was undoubtedly a summer guest.
AS the girl turned up the walk, and
he wandered on, thinking about her,
he saw that Bob Granville was coming
toward him. Turning, when they had
passed. he saw that the fellow turned
in at Mrs. Hartwe1l's gate. Mrs. Hart
well was a distant relative of Bob.
Not for years had he been to see her.
Kenneth halted In the shadow of an
elm tree and listened. Plainly, he
heard Bob's voice ring out:
Good evening, Aunt Hannal"
Aunt Hannal" repeated Kenneth,
Indignantly. "As If he ever called her
that beforel He's just trying to make
friends with that girl. He thinks
she'll go around with him just be-
u he has mones-the way all the
other girls do. Well, she's not a
Greenville Center girl. One glance at
his grimy fingernatls will be enough
for her"
1t was a relief to him to see. as the
week few by, that although Bob Gran
Vile called on the summer girl every
night she never went out with him.
"She can't do any more than be po-
lite to him when he calls" he told
himself, hopefully. TITS me sheu go
out with-when | meet herr"
And at last he did meet her. 1t was
at a church social. Quite frankly he
went up to old Mrs. Hartwell and
asked her If the young lady would
object Is meeting him. AS he made
the formal request he heard Of the
town boys giggle and repeat his words
to one or two of the girls.
Nov, we'll see Sissy Grey make
an impression-with his 1~ngernails,"
came in loud tones, just as Mrs. Hart,
well presented him to the girl.
The girl heard. She looked behind
her in surprise. Then. casting q swift
glance at Kenneth's hands, q light Of
understanding broke over her face;
she had grasped that his nickname
was Sissy"
After a few hurried and nervous
words, Kenneth excused himself and
left the girl. He walked swiftly from
the grounds. Up the street he few.
Binding tears stung his eyes. The
girl had been p~rejudiced against him
before she had had a chance to Judge
of him.
For in that light Of understanding
that had passed over her face he
thought that he had seen as we'll q
shadow of derision. Perhaps she was
amused to see the hands OF a country
boy manicured. Perhaps he had not
taught himself in the right way; he
had only had directions from q maya
zine to follow. Or perhaps-he stood
still on the sidewalk-perhaps the
polish on his nails was r~idiculouslf
bright. He had noticed the polish on
the girls nails raj decidedly duller.
Had this been oversight or intention?
After this he kept away from those
places which the girl ~frequented. He
felt i'll at cas- in her presence. II she
had noticed his difference from the
other town men naturally 1t would not
have been so bad-even If that differ
ence were overdone. But now that her
attention had been called to.it-now
that she was watching for 1t!
The last possibility of their ever be-
coming friends was shattered when
Lefty Gleason made friends with her.
Lefty was Kenneth's worst enemy.
What fun she'll have telling the
girl how diligently l practice OF the
piano." he thought bitterly.
That story-a true one-was one OF
Letty's best pieces of evidence against
him.
For a time he let his piano go un-
touched. He preferred to play In the
down. In Greenville Center 1t was a
disgrace for a man to have an accom-
plishment of this sort.
Then. one night, he few to the old
friendly piano, in spite of the fact
that the window was open. This was
the night of the entertainment In the
town hall. Under other conditions.
not for anything would he have
missed the entertainment. But-she
would be there.
For by this time he had grown to
avoid her for other reasons than rea-
sons of constituencies; he had grown to