The Mount Holly news. [volume] (Mount Holly, Burlington Co., N.J.) 1891-1942, 1916-12-26
Markhan's
RuSe
He Learned That He Was
Not Married For
His Money.
By ELINOR MARSH


II ne married, the girl he chose would
pace much higher value on his mon.
ey than on himself. He went abroad
thinking that he might meet some cir
with whom he might have a real affair
OF the heart. To conceal his wealth he
travelled in second or third class rail
way carriages, stayed at pensions
boarding houses instead Of hotels ant
otherwise curtailed his expenses.
In Florence, where art Is the princt
pal attraction, he was one morntns
looking at the pictures in the IJffiz
gallery when he came upon a youne
girl copying picture by Titan. The
sun, shining in at window, glinted 3
head of wavy hair the exact shade Of
that belonging to girl represented Ii
the painting she copied. OF the rea
girl and the painted one MARKHAM
greatly preferred the former. Indeed
his heart went out to her with one Of
those sudden, unaccountable impulses
that are common in young persons.
Standing behind her, he pretended to
be examining her work, but his ewes
were fixed on her A friend passed
her, and she spoke few words of sal
utation In the English tongue without
the British accent. Markham Judged
that she was an American, and Ameri.
cans abroad need no introduction. Our
country seems very far from them. q
distant land sunken far below the
western horizon, from which they are
cut on and from which they hear very
little This makes them all akin.
Markham, who was a fine Judge ~
pictures, did not hesitate to express his
approval Of the way the copyist was
doing her work and call her attention
to some differences between her copy
and the original. She looked up at him
saw admiration In his eyes and turned
hers back upon her work with a flint
tering of the heart that she had never
reit before. Markham told her that he
was an American, and she admitted
being from the same land. After chat
ting awhile he passed on.
She was Madeline Trevor. HAVING
some artistic ability and the necessity
OF making her own living, she had
used little money left her In a legacy
to study art In Florence. Her funds
had been used up, and she was now
endeayoring to keep body and soul to
gether by copying masterpieces foI
such Americans as would give her an
ORDER Markham made up a story
about himself to flt his being in Flor.
ence. He had come abroad on a ven.
ture to find pictures of great artists to
sell to wealthy Americans at home on
commission. He had been disappoint-
ed In not finding such pictures for sale,
and those that were to be had were
not acceptable in the American market.
He let drop hint that he was near
the end of his rope and had not money
enough to take him home.
He was looking at Miss Trevor when
he said this and saw by her expression
that he had touched sympathetic
chord. So he followed it up with a
show of resolution to conquer adversi-
ty which excited admiration. Sympa-
thy and admiration are two effective
weapons with which to attack a WON.
ans heart, as Markham very well
knew, and by the time the first inter
view ended he congratulated himself
that he had made beginning.
The next morning Markham passed
through the gallery again, and when
he stopped to have look at Miss Ire
vor's work she received him with a
smile. Again he gave her some points
as to her copy and let drop the infor-
nation that he had had a very poor
breakfast There was no untruth In
this, for no one on the European con
tinent takes anything but rolls and
coffee at breakfast, and 1t would be
impossible for him to call any coffee
to be procured there good. Indeed, 1t
is all bad. But the girl conceived the
idea that Markham was hungry on ac-
count of his poverty, and this excited
pity. Markham added to the fact of
the poor breakfast that even If he
came to eat sawdust he would not
finch
His confidence drew forth confidence
from Miss Trevor, and she, too, at
times confessed to hunger This very
nearly spoiled Marlsham's game, for 1t
was all he could do to keep from In
vitfng her to dine at the best hotel In
Florence He restrained himself for
4hol +{,,oo bnine hut fbo novk dor 1o1,,
ed her, radiant Claiming to have
made commission Of 100 francs $50
on the sale of a picture to an English
man, with true bohemian weakness
he filed Miss Trevor with viands so
expensive that they used up all his
pretended commission For this he re
ceived a lecture from her on his short
sightedness and his generosity; but
since that generosity was expended on
her, it only bound her closer to him.
Markham began his lovemaking by
fit Of dependency. When asked the
cause he intimated that he had met
with change of heart. He no Longer
looked upon his poverty with uncon
Germ. 1t was not long before Miss
Trevor wrung from him the cause OF
this change. He was In love, and in
love with her.
This set her to thinking. She had
done very wrong to permit him to be-
come so chummy with her. Poverty
added to poverty makes misery. A
marriage between them would be sui
cidal. Markham lugubriously admitted
the fact He told her that he loved
her and was only prevented from ask
ing her to be his wife by the misery
that such a union would bring upon
her.
Markham noticed that there was no
statement from Miss Trevor on this
matter to match his own. She did not
say, Would that had a fortune how
happy we could be togetherp He won
dered, If she had a fortune, whether
she would throw herself away on a
poverty stricken man with bohemian
Instincts. He feared not He had
given her to suppose that he was only
prevented from being a spemdthrift by
not having any money to spend
Would her love for him should she be-
come wealthy triumph over common
sense?
While Markham appreciated common
sense, he set more store upon Miss
Treyor's love for him. He wished that
she might suddenly get windfall-a
few hundred thousand dollars-that he
might learn whether she loved him
well enough to permit him to make
ducks and brakes with it. This set
him to thinking how he could give her
the fortune without her knowing that
it came from him.
One day Markham went to Miss
Trevor very much agitated. He said