The Mount Holly news., 1918-02-12
"Make Hay While the Sun shInes.y

breeze past lilac gardens, sweet with
fragrance of lily beds, and then, di-
rectly within the garden that sur
rounded the home of Estelle Osborne,
now the bereaved one, that tiny dew
drop sank deep into the heart of
rose.
In her distress and anguish at the
loss of father who had reared her
amid peace, comfort and refinement,
Estelle had no consolation to alleviate
her consuming grief except the
thought that there was one who would
surley hasten to her side when he
learned of her desolation-Marvin
Farr. To her this friend, later lover,
still later her fiance, had brought all
the cherished joys of pure love. She
had trusted him wholly. Her fathers
great anxiety had been concerning the
worthiness of the flashing, brilliant
young man upon whom he was asked
TO bestow the carefully nurtured idol
of his heart. He had not attempted
to curb the progress of the long WOO
ing.
He had tried to feel that whatever
faults the young man might possess
would be obscured by the renOvatings
power of the sweet, gentle influence
of Estelle. The beautiful young girl
aroused from her lethargy of grief
when Marvin Farr, a few days after
her great bereavement, came to the
des0late house. He was Subdued, she
noted, but that was natural. He ex-
pressed his sorrow in tender terms. If
Estelle noticed that he was abstract
ed, that he did not refer to their ful-
ture, she traced it indulgently to con-
sideratiOn for her troubles. He left
her without the customary parting
kiss, but he spoke feelingly Of her great
bereavement and left her counting the
moments until she should see him
again.
81 am a scoundrel ~ he muttered, as
he proceeded down the street. what
will that sweet, innocent girl think Of
me when she comes to comprehend the
baseness, the meanness of my inner
nature?"
He WINGED at this self-abasement as
he faced the wayward, cruel purposes
he had in view. Estelle, as they passed
through the garden, had plucked the
most lovely rose upon her favorite
bush. He had negligently placed it
upon the lapel of his coat. Its sweet
perfume nettled and accused him. He
viciously tore it from its place and
dropped it into his pocket-the rose,
in the heart of which reposed the dew
drop which emblemized the soul ego
of dead Walter Osborne.
Half an hour later Marvin Farr en-
tered gorgeous mansion, aglare with
electric light, crowded with gay COM
pany. A close friend, its owner, Ar
thur Bond, greeted him effusively.
"She is here and has been fearing
you would not come" spoke the lat
ter.
'Your sister, Mrs. Willis?'
'Yes. Marvin, we're old chums, and
there is no man l would more willingly
welcome as the mate Of my sister than
you. can tell you something you
have already uessed-Eudosia loves
you."
Marvin redeemed at the audaciOus
statement. He paled at the thought
of the poor girl he was scheming to
desert, to forget; of the heart he was
about to crush, already PROSTATE un-
der fresh grief.
"Eudosia is going to the beach re-
sort for a week, tomorrow" proceeded
Bond. Myself and my wife will in
vite you there as our guest at the cot
tage. You will conner"
"And your sisterY
"She is ready to be won. Make hay
while the sun shines, old fellowl You
have no rivals"
And in the company of the beautiful
widow, reputed to have a million in
her own right, Marvin Farr basked
through TIE midnight hours. The
glare, the company, the responsive
eyes of Eudosia Willis enthralled him
for the time being. When he left her
it was with promise made to spend