The Mount Holly news. [volume] (Mount Holly, Burlington Co., N.J.) 1891-1942, 1918-06-04


only way to combat the spring frenzy |
was to indulge in his i'll nature, even
to the point of keeping his paper spread |
before his face at breakfast.
But the paper only barred his vision.
1t did not render him deaf, and he was
not oblivious to the occasional signs
that escaped from Hortense's lips. One
of the other boarders asked her why
she sighed and Matthew heard her
sigh again and say that she was tired
of living In Peace street-Mrs. But
tersby's boarding house was in Peace
street. She said she longed to get way,
to travel, to be a nomad; in fact, she
thought she was part gypsy, which was
hardly consistent with her blonde hair
and her round blue eyes, Matthew
thought.
Then he heard one of the boarders
remark that shat was wanderlsst,"
and Hortense sighed again and re-
proved the boarder for using a German
word. After that Matthew conceived
a dislike for residence In Peace street
Still, he had lived there for several
years and he knew that when the at
tack of spring fever had passed he
would be well content with life at Mrs.
Buttersby's-at least, as well content
as he would be with life In any board
ing house.
Meantime, after dinner that night
Hortense went to her room with the
eagerness Of one who had some pleas
urable plans to make. First she pick
ed out the bottom Of dime bank by
the aid OF nail file and a fine hair
pin. Then she counted the dimes. The
amount was three dollars and half.
Then she laid aside from that and her
weeks wages enough to pay weeks
rent to Mrs. Buttersby and then enough
for carfares and luncheons, a few
other necessities and a minimum for
incidentals. She had nine dollars and
half left. This she put in special
purse In her handbag, and then she set
about taking an inventory of her ward
robe. That evening she washed two
pairs Of doe-shn gloves, pressed
some dainty accessories Of dress and
generally refurbished her small but
well-seleeted wardrobe. She darned
minute holes in the toes of several
pairs of cherished silk stockings. The
next day when she left the boarding
house for her days work M the Office
she had a small travelling bag with her.
and she told Mrs. Buttersby that she
was going away to be gone three days
1t had seemed to her that three dollars
day would be adequate for the ex-
cursion she had IN mind.
That night. instead of boarding the
car that would take her to Peace
street, Hortense hailed passing mes
senger boy and asked him to carry her
beg to the Morton House, where she
had reason to believe she could man.
age to sleep In the smallest of small
rooms and get breakfast for the price
Of three dollars a day. Dinner she
would manage to do without by con-
Stunning crackers and cheese and may
be ham sandwich from the delica-
lessen shop. She had telephoned from
and 1t was with infinite comfort and
satisfaction that she wended her way
through the crowd, following the mes
senger boy with her bag. Different In
deed was this way of going home in the
usual neck-to-neck struggle with traffic
on the Peace street cars. 1t was as IL
Peace street were a thousand miles
away. Hortense thought. and as she
inhaled the spring air that was espe-
cially sweet when it blew from the
hyacinths that bloomed In the small
beds In the city park, 1t seemed as II
she had been transformed as If by
magic. Her gait lost the hardness
characteristic of those who hasten
home at night after day in the office.
She told herself that she was walking
on clouds.
Supper alone In her rooms on crack
ers had no special attractions, but she
was thinking of the Joy that she would
experience In having a substantial
breakfast In the hotel dining room.
She would pretend then that she was
at Palm Beach, or at Hot Springs. It
was worth having suffered the tor
ments of wanderlust just for the salts
faction of gratifying them.
The next morning she felt no BASH
fulness In entering the hotel dining.
room alone. She was rather early, for
she wished to allow ample time. and
she had to reach her Office at nine.
She wasted no time In ordering, for
she had made DIP her mind days before
exactly what she would have each Of
the three mornings. This morning It
was to be large baked apple with
cream. preached eggs and coffee and
toast. The baked apples in Peace
street were never large or juicy, and
the eggs were always scrambled.
Probably Peace street eggs were bet
ter that way. Perhaps not the least
delightful feeding that entered into
her perfect bliss was one of outlines.
She felt. in a way, that she was doing
something reckless. That added the
element of spice to her adventure. She
felt that II Mrs. Buttersby saw her
there eating cream on her baked APP
pies and eating also poashed egg,
she would be furious with her. What
If one of the boarders saw her and told
Mrs. Buttersby7 What excitement
But then Mrs. Buttersby's boarders
never breakfasted at the Morton
House. 1t was really as If she were
at Palm Beach.
Just then she looked up and she &C.
tually looked into the face of Matthew
Watts. he was sitting at a table not
twenty feet away. He. too, was eating
cream on baked apples, and the waiter
was In the act Of placing a covered
PLATTER before him. He raised the pew
ter cover and there were two poached
eggs. Hortense looked away and then
she looked toward him and she smiled.
OF course she had recognized him,
and OF course she blushed. Then she