The Mount Holly news. [volume] (Mount Holly, Burlington Co., N.J.) 1891-1942, 1918-07-09
151e
New Call
@0
By r. RAY BAKER

Earl Worden was not a gypsy. His
hair was too near the shade of hemp
and the color of his eyes too closely
resembled that of the ocean. Again, he
had three freckles, one on the left side
OF his neck, one ON his chin and the
other near the tip of his nose. They
were faint freckles, but they and the
hair and the eyes would belle any as
sumption that he belonged to the tribes
of swarthy nomads.
Nevertheless, Earl and gypsies had
one pronounced trait in common. 1t
was the wanderlust. He had Travelled
on five of the seven seas; he had
killed crocofiles on the Amazon, kan
garoos In Australia and mosquitoes in
New Jersey. He had eaten salmon in
Portland, Ore, rice in Tokyo, and
prunes in France, as well as in Brook
Ign. He was nomad.
After seeing all the sights offered
by IA countries some strange whim
of fate guided him to Gemport, a
town in the state of Washington
that the map makers forgot. and he
took a Job in the First, Second, Third,
and only national or any other kind
of bank to be found there. A whole
year he spent at the desk, and he ac-
tually had begun to have that settled
sensation, when along came a letter
from Edward Stevens. The letter was
postmarked Wawason, Alaska, and it
had to do with nuggets and sure-pay
venture. If it had been from anyone
else, Earl would have been exceeding
ly skepical, but Stevens had been
his companion in several adventurous
rambles into strange climes, and his
good intentions and veracity were not
to be questioned.
The letter revived the longing to
roam. 1t caused the old call of adven-
ture to echo and re-echo through
Earls mind. 1t was an irresistible
call, which had only been lying dor
mant during the last year and was
not silenced forever as he had come
to suppose. So he prepared to re-
spond.
There was only one drawback. The
drawback was Elsie Webb, a diminu-
tive, dark-eyed, attractive piece of
humanity employed in the bank. Until
the receipt of the letter Earl had con-
sidered her an inspiration; but now
she was in the way to his answering
the call of adventure. He was fond of
her to such an extent that he had
asked her to marry him only two
weeks previously-and she had con-
sented; but that was before this letter
came offering him riches and red-blood-
ed life in Alaska. 1t suddenly dawned
on him that he had made a mistake.
He could see now that he was in no
financial condition to be married. The
money he had saved was scarcely
enough for the proverbial rainy day;
while this letter from Stevens offered
an opportunity to obtain a fortune and
pave the way to luxury.
So he told her his intentions the
night after he received the summons
from the north. He preached the SUD-
ject as carefully as possible and with
as much consideration for her feelings
as he could muster-which wasn't say
ing much. She merely bit her lip and
fiickered her eyelashes and said:
"All right, Earl. You know best. I
would not stand in the way of your
success for the world. We will con-
slider the engagement at an end"
He left her home in a rather dazed
condition. She had taken the matter
very sensibly, he told himself, and yet
he felt sure that she cared more than
she showed. He could have felt pretty
downcast himself, only he dared not
permit it. The old call was sounding
and he must answer.
1t was early in the evening and some
late workers were just journeying
homeward. One of them, a sturdy
young man with healthy face and
steadfast eye, carrying a dinner-pail,
stopped Earl and asked for match to
light his briar pipe.
"Thanks," said the laborer, as he
pulled contentedly after Earl had fur
nished the article sought. "Nice eve
Ming"
The 1aborer walked off briskly.
"Hurrying home to his family"
unused Earl. "It must seem rather
nice"
But he must not let such thoughts
intrude. They might deter him from
his chosen course So he thrust them
aefI 10 kho oil Sc,
savings from the bank and resigned
his Job.
Two weeks later he stepped off
boat at Sitka and clasped the hand of
his old pal, a robuss, weather-beaten
man of thirty, clad in fur-fringed
clothes. Earl was escorted to a hotel,
where he was QUILTED in apparel ap-
propriate to a journey inland.
"It's q regular bonanza sure
thing" said Stevens, as they sat in
the lobby discussing the proposed ven
ture. "All we gotta do is to get the
coin. There's another young fellow in
town that I'd have taken if 1 couldn't
a landed you. His name is John
Pierce, an he's regular scout, but o.
course I'd rather take my old chum;
an two besides myself in the crowd
is one unnecessary. It's goin' to De
tough trip, too, let me tell you. I've
got twelve huskies but l doubt if six
of them will live to reach the end o.
the trip. Real adventure, OF top, right
out of the wilds, an a new kind to
pnffar.,r1 fr13 in, d 1ff4lO al
bank, eh, oil MANI"
While they were talking Earl no
ticed tall man carrying a cane and
dressed in exceptionally good clothes
for this city of non-pretending. rough
going, big-hearted folk. The stranger
walked up to the desk and asked the
clerk for a key. When he turned
around to mount the stairs his face
was in plain view, and Earl saw that
1T was sallow, with a fixed expression
of cynicism and lines of dissipation.
We'll start for the mainland day
after tomorrow" announced Stevens,
discarding his half-smoked cigar. San
we've got whole lot to attend to to-
morrow, so we'd better get to bed"
They climbed the stairs to their
room, which contained two beds.
Earl was tired and he lost no time
about getting under the covers. There
was little conversation, but before
settling himself for the night Earl in
quired casually:
Say, who was that prosperous,
sickly looking person that walked into
the hotel and got key from the clerk
while we were talking downstairs"
Stevens pondered moment before
replying:
"Oh, yes, l know who you mean.
didn't recollect at first who 1t was you
referred to, but 1 remember seeing
Caldwell Hurst come in during our
palaver. Yep, that was Caldwell Hurst