The Mount Holly news. [volume] (Mount Holly, Burlington Co., N.J.) 1891-1942, 1919-07-01
because Was His 6unkie, They Let
Him Co."

him Co."
place to Betty, for she lacked q vivid
Imagination and the power of visualiz-
ing things.
Just now, though, something very
definitely is bothering the little wife;
and that something consists of sundry
little trails and sprinklings of a gran
ulated brown substance which be-
smirches the surface of that same blue
rug.
"Oh, DEAR" she soliloquized, that's
the one fly in the ointment of having
Steve home again, safe and sound. Why
did he have to pick up that detestable
habit of smoking cigarettes? And if he
just has to smoke them, why doesn't
he smoke the ready-made kind-they
aren't so messyl"
The neatness of that house was a
family tradition handed down to Betty
along with the heirlooms, and that to-
bacco, eternally scattered over the
floors, was bugbear.. She sighed and
started to clean the room for the after
noon meeting.
When at II 80 Steve's whistle sound
ed rather disheveled Betty was plac-
ing hurried lunch on the kitchen Ia
Bile. The house was spotless. Now,
If she could only keep Steve in the
kitchen till he went upstairs to
dress-here Betty's thoughts were in
terrupted. Not one man, but two, fol-
lowed the whistle into the house.
Hello. Bettyr" Steve cried joyfully,
"here's my old bunkie, Fred Cranfield,
on his way to Manchester and stopped
over to surprise u.s."
A little chagrined for housewifely
reasons, Betty nevertheless greeted her
husbands chum brightly. Had she
known of his coming she would have
had lunch in the dining room, of course,
with the family china and plate. Steve
read her thoughts, so continued: "Oh,
never mind any lack of style this noon,
dear; I've told Fred about the doings
this afternoon and he'll say word,
too. Why, this is Belmonico's after
what we were up against most of the
time-hey, Fred? Come on, Buddie.
I'll show you the house while the wife
lays an extra plate"
Betty's housekeeping was on inspec-
ton, she felt, and so the resolve to
keep Steve and his messy tobacco
from those Immaculate rooms was
crowded out of her mind With some
help from the preserve closet the meal
passed off very creditably. Then
Steve announced that he must return
to the shop for an hour or so and II
he should be little late, why, Fred
would fill in the gap.
While the young husband was ex
planning TO his rather annoyed wifi,
Just why his return to business was
necessary Garfield strolled into the
next room; but he heard plainly the
small lecture that followed Betty's
voice grew a trifie sharp as the ex
soldier was given to understand just
how plainly that tobacco showed up OF
the blue rug, and If he just had tC
smoke any Of the nasty things thai
afternoon she wished to goodness he'(
at least come out in the kitchen Il
make them.
The husbands low-voiced reply die
not reach the next room, but Garfield
gave a low whistle. Mimi" h,
thought to himself, $50 that's the wa!
the land lies Doesn't that child real
ize what rolling and smoking thos'
cigarettes means to Steve-hOw /
/ helms TO calm uarveS still raw from
that awful din? OF course not-bu
I'll. make her"
Steven was late, so the visitor help
ed receive the guests and acqulesce'
readily when they begged that he ad
dress them.
There's something, called by SOM
folks Chance and by others Provi
dence," Garfield began, "but call
what you will, it Is responsible for bot
Splnney's and my presence here to
day." The soldier, looking straight a
Betty, continued: 1T was daylight
when Steve discovered that had no
returned with the patrol from No Man
Land. He volunteered to go out alone
under the eye Of the enemy, In
search for me or my body. Becaus
! was his bunkie they let him go.
had been hit and lying for hours in
shell hole, helpless from a piece 0
shrapnel in my hip. when Steve, VIII
had been crawling from cover to cove
with his life in his hands, found me
1t was 500 yards to our nearest tempo