Milford chronicle., 1925-04-24
TENTH INSTALLMENT

His soul saved, 10 went about his
business the same as ever. He was
never intensely religious; he was never
intensely anything. He quite failed to
understand his younger brother S expert
mental mania, his passion for books OF
information, his thirst for good gram
mar" his curiosity and his restlessness.
Ads Unbalanced romance with Mabel
Sick never failed to be a joke for 10,
who had a small, nagging sense of
humQr. Long after poor Mabel had
vanished from Dutch Hill and Mr.. Sick
had lost his position as foreman of the
Soap Works the elder Holtz boy would
smoker reminiscently, recalling the time
when AID had gone sportin' in High
Sassiety." To 10 little Ad was quaint,
p victim to his own ideas. He lacked
conservatism; he lacked system.
10 had been for nearly year en-
ployed in Pell's Steam Candy Works.
TO learn the business from the ground
up" as he put it, had been his own
suggestion. Ma Holtz was more than
ever proud of her Good Boy now that
be was bringing home ten dollars week
and Boosting of the Land of Sweets
where chocolate ran in rivers and stick
candy was piled up like so much cord
wood. His even way was diverted a
hair's breadth by the behavior of his
heart. He had fallen in love with a
Miss Myrtle Hoolihan who made fancy
designs in'icing, mostly on candy Easter
eggs. Ma Holtz suggested that Miss
Myrtle had a Romish name, and 10
suddenly lost interest in the young lady.
He had discovered that she was a
Catholic.
Being marked for trouble, Admahs
Etep into maturity was not an easy one.
At twenty he was not tall, but he had
reached his full height-five feet eight,
His fine shoulders and muscular torso
belonged more properly to man of six
feet; his legs were short. Like his
father, the free-thinker, he was built to
work in stone. He grew conscious of
his age and his size, and his daily work
Of hawking peppermints about the
streets grew harder and harder to bear.
An unfortunate affair at the race4Eack
finally exploded the inertia which had
held his lazy bones so long.
He had found, he thought, a place
where the price Of peppermints could be
doubled and no questions asked. Out
ride the main gate at Bradbury Downs,
where the>> spring races were held,
haWkers assembled in the afternoon and
asked about what they liked for what
they had to offer. 1t was easy and
natural to get dime for the little bags
that had formerly brought nickel.
The scene excited Admah. Tallyhos,
huckboards, victorias and rigs" would
come driving up from every direction.
Pretty women, some Of them Ladies,
Lthers famous in another world, would
step daintily out, their broWn-derbied
escorts lending an elbow. Competing
Aucksters clamored around like sea-
birds at feeding time. Marshmallows,
sorm-sheets, chewing gum, hags-theair
vas sharp with their cries, sounding
above the noise Of brass
Dand, playing popular SOusa marches.
"Hyuh y'are, ladyl Fresh home
made pepmints, only dime, ten cen6sF'
The rhythm Of it drove Admah into
IN ecstasy, and his basket was usually
srnptied before the Second Event.
. hen it was that he would commit a
lovely crime against family tradition.
Bis very presence at>Bradbury Downs
as an offence; Ma had forbid him to
esll his wares around racetracks or
saloons or the places which she vaguely
designated as "dance-halls." Yet there
- the gate Of the intoxicating, wonder
r1l track he would stand, his pockets
N,navy with money that had come like
Cagic. What more natural than to
Suy a ticket and go inside and linget
gear blue eyed ladies and blue nosed
gentlemen as they circled round the
paddock, scrutinizingt the brilliant bodies
# clean-lined thoroughbreds?
And a perverse spirit followed him
about, knocking him with luck. A very
Important gentleman with grey derby
to match his hair and purple scarf to
match his cheeks stopped critically and
booked over the rail at long-necked
EOrrel. Inner Rays wild brown eyes
and the old gentleman's fierce red ones
seemed to meet with understanding.
Admah Holtz, looking vacantly on, eE-
9eriencsd one Of those psychic disturb
Snces which gamblers call "hunch."
Himself a gambler by instinct rather
than By training, the boy gave a dollar
60 a boolxmaker with wager that Inner
Ray would win his race. which was the
Fifth. The thin sorrel horse did his !