| Show COLLAPSE OF BILLIE BILLE BUTTONS By MA MARY Y M. M RA RAYNAL N ca by Short Story P Pub b. b Co ILLIAM I BURTON to his Intimates Intimates Intimates In In- In- In W WILLIAM DillIe Billie Burton or oftener Billie Buttons was the adored son of ot his moth moth- er It was she site who had created the myth of his feeble health thus wIthholdIng withholding withholding with wIth- holding him from the practice of law though there were those of ot his friends who held that Billie had become a barrIster barrister bar bar- rister raster merely by way of ot passing two more pleasant years sears ears at the university He was a good boy his mother would sa say with the Innocent conviction conviction tion that Billies Billie's goodness gilded glided his Ineffectualness But with It all he was no fool when he was not gh giving Ing a representation of ot Sousa band on a mouth harp BIllie could discuss with enthusiasm some dry-as-bones dry essa essay In a British review Being a good boy he he did not pine for tor riotous companions but all of ot the he force of lof his sweet shallow nature spent Itself In adoration of whatever girl happened to be at hand She need not necessarily be a pretty girl 1111 BIllie Buttons was an Idealist who could Into of ot the feminine feminine femi femi- read lead beauty an anything nine shape How he had escaped captivity captivity cap cap- capI I was a mystery for BIllIe was lovable as well as loving but by a sort of guileless guilefulness he al always always nl- nl ways managed to elude matrimony With their mod modest st income the maintenance maintenance main maIn- of ot a n third party would have b been jeen en enan an Inconvenience to both ot BUHe Billie and id his mother I first met the pair pall mother and son at the beach where where to the murmur of ot moon-kissed moon waves wn BillIe was warbling warbling war war- bling love e songs songs songs' to a winsome d debu debu- but bu- bu t tante I It Ii was unethical In Billies Billie's eyes to o make love to two girls at once but buthe lie he IB continually Il felt the Ule need of another gIrl irl to whom he lIe might chant the praises of his lady when the lady h herself her her- r. r self elf was unattainable hence his reputation tation as lit a flirt it being difficult for forthe forthe forthe the public to tin differentiate between what Dime Billie termed a r rare re friendship and a love affair But I who have played second fiddle to Billie through many summers can testify to his sin sIn- gle heartedness Last June as I traveled toward a secluded ded valley of the tile Blue Ridge I tho thought with a lon lonely l pang of Billie his hs ardors had so t become a pai part t of I mv my vaca vacation on Upon arriving at the little mountain inn however howe I was rejoiced by the sight of a n pair pall of lovers loungIng lounging lounging loung loung- ing In the shadow shado of a fir fin The devoted pose was unmistakable Billie Buttons again held the center of my stage st ge THe leading lady this this' time was a fascinating little Creole Cleole who had fled from the heat of her he- Louisiana plan plan- tation She has has' an unpronounceable little French name so I call all her Mollie Mollie- my Mollie Illie Bawn said BillIe when It was time for me to be confided in lye urve made a little verse Terse about her In the golden summertime Mollie MoUle stole my ray heart from me meNow meNow Now Nov she glories In the crime Calls alls It petty larceny il Oh Oh h BUlle Billie Billie BUlle what chat a af fib b artist you jou ou oure are re You cribbed that out of an anold anold old oid m magazine I know the woman woman who wrote It itY Really you jou ou are unkind protested BHUe Billie If I read It it was was' long longer r rago ago than I can remember I thought Id I'd written it myself But as for your jour Mollie Bawn why dont don't you ou marry her She is ible And she has a sugar plantation supplemented Billie Billie contentedly Its time you ou wore were settling settling down down you are almost forty arent aren't you BIl- BIl Billie lie ie Almost forty and a worse spoiled boy joy than I was at twenty his tone was bitter Ive Je pray gray ra hairs and Ive I've crows crow's feet and still I am nothing but Billie Buttons Soon to be fir Mr 11 William Burton the the sugar king Billie grinning foolishly dropped the sore subject of his Ineffectualness To one who had followed the intricacies in in- s of Billies Billie's love makings love makings through the seasons the time difference Inthis In Inthis tl this s ca case caje e was significant H He was wa was humbled unsure of himself The little little lit lit- tle heiress' heiress plantation made marriage with her possible yet et It was not for her mone money that BUlle Billie would marry her he was genuinely and seriously In love As his devotion Increased so did his self-depreciation self until his chivalrous notion that he lie should protect protect protect pro pro- her against himself made It doubtful doubtful doubtful doubt doubt- ful whether he would ever ask her to marry him Despite his ills qualms he lie was deliriously happy But just as the tide leadIng leadIng leading lead- lead Ing on to fortune w W f ts s at its Us flow it received a terrific ce cheek k The rural deliveryman had handed out his letters for BillIe a single lettel letter letter let- let ter tel m a determined hand At sight of the writing he paled after reading It ho was white to the lips with a look of fright In his round childlike e eyes Presently he disappeared down the rhododendron walk Im afraid Mr Burton l has s had bad news murmured the little Creole troubled wistful to share his sorrow with him I Night had fallen before Billie r reappeared reappeared re re- e appeared to beckon me out to the shadow of the fir Partner Im I'm inthe inthe in inthe the deuce of a fix fir Explanation was lon long In coming finally You remember my mother was so Ill m In the spring We had a trained nurse for tor her a Miss Ev Evans ns She vas capable and u IT u I stron strong Site She looked like a horse But horses are ore beautiful BIlUe Billie Not when they thy are gaunt and rawboned rawboned raw raw- hon boned d miserably Then how did you happen happen She sa saved sayed ed my ray mothers mother's life lite with despairing finality Poor little mother had nervous prostration and was so set on dying that I r was out of my wits with anxiety Then Miss Evans came came to boss her bel Into getting well Still sun I dont don't quite understand your obligation I 1 was so eternally grateful I told her she sale was was an angel I I held held her hand oftener than was prudent I I was wasso wasso so upset see But Dut that was weeks ago I 1 told her I If she was ever ver near to send for me She's sent sent Where Is she Over In Asheville nursing a bug bug Nursing what A tubercular patient She will be whiter and starch starchier er than ever and fiber In smell of ot antiseptics Every his being cringed Billie she Is a designing old maid she shant shan't have you I I cried In passionate pas pas- protest Youve wiggled out of worse scrap scrapes s t than an this Surely you arent aren't going I 1 was never never up UP ng against I l t a Miss Evans E before Im I'm afraid I am going There was a dead deadly i suffocating quality quality ity In his misery before before which argument ment went shriveled In despair The woman woman woman wom wom- an must ha have haje h hypnotized him film The next nest morning BUlle Billie was gone without w a Ii word of farewell I A few weeks later Inter a suspiciously I heavy white en envelope v lop c came me to to me I From Its steel clad contents r I I l learned arned of the marriage a at the Park Battery Battery Park of Miss Malinda Evans Eans and Mr Win Wil Winham William ham liam Burton urto I Poor Billie Buttons 1 |
