Hollis

“ Hollis. And I wish you happiness in your life's work—and success in your cure of this unhappy young man."
Hat in hand, he bowed again as he tottered past her, muttering and smiling to himself and shaking his trembling head as he went rocking on unsteady legs out into the sunshine, where the nursemaids and children flocked along the lake shore throwing peanuts to the waterfowl and satiated goldfish. ”

“ He has a friend who ought to be about your mark. I'm told that he's a perfect ass." I imagine that Mr Hollis perceived that there was something on my countenance which made it desirable to throw light upon words which distinctly needed it. "I mean, of course, in a golfing sense only. I daresay that in any other sense he's all that could be desired, as you are, old man."
Almost immediately after breakfast, Hollis and I started for the links, where we were to meet our antagonists. As we had but a short distance to go we walked, each of us carrying a bag full of clubs. ”

“ Lee, go on. You're few!"
"No, hang it—one can't be few!"
"There can't be fewer than one," declared Hollis.
"I'll go on—with Miss Carr," said Lord Alec.
"Thank Heaven for a respite!" said Hollis, sinking into a chair. "Where did you say the supper-room was?"
"Don't let him go, Miss Herrick. He's a poor thing, but our own."
"Do you know, I've just thought of another," said Miss Fetherstone brightly. "'Flu'—the influenza, you know."
Hollis groaned.
"How jolly!" exclaimed Severne. "We can all go about sneezing."
"I thought you hadn't to make a noise," said Lady Smedley. ”

“ Hollis sprang in beside his father, not inclined to make conversation with him, and restrained, by his presence, from turning around to talk to Marjorie.
Oh, how people misunderstand each other! How Captain Rheid misunderstood his boys and how his boys misunderstood him! The boys said that Hollis was the Joseph among them, his father's favorite; but Hollis and his father had never opened their hearts to each other. Captain Rheid often declared that there was no knowing what his boys would do if they were not kept in ”

“ Hollis went on; “old people only potter round. Take Paul, now—he ain’t at all keen about getting up at daylight; in fact, he has a most uncommon genius for sleep; but, once up, he makes things drive all along the line, I can tell you. Not the trifles” (here Hollis’s voice took a sarcastic tone) ; “not what borrowed books must be sent here, nor what small packages left there; you never saw him pasting slips out of a newspaper in a blank-book, nor being particular about his ink, with a neat little tray for pens ”

“ For a few terrible seconds Hollis sat in the saddle while the world reeled around him; while the rocks and cliffs danced fantastically. 76 Courage he had to be sure; he had already become resigned to death before the man’s rifle, but he had imagined the man to be in full possession of his senses; imagined his death to have been planned out of the deliberate coolness of reason. Such a death would have been bad enough, but to meet death at the hands of a man mentally unbalanced! ”

“ One of the judge's friskiest colts was circling madly about the driveway, while astride of it, in triumph, sat Annette, her dress ripped at the belt, her hair flying.
"If she don't need a woman's hand!" exclaimed Mrs. Hollis. "I could manage her all right."
The doctor looked from Mrs. Hollis, with her firm, close-shut mouth, to the flying figure on the lawn.
"Perhaps," he said, lifting his brows; but he put the odds on Annette.
That night, when Aunt Melvy brought the lamp into the sitting-room, she waited nervously near Mrs. Hollis's chair. ”

“ Hollis should not be ashamed of being her friend.
"Mousie! Why don't you talk to me?" he asked, at last.
"Which of your cousins do you like best?"
"Helen," he said unhesitatingly.
"How old is she?" she asked with a sinking at her heart.
"Seventeen. She's a lady, so gentle and bright, she never rustles or makes a noise, she never says anything to hurt any one's feelings: and how she plays and sings. She never once laughed at me, she helps me in everything; she wanted me to go to evening school and she told me about the Mercantile Library. She's a Christian, too. ”

“ HOLLIS, THOMAS (1720–1774) , ‘republican,’ the only son of another Thomas Hollis, and great-grandson of a third Thomas Hollis, whitesmith, of Rotherham, and owner of Pinners Hall, was born in London, 14 April 1720. In childhood he lived in the house of his maternal grandfather, Mr. Scott, of Wolverhampton, and was sent to school at Newport, Shropshire, and afterwards at St. Albans. In 1732 he spent about a year at Amsterdam, with the object of learning Dutch and French for commercial purposes. Returning to England he lived for some time with his father, who died in 1735. ”

“ That he permitted her to speak to Hollis, I know; that it was his will, I do not know; but she was assured that she knew, and she never changed her mind. It may be that it was his will for her to make a mistake and bring sorrow upon Marjorie; the Lord does not shrink from mistakes; he knows what to do with them.
Before the house was astir, Hollis found her in the kitchen; she had kindled the fire, and was filling the tea-kettle at the pump in the sink. ”

“ Hollis stared. Then he gave his silent laugh, and, stretching down one long arm, he laid it on the old man’s shoulder soothingly. “There, now; we are awful Yankees up here, all of us, I’m afraid; forever thinking of bargains. Fact is, we ain’t high-minded; you can’t be, if you are forever eating salt pork.” The judge had pulled himself from the other’s touch in an instant. But Hollis remained unconscious of any offence.
”‘At the battle of the Nile I was there all the while;
I was there all the while at the battle of the Nile.’”
he chanted. ”

“ There ain’t no tenderfoot (here he applied the unprintable epithet again) got nerve enough to criticize nothin’!”
Hollis slowly raised his hands and placed them on the arms of his chair, apparently to steady himself, but in reality to be ready to project himself out of the chair in case he could discern any indication of action on Ten Spot’s part.
“Ten Spot,” he said in a low, even, well controlled voice, conciliatory, but filled with a manliness which no man could mistake, “at four o’clock this afternoon I heard that you and Yuma Ed were framing up your present visit. ”

“ The latter seemed to realize that the situation had passed beyond his control, for catching Hollis’s 321 eye he smiled grimly and sheathed his weapons, seeking Hollis’s side.
“It’s no use,” he said shortly to Hollis as he came near; “they’ll run things to suit themselves now. I wasn’t expectin’ Ten Spot to butt into the game.”
“I reckon they’ve got us.” Norton had also sought Hollis’s side and the three stood near the rear door, watching the crowd around Dunlavey. Hollis tried to catch Ten Spot’s gaze but failed–the latter seemed studiously to avoid him. ”

“ Hollis is the main man that hath persecuted him hitherto, in the business of dividing the fleete, saying vainly that the want of that letter to the Prince hath given him that, that he shall remember it by to his grave, meaning the loss of his arme; when, God knows! he is as idle and insignificant a fellow as ever come into the fleete. He tells me that in discourse on Saturday he did repeat Sir Rob. ”

“ She pinned all her faith upon Paul now; Paul was her demi-god because he believed in his brother.
And thus the camp-life went on again.
One morning, not long after this, Hollis and the judge were sitting at the out-door table, engaged with their fishing-tackle. Hollis was talking of the approaches of old age.
“Yes, two sure signs of it are a real liking for getting up early in the morning, and a promptness in doing little things. Contrariwise, an impatience with the younger people, who don’t do ’em.”
“Stuff!” said the judge. “The younger people are lazy; that’s the whole of it.” ”

“ Hollis grinned. “That’s the stuff!” he 83 sympathized. “I rather think that Dunlavey is something of a bluffer–that folks in this country have allowed him to have his own way too much.”
She shook her head doubtfully. “I don’t know about that,” she returned. Then she smiled. “You are the new owner of the Circle Bar, aren’t you?”
Hollis startled, looking at her with a surprised smile. “Yes,” he returned, “I am the new owner. But how did you know it? I haven’t told anyone here except Neil Norton and Judge Graney. Have Norton and the Judge been talking?” ”

“ He felt a new admiration for her and a profound sympathy.
“I think that you must be a very brave young woman,” he said earnestly.
117“Oh!” she returned with a sudden, illuminating smile. “It isn’t hard to be brave. But at times I find it hard to be patient.”
“Patience is one of the cardinal virtues,” declared Hollis, “but it takes bravery of a rare sort to remain in this country, surrounded with the care―”
Her fingers were suddenly over her lips warningly, and he saw Ed Hazelton nearing the porch. ”

“ But it seems they have nerve enough for anything. Hollis” he concluded dejectedly, “you’ve got to get out of town before six o’clock or Ten Spot will kill you!
“You’ve got plenty of time,” he resumed as Hollis kept silent; “it’s only a little after four. You can get on your horse and be almost at the Circle Bar at six. No one can blame you for not staying–everybody knows that you can’t handle a gun fast enough to match Ten Spot. Maybe if you do light out and don’t show up in town for a week or so this thing will blow over.”
“Thank you very much for that advice, Potter,” said Hollis slowly. ”

“ Hollis told them. “I don’t care to parade my ignorance. However,” he smiled, with a wink at Norton, “most men need a boss, if for no other reason than to teach them the value of discipline.”
“There!” said Mrs. Norton with a triumphant laugh, and immediately left the two men and went into the kitchen.
After partaking of a hearty meal Hollis and Norton went out on the porch for a smoke and a talk, and it was near midnight when Hollis 60 tumbled into bed, distinctly pleased with the range boss and his admirable wife. ”

“ Though a sacrifice be made cheerfully, there lingers always its ghost to draw mental pictures of “what might have been.” Hollis would have been more than human had he not felt some little regret over his sacrifice.
It had seemed to him, as two weeks before he had ridden away from the court house–sitting on the seat of the buckboard beside Neil Norton, his suitcases tucked snugly away underneath–that he was once and for all severing his connection with the big, bustling world in which he had moved ”

“ He grimaced, continuing with a smile: “You are a college man, of course–I can see that.”
Hollis nodded. The judge continued, with an admiring glance at the young man’s muscular frame and broad shoulders.
“Went in for athletics–football, and such?” he said. “Well,” he added, catching the young man’s nod, “it didn’t hurt you a particle–it doesn’t hurt anybody. Rather prepares a man for hard knocks–which he is sure to get sooner or later. If you have decided to live in this country you must expect hard knocks. And I presume you are going to live here?”
“That depends.” returned Hollis. ”

“ I should not have been out now, if it had not been for Frank Hollis, (he is senior lieutenant at last, you know) —well, when our officers gave the grand ball at Hull, Frank Hollis came to Mamma, and said they could do nothing without the Major's daughter, and I must open the ball. Such nonsense he talked—didn't he, Lucy? Well, Mamma gave way, and said she'd persuade the Major. ”

“ Until Hollis appeared I was the only idiot about. His teeth were chattering.
"Not a pretty place," I observed.
"No, it isn't."
"Neither the place nor its surroundings seem to have many claims in the direction of the picturesque."
"It's a beastly hole. That's what we want."
"You want it to be a--beastly hole?"
I looked at him askance. Wondering, for the moment, if he was joking. But he wasn't.
"Rather. Crowds of people would come if we made it attractive. Place'd be ruined."
"Ruined?"
"For golf. As it is the place is packed in summer. People come from all over the place. ”

“ Hollis, as she came around the house to hang out the ragged clothes on the althea-bushes and the rickety fence. "Cynthy, air ye a-goin' ter sit thar in the door all day, an' that thar pot a-bilin' all the stren'th out 'n that thar cabbige an' roas'in'-ears? Dish up dinner, child, an' don't be so slow an' slack-twisted like yer dad." ”

“ But–” and his eyelashes flickered slightly–“a fellow’s got to be in the right frame of mind to get it out. I reckon you two―”
“I suppose you got the mail?” interrupted Hollis, grimacing at him.
377“I sure did,” returned the poet, “one letter. I reckon the blacksmith’ll be kickin’ because I’ve been galivantin’ around the country for one letter. Here it is.” He passed an envelope to Hollis, and the latter, with a quick glance at the legend in the upper left hand corner, tore it open and read. It was from Weary. ”

“ He gave a yell which must have been heard a mile off. He dropped to the ground with a degree of promptness which took me quite aback. I was commencing to explain that really the boy ought to have had sense enough to stand farther off, when Hollis cut me short with a brusqueness which was most embarrassing.
"If you hadn't hit him you'd have hit someone else. Haven't you sense enough to know that you ought to see that you're well clear of everyone before you start to swing? You'll be committing murder next." ”