Lakeland Evening Telegram Newspaper, February 24, 1912, Page 2

PAGE TWO TbeGlR MY o O AT o O MAURAACH NOVELIZED BY, WLOU CHAPTER |, Harry Swifton hummed a song to himself and threw a little more speed into his roadster. He had every reason to be happy. Long regarded as a settled bachelor, though young enough to be the sort of chap all the girls were setting their caps for, he feft that this was to be the really great day of his life. Lucy Medders and her father were coming to visit him; his sister Carolyn was coming home from boarding school especially to play the hostess, the home had been made gpick and span for the occasion, the sun was shining, the little birds were singing in the trees of the park, his roadster was running smoothly and—well, he hadn't a care in the world. As he took corners in the driveways without slackening speed he mur- mured: “Good little buzz wagon! the cupid that started all this. In memory, he conld see azain that day of the summer before when in the same machine he wos whizzing along — You're [DIRIE ATION OF THE PLAY BY COPYRICNT 8Y W.0.MEV Harry Swifton, @ country road. Something happened, the machine skidded, with the usual rosult, When Harry came to his senses he 'was lylng on an old-fashioned bhalr wofa, in an old-fashioned Quaker home—but he thought he was In heaven. Above him bent a Quaker damsel, demurely beautiful and distractingly calm. She was bathing his brow with a cloth wrung out of cold water to which some camphor had been added. “Do thee feel better?” she asked, in the softest of tones. “It depends,” he managed to say. “It you're going to stop this because I'm better, I'm going to have a re- lapse.” Then into the room came a stalwart old Quaker. “Has the young man recovered, | Lucy?” he asked. “Yes, father,” she said. Harry sat | up, with an effort. “l don't know how to thank you, sir,” he sald. “It was lucky that 1} went into the ditch right In front of your house.” With the word “lucky” he loolwd meaningly at Lucy, but that self-pos- sessed maiden did not reem to catch his double meaning. The result of the accident is not | Harry found himself bhard to guess. 80 bumped and bruised that it took a fortnight for him to be well enough to return to his home. And In that fort night he and Lucy became so well ac: quainted that it then became neces sary for him to run up to see her— & mere matter of a hundred miles— once every week. And now he had tnduced her father to bring ber to visit bim and his sister. He reviewed in his mind the events of the days since the accident. Pleas ant thoughts, those, for a young man They take his mind off the immediate things with the brake, but too late. ' Tweaty yards before him approached another auto. In it sat a couple ob livieus to their danger. There was & emash and & crash, a shriek and @ yell. And then the three people picked @27" 9 1R D NESBIT 7 & ~ e extricated it—or what he could of it—and offered it to her. But with a tearful exclamation of despair she refused it. “Scoundrel!” shouted her friend. “Vy do you go running around Kiil ing peeples, und ruining deir hats?" “My dear count!” cried the lady. “Not so loud'"” But the count was not to be calmed. In spite of Harry's efforts to explain matters, he continued his staccato ex- pressions of wrath and vengeance, um- til, giving up the idea of straightening matters out, Harry popped into his own machine, skilfully ran past the other auto, and resumed his home- ward ride. In a moment the count and the lady were in their seat again, the count whecied his machine about, and the pursuit began. By some deft turnings and twistings Harry man- aged to evade them and at last reached home. He dashed Into the house, eager to change his clothes and be reudy to g0 to the station to meet Mr. Medders and Lucy. “Pigeon” Willlams met him. Pigeon, as he was affectionately called, was a young man who tried his best to be a chum of Harry—for the reason that he was unusually at- tracted by Harry's sister Carolyn. It was natural that Pigeon should be at Swifton's that morning. He wanted to help Harry have things ready to entertain Lucy and her father, and besides he thought it would cheer Carolyn up to see one of her old friends on her own arrival. “Is Carolyn here?” Harry asked, as he came in. “Sure,” replied Pigeon. ‘“She got here half an hour ago—mad as the dickens because you didn't meet her at the train. Why didn't you? If I'd known you weren't going to, of course I could have gone.” “I meant to,” Harry replied. “But I had a bit of a smash-up in the park.” “Smash-up? Again?” “Nothing that amounted to much. Head-on bump into one of these run- about things—-run about a day and then blow up. German dignitary in it, with a dashing brunette. No wom- der he couldn’t see me coming. He had to look at her.” “Didn’t hurt them?” “No. Just knocked the breath out of all of us. And ber hat fell off, and my machine chewed it up. Look.” Harry dug into his pocket and pro- duced the brim of the lady's hat, with a tralling etring ot red popples. Pi- geon laughed. “Keep it for a souvenir?” he asked. “Don't know. The German fellow got mad, and | came away in such & hurry I forgot what | was dolag. Stuck the thing In my pocket absent- mindedly, I guess.” “He got mad! No wonder.” “I think he's real peeved. When 1 made my get-away he got his old cook stove into action and tried to follow me. But [ escaped.” Harry went into his room and i Pigeon sat down. “How's Carolyn looking?” Harry i called to him. | “Fine and dandy. Say, Harry,” ! Plgeon went on, mnllrlously, “the fel- lows have it in for you.' “In for me! Why?" asked Harry, in muffled tones, tugging at a collar but- | ton. “They say you're a quitter. You | uled to be strong for stag parties, and | all that, and now you dom’t care for anything but the country—and a coun- try girl.” “That s0?" Harry said, coming out. “Well, let 'em say what they please. I'm for the country--that's where you | go for pure air, green fields, natural | flowers, and natural girls. Pigeon, I'm through with all this bachelor stuf. .No more of the stag suppers and po ker parties for yours truly. I'm ready to quit and be good—if my plane work.” “1 think you're dead right, Harry,” Pigeon replied, solemnly, “judging from my own experience. There's | Take a cigar. Why, you're net evea oid enough te use & safety rasor, boy!” Pigeon blushed boyishly and felt of bis tender mustache with an embar raseedly guilty expression. “You're always rubbiag it ia oa & fellow,” he complained. CHAPTER L. £ s ' BN UL P e W | his sister. f “I eried to Plgeon. with his arms around “Have to keep my eyes on young lady! you, from now on, ! You're getting to be too big and pretty.” Count Von Fitz, Whose Flirtatious Es- capades Were Discussed on All Sides. “I'm not too big!" pouted Carolyn. “Not a bit—and you couldn’t be too pretty,” Pigeon earnestly declared. “I'll have to keep my eye on you, Harry,” Carolyn giggled. “Wait until Lucy comes. Do you call her ‘thee? ™ “I haven't turned into & whole Quaker yet,” Harry answered. “Now you run along and see that this house looks ilse something.” “You'd better get some one to ex- purgate this den of yours” Carolyn flashed at him as she left the room. “Lucy and her father may be shocked at some of the things here.” “I'd like to know what there is in here to shock anyone,” Harry said to Pigeon. “Oh, nothing much,” Pigeon chuckled. “But maybe that picture ot the ballet girl and that figure of the Venus de Milo, and some of the other highly decorative effects are not quite what Lucy has at home.” “Why, those are works of art.” “Here's General Blazes to see you, Hatry,” called Carolyn from the hall- way. “Come right in, general!” Harry said. General Blazes, pompous, irascl- ble and dignified, was Harry's attor- ney In several matters having to do with the estate left him by his fa- ther. He entered the room as gravely and as impressively as though he were approaching the bench of the United States Supreme court, and sald: “Good morning, boy. Here"—taking o packet from his inside pocket— “here are the deeds, all duly signed and sealed. [ believe you will need no further advice from me.” “Thank you, general,” Harry said, taking the documents. “That's mighty good ot you. [ appreciate your kind- ness In bringing them in yourself.” “No trouble at all, I assure you. “Won't you have a little nip of ¢ something to strengthen you for the | walk?” “No, thank you. baste. Mrs. Blazes.” T am rather in “My Hat! My Beautiful Hatl” She Cried. “Worrfed? Why, I trust she is Dot - “Not at all. She left early today, to shop for a sick friend.” a sick friend,” The general ignored the jest, as, in- . he ignored all jests. ‘After that,” he continued, “she was to attend a luncheon where the ladies were to meet this Count vom home by this time. By the way, I ing to go away and leave the field to Mrs. | the other one."—Roseleaf. don't belleve you have met were subjects of much commeat. “She's not one of the two,” the gen- eral realied. “They_loft_me by way I was passing on my way to my ofices.” | 1 am slightly worrled about | and the third_the broken accents of “Are they having ( ot g v TR 2 or Reno Tong ago. 1'm Dot & bam dit — Hnrry laughed again, for when the —_— general became excited it was bis habit to get his words twisted, seme- times with ludicrous effect. The general regarded Harry's amusement with calm disapproval. “My boy,” ne said, dropping his hand on Harry's shoulder, “let me give you one bit of good advice—not legal. When you marry for the third time—" “But I haven't married my first yet,” Harry protested. “You will, however. And when you marry for the third time, don t marry THE MUSIC HOUR is the most charminz | Its charm will reach o1 i Becker piano is which the music listen to its rich, h on W a ygt;ng.’t';enumul woman.” Eh aateaon ' “Don't?”’ J [ “No. Don't. Half the time she's Becker is not a piano have you making a fam dool cf your- It is an instrument 1 self.” Having delivered himself of this sage observation, the general stalked to the door, turned and bade Harry farewell, and started out, to bump against a woe-begone person, who was coming in at the same moment. “I—I beg your pardon, humbly! axclaimed the newcomer, in a thin, high. weepy voice. “Brr-rr!" grumbled the general, brushing by him. The newcomer glided in. His long, dank hair hung down to his collar, his white, thin hands plucked with melan- choly grace at the roycroft tie he was wearing, and his eyes, which were sct deep in his head. glenmed weirdly. “Alas!” he said, “it s you! “You're a good guesser, Primmer.” Harry said, grasping his hnnd “I'm | glad you could come to see us.” Socrates Primmer, a distant cousin of Lucy, and a school teacher who considered himself a poet, had ac- cepted Harry's oft-hand invitation to come and visit him at the same time as Lucy and her father were to come. Harry had not dreamed that Primmer I would come, for he knew Primmer had long considered himself a suitor for the hand of the demure Quakeress. Nevertheless, here he was, and in the hand that was not adjusting his neck- tle was held a large hatbux, labeled, *Mlle, Daphne.” “Make yourself at home, old chap.” “What's that? Your bag- time of musical pleas our partial paymen: ko “us for sheet music merchandise. PERRY-THARP-BERRY MUSIC CO:. ' Letter Boxes Don’t worry about your letter boxes We have them and will put them up for you in due time. Harry said. gage?” “This?” Primmer sighed, indicating the hatbox. “This is a present I bought for Lucy. I bappened to see it in the window of a store near here, and 1 purchased it and had it sent to this address. It just came, so I want to put it away and later give it to her with my own hands. Alas, my poor, poor Lucy!” is the term you'll u boxes of delicious are tempting and th sistible. 1t goes =tia w‘m‘yl;:l:.::qh’.’?w”d? i heart of the haughti-t ¢ “She—she—oh, my poor, POOT wilfulest child, or il :‘“:fl“ :’;l Bl con b bachelor. It will swecte! t y from the room. ol “Well, wouldn't that bumb you!" est disposition a... 1 pr : Harry sollloquized. “Cousin Socrates good natured. Tas=d . is evidently allowing his blighted af- fections to act on his lachrymal glands. Now, looking about the room, I expect I'd better send Venus and the ballet girls to the attic for a much- needed rest.” ! He was just about to take the ballet girl picture from the wall, when he was startled by an angry argument in the hallway. One voice was that of & woman, another that of the butler, H. 0. Dem WE CHALLENGE COMPARISON BOTH AS REGARDS QU AUTE PRICE OF OUR GOODS. Sugar, 14 pounds: -« coceeete i wee cn eee v Swift's Premium nm. per pound ...... ok Best Butter, per pound, .......0 o0 cen e 1313 Picnic Hams, per pound ...ceme wee cov oo 0 Mothers’ Oats, per pnehge Vi S v ow e Heckers' Whole Wheat Flour, pet blx Heckers' Graham Flour, per bag ... ... .- Heckers’ Rye Flour, per bag..w. wv oov oo 12 pound bag best Flour . htmwel. weose wmssses e sl mmt,perpeck Cocummmome See S &= 'tb! Size Cream, 6 for ........ =« oo =00 " o Pamily size Cream, 8 for ... ooo =0 ovr o0 o - n.t.um:wswn.r.ntu.nnosw'f-“’r E. G. TWEEDEL = the Germaa into whose auto Harty bhad smashed. “Grest guns!” he exclaimed. “They've trailed me down.” Iate the room rushed the palr. “You!" both cried. (To be continued.) - Riggs—"Singular, st that | ¥ Beitber of your stenograpbers wants & For Drugs, Toiiet Articies. Sodas, Cigars and Tobaccos Triumphant Automoblle. A Mapayunk woman found a chunk of rubber, a plece of automobile tire, fn a sausage. In every way the auto- mobile is supplanting the horse. . 0ll(:l l'rmt allrollte SO ‘--C\