Lakeland Evening Telegram Newspaper, September 12, 1914, Page 2

PAGE TWO DESERT OF LUKURY By JOHN FILSON. John Sharpless unlocked the door | of his flat and let himself in. He| hung up his hat in the hall and went slowly into his library. The maid was dusting; at the sight of him she gnlh-l ered up her broom and pan and hur- ried toward the door. “Mrs. Sharpless said she’ll be home to dinner, sir,” she said. John Sharpless was consclous of a slight sense of annoyance. The bank- er was not a’man given to analyzing his sensations; however, during the past few days things had occurred which had given a new turn to his thoughts. And he found himself scru- tinizing his relations with Winifred with greater care than usual. He had been married five vears, and his marriage had been a failure; there was no doubt about that. Winifred's parents had been poor. She was coun- try-bred, too, and the plunge into New York's social life had been a change, indeed. She ought to have been grate- ful, at least, even if she had no love for him. John thought rather grimly about those past five years. There had never been a child. There might have been, only Winifred was lazy and lux- urfous, and seemed to think of noth- ing but her woman's clubs and tea- parties. John had nothing in common with any of her friends. And she never hesitated to sacrifice his com- fort to them. Yes, it was strange, her coming home to dinner. Usually she dined alone, before he came in. He was a very busy man, and had been busier than usual until that evening. In fu- ture he did not expect to be so busy. Half an hour later he was seated op- posite his wife at the table. He no- ticed her flushed cheeks; Winifred was still as pretty and girlish as when he married her. A sudden pang shot through his heart. How different things might have been! But was he to blame for the coldness, the estrange- ment? After dinner Winifred did not with- draw, but sat watching him while he drank his coffee. John Sharpless felt dimly that something was impending. Winifred had something to say to him, as he to her. He would let her speak first. She did. “John, if you have finished your cof- fee, I want to tell you something,” she sald. “I am going to leave you.” The banker quietly set down his cup. So the blow had fallen at last! And he was glad—very glad! Under the circumstances—but that could come later. “I am going to leave you tomorrow, | l | | THE EVENING TELEGRAM LAKELAND, FLA, SEPT. 12, 1914. = »‘,‘,v" 1 N Y “xr‘ W “l Am Going to Leave You.” John,” she continued. “I have made all my arrangements. I am going abroad with my sister. She approves of my decision. I presume there need be no vulgar squabbles about money. You have taken the best of me and de- stroyed it, and I shall have no hesita- tion in accepting alimony from you.” John nodded. *I will give you half my income,” he said, and an amused smile crossed his features. His wife saw it, and it infuriated her. “Do you want a divorce?” he asked. “I hope so!” she cried. “I don't want to be tied to you one minute longer than I can help. You are laugh- ing! You are laughing at me, after all these years of misery. It has been anything but amusing to me.” “And to me,” answered her husband. “I don't know why you married me,” she pursued. “You have never given me care, love or attention. You have sat all day in your office, working, leaving me to mope alone.” “You haven't seemed to mope very much of late, Winifred,” said her hus- band. “No! Thank heaven, my friends ral- lled around me when they under- stood,” she flashed back at him. “They have long been urging me to get a di- vorce.” “So I suspected,” answered John Sharpless, quietly. *‘Oh, they were actuated solely in my best interests,” she answered. “They saw how unhappy I was. They knew that I was a bird In a gilded cage. They wanted me to make something of my life. And I am going to. I am going to study art—" “You could have made something of your life, Winifred,” said her husband, OO STHISIOHPIONPIOBORO 0B Z=TZa a0 - GGG = Pradtelialtaliultats fai8a2 mm% bl Sel 2Rzt iur Sal pul pul ul But el pul L el ml el iled Dul Rendetniud el SuR ntne 2etbud buddul et nd Bl LRSI A S 0E AT BHD B SO EHOHY TN EHOH BN SR BCHECH 0N EAOR BACHSHCHEHOHEION B B B0 2 IOHACHBCHETH SHOH SAON SR B DN B IOE B0 B By PRINTING YES, WE DO IT--DO IT RIGHT Bas i l l DO sharply, and his voice was stirred with ' the first trace of feeling that he had shown. “You could have devoted your ;% i life to motherhood. It is a profession | that has fallen upon evil days, I | know,” he added, sneeringly; “but , 8till, believe me, you will never know I how much you missed when you de- | | | SO 5 cided—" “To have brought him up to be like you!” she said, with withering scorn. 'i: The man was stirred as he had not & been before. “Winifred, I have been § 3> A BOTOTODOS to blame, I know,” he crled. “But if 1 devoted myself so hard to work, it & was in the hope of retiring with you—" ‘ “Oh, yes, I know! To some beauti | | ful country spot, where we could emu- f 2 late the rural rustics!" she cried. | “That was the life I was meant to lead, John, not this life here—amid luxuries I never chose—" “Winifred,” said her hueband quiet- 1y, “I don't want to urge you to change your decision. But I want you to real-! ize that your decision will be irrevo- cable. I am ready to try to atone for, the past.” | “No atonement is possible,” she m-i' POPOPODON 3 QB0 i swered. “Then I shall tell you now—" he be- i g gan. @ “Tell me!" she cried. “What more is' % there to tell? What can you have to, & tell me, except about your banking S x business, as always, your sole topic of: PO P PP interest—" “It i{s about my banking business,” answered John Sharples. “You have hit the nail on the head very accurate- ly, Winifred. In fact, I should have told you weeks ago, had you leemed‘ to have any interest beyond spending | clasped her hands in his. the money. Iam ruined and bankrupt, | —will you try?” he whispered. live our lives together—in all—hence- and my assets are—our furniture.” @ e | DSVSDEOFOISNSNSVHFOSVINEFFEFSIUBOEDIOLVD LI SO OSRGOS NSRIBRENIVFIB 080 1.5, FARM WA (. We can save you money on Wagons. and 2-horse Wagons is complete, and if you need a Wago, for hampling fruit thisy fall, see us. “COLUMBUS” make and the name is a guarantee of quality, MODEL HARDWARLE G . C. E. TODD, My Phone No. 340 We Want YOUR Business be nursed, with patient care, into & fruitful tree. He sprang from his chair and “Winifred “To “What!” she cried, coming toward forward.” And in her look he saw his answer. ' he had a Swede workin’ for him, and him. “Are you speaking the truth!” So, I am afraid your projected trip will have to | (Copyright, 1914, by W. G. Chapman.) | recite facts to you. be deferred, at least, so far as I am\ S|MPLY STATED THE FACTS‘ concerned. I shall probably be able to command $50 a week, however, :nd,l when that happens, if you think you can live on $26, I can gratify my coun- try tastes on as much. To be frank, Winifred, I am unfeignedly glad that this has happened. I see what a will o'the-wisp I was pursuing. I hope to accumulate enough to support me comfortably in my old age, and—" 1 “John! Don’t!” There was pain in Why He Considers Lathrop’s Bull an Unruly Beast. “Is that bull over in Mr. Lathrop’s | pasture good-natured?” inquired the + new schoolmistress, with some appre- | hension in her voice. “I ask bocauss' wanted to cross the pasture last | night, and I was afraid he might be her voice. She came beside him. ugly.” “John! You have lost everything? M", Peasl, You are going to begin life again?” lady with ¥in dly.“:;:": °‘:n :h: w’:.‘::: “Yes, Winifred,” he answered, scarcely daring to give vent to the, new-born hope within him. Something in her tome, her look, had brought back the poignant memories of five years ago. “John, when I told you no atone- ment was possible,” she began. And then the man knew that, deep beneath the arid soil of luxury, self-will, the ] tiny plant of love survived, ready to The RS OR ORS00 E0H0RECR S0k B ) before he replied. “M-well,” he conceded, at length, “it might be a mite resky—you with that | red sweater on, and all—to undertake , to cross that pasture when he'’s right “handy. He might take a mnotion to chase you, and then again he mightn’t, “I aln’t one to slander any of my neighbors’ prop’ty,” he went on, apolo- getically, “but I d’kmow as Lathrop . Mr. Peaslee, Averse to Slander, Tells' i E;. Sedes Telephone Number 37 GGG I S e e 2 e Lakeland Evenin Send Your Next Order to can blame me if I don't any more'n I ain’t givin’ any opinion, y' understand. I'm jest tell- in’ you what's happened, and lettin’ can always be had as long you make up your own mind to suit yourself. “When Lathrop fust got that animal, he had the care of the bull 'bout all the time while he stayed here. That Swede was a kind of stupid critter, and I guess he got careless. 'T any rate, one day we heard a bellerin’ goin’ on up there in the pasture, and the Swede hollerin’ at the top of his voice, so we all grabbed pitchforks and put up there as hard as we could pelt, and we didn’t any more'n get there in time, as 'twas. “After we men—there was five of us, with pitchforks—had bradded the bull away from the man, we got him ~—the man, I mean—over the fence, and kinder went over him for injuries. He had one broken arm and two brok- en legs, and besides that he was trod up consid’able. And while we was sortin’ him over, it took three men to keep the bull from gettin’ over the fence and havin’ another go at him. “And ever since that time,” conclud- ed Mr. Peaslee, judicially, “I've sort GONS | of had my doubts about that animal, ' In fact, I can’t help thinkin’ that he's & kind of unruly beast.”—Youth’s Com- panion. - asgesind el 2edhulnl 1ot 2al BB CBLPO S OB QAP 0"t GENTLEMAN called at our office and said that he did not know we did Job Printing; that he had ordered some Printing done elsewhere, because ¢ he had been told that we confined our attention to newspapers, and did no Job Printing. This gentleman was a new comer, otherwise he would have known that for years we did ALL the printin now we are doing more, probably than all the other printing offices in the county combined; that we have a larger investment in printing facilities than the eight or ten other printing shops in Polk County combined; that we have built this business on correct and workmanlike service; that we ment and know-how, and that we give an order for 100 vi careful attention we bestow on a large catalogue or the p wide newspaper. We Do Do Job Printing: Indeed, We Do! g used in this town; that right h.ave both the equip- siting cards the same ublication of a State- g Telegram Lakeland News TELEGRAM BUILDING & First House On Main Stree! 4T THE BEAD O THING Our stock of | A We sell ke Table Center in G;om A green ocenterplece for ty are carrots at hand, if the I bit of each carrot is saved. T tle disks can be trimmed any shape as long as the (o not injured. Place a numbe tops in a shallow dish and cover them with water. At the only attention they will r to be kept moist. When th feathery sprays begin to & they are thinned down, a tal ful fern-like effect will be ti: They grow rapidly and will li time. To Freshen Ribbons. § Black ribbons will lose ti appearance if let stand ins water to “~hich 2 teaspconful ible ink h-s becn added. Auto Hood. An auto hood is a conver the woman who motors muct § fortable and becoming sort with a straw brim, flexible enough to give protection to and a full eilk crown that disarrange the hair. Theres chiffon tie strings that keep: snugly in place. R SRR | §