The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1911-12-04


and fell to the ground. Her over
taxed nerves had given way and, for
the first time in her life, she tainted
i The figure called again in mascu.
j line tones, Hello" Getting no an
swer and seeing no more moving
vision in the darkness. he sought
Gretchen.
/ Almost stumbling upon her. he
stopped and bent over the girl. He
felt her cold hand; then. without fur
Their delay. he picked her up in bis
arms and followed the trail.
Straight toward tho rope Of cleo
trio lights in the garden he went. car.
rying his burden a. gently as posi-.
bio. After . moment Gretchen stirred
in his arms and opened her eyes in .
wild. dazed fashion.
oh" she sighed In tremulous lit.
tie voice. "The-shost-where is It?
Where"
The man placed her gently On her
feet. Tin afraid frightened you."
he began. You tainted when called
hello. IL suppose this CHASTITY
Greek costume in the darkness Of the
woods would look spooky."
/ Gretchen looked at him and 1t all
came back to her---her fright and
Sight.
81 vas running to the Graham
house for protection" she explained,
"and ="
and not knowing W we're giving
Z lato autumn production of Pygma-
4 lion and Galatea In the open air, you
thought this white clad actor-ama-
teur a. | am-was q ghost! And
don't blame you." the man laughed.
"Come--let mo take you to the house.
was on my way from the dressing
tent to the grove"
Gretchen explained who she was
and that she was meeting the house
keeper who had kindly offered to
come and meet her. All the time the
man In Greek costume was trying to
see tho face of the girl he had car.
ried In his arms and whose voice 20
charmed him.
"Is that you, Miss Hardsn!" asked
q voice.
1T 10. Mrs. Conklin." Gretchen an.
swered. recognizing the good Irish
brogue Of the housekeeper who had
answered tho telephone. II came to
further grief"
The man at her side laughed,
"Grief-thanks," he could not help
saying.
Il beg your pardon" Gretchen
FASTENED to say.
Mrs. Conklin Joined them. "Oh. it's
Mr.. Arthur In his play Clothes" she
said. Did he brighten your"
Gretchen had to admit that he did
and then the young man-the eldest
son OF the house Of Graham just re-
turned from two years Of travel, In.
sisted that the housekeeper remain
the night with Miss Harden in the
bungalow since that young woman
would not consent to going on to the
big house.
He escorted them back to the bung.
allow and while the members Of the
amateur company back in the out-of-
door studio of Pygmalion, the sculptor.
gave cue after cue for the missing
member. the little play came to dire
disaster and Arthur Graham fingered
on the bungalow porch. He had for
gotten all about his role Of Mimos.
"But-listen." Gretchen cried, sud-
denly. That's what frightened me
SO terribly-that dropping, knocking
sound on the roof"
! They all listen for q moment and
then Arthur Graham burst into laugh.
ter. ITS nothing but the chestnuts
dropping from the trees to the roof"
Obi" Gretchen cried, q blush of
shame at her own cowardice overcom-
ing her.
I'll come back in the morning to
see that nothing worse than chest
nuts comes to harm you." the young
man said as he took leave Of Crotch.
en- and Mrs. Conklin.
And wise Mrs. Conklin knew. in her
good Irish heart. that 1t was not harm
but a great happiness that had come
TO play a part in the lives of the two
young people that night.
ANY such romantic beginning is
sure to end in the right way" she
soliloquized as she fell asleep amid
the strange surroundings of the little
bungalow in the woods.
Patrick's Preference.