The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1912-11-15

j .d.aGce. he might express the oaS
i, and 20 forth.
Ma, men would have done so and
said lie matter could go hang. Out
Mr. e. ,.fcrd didn't A faint sniIf Oh
romance was In the air. lie was
aware OF emotions 10 which he had
heretofore been .oiai stranger. hacA
h. went TO Har ford. II was eight
o'clock In the evening when he gazed
into Miss Merritt's eyes and wondered
whether she was ifty-fve or sixty.
Smpcrs and so g,ads, So sorry ne
had gone to all the trouble he had-
3he was sure that he was one man out
II thousand She uai read OF such
:.,lant ictions in DO. Ks. but never ex-
r.,,vti 10 met the hero of them. she
=. 4 = iaied 10 write aim. not KNOW
+ h.. he NTH; b. a confidence man.
~ant a ni,v" frcm her to levy
A. .a.naii she nos saw that she had
pr..hrd hiG IN. must beg his par
,ra 4 G;ii,cn times over. Once sne
nd W.i'itn y lrtfer 10 a man about
,i.,-;rg in silver m,ae stock. and
in t,r iSLcrarce of the Wiles OF the
no;!d She had poured out her heart
20 ,c.usively that il had cost her $500
"a g.t her letter hack II was because
Il this sad experience that she had
Nrlri.n SO formally to Mr. Rexford.
Nov that they lad met and he had
seen her and she had seen him. she
WAS sure he would forgive.
Yes, Mr. Rexford would forgive. He
would even praise her maidenly dis.
erection, but was that her shopping
bag Shopping bags with the initial
N" on them were SO numerous that
a mistake was easily made.
Oh there was not a doslbt In the
world about ownership. That bag had
called up too many sad thoughts for
her to be mistaken In It. II had been
a gift from a dear friend--a very dear
friend Indeed. she was not ashamed
to admit that she and that very dear
friend had been betrothed only the
week before he had been run down
by an auto. Yes, she had loved and
lost. but.
"Will you please make sure OF the
bag Miss Merritt"
She opened It and plunged In her
hand and TIM stood up and shouted:
You bold, bad mani"
What Is it,"
ilere-take it--go. was right In
thinking you a scoundrel of the black
est dye. Oh. II were only man."
When Mr. Rextord got back to New
York he had the hag with him. and
h. found a third letter awaiting him.
TIL" bag. so the writer said was care.
t. SLY left behind when she left the
train at Hartford. and she would be
only too happy to pay any costs and
get her property back
Mr.. Rcxford started on his third
Journey He was sure Of the curiosity
aud romance now He found Miss
Mrrriweather at home He found her
petite and amiable. Almost her first
greeting was laugh as she said
The whole family will feel re-
lieved now"
Sure It's yours"
"Of course. Here's some false
hair for sister-a bottle OF hair.dye
for mother--a pipe and tobacco for
father-a jumping jack for bub. and"
MY card tells you that | am Mr..
Royal Rexford. of New York"
YES"
And ! want TOTO"
"You want to see father"
"No-er-nor. That is not Just now
but SOON"
Miss Merriweathcr puzzled mo
ment and then the bushes came. She
didn't exactly know what she was
blushins for. hut she keeps II up as
often as Mr. ReXford lands in Hart.
ford. ard that is once week. And
his mother has had to explain to sew.
pral friends.
"Oh. yes, there can be romance In
a lady's shopping bag as we'll az In
saving maid from drowning
,Copyright 1912. hv the Mcclure News.
paper Synaica,eD