The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1912-07-03
Cupid and
the Cat
3y 4. Howard Gunter
Copyright. 1915 by Associated Literary Press>

\SopyrIght 1918. BY Associated Literary Press
Ambrose" remarked Mrs. Grant
wood. Jack Wilton Is very clever
boy. He has written some poetry t
Genevieve."
Unfortunately. Mr.. Grantwood vas
prejudiced against poetry. statuarJ
and tAe theater. for he knew thai
these things had nothing to do with
the hardware business. and he fell
that they were apt to be improper
So he banged his fist down on the
table and cried: Poetry! Then the
boys an idiot"
Hes very much In love with Gene
vieve." replied his wife irrelevantly
We'll. why can't he court her With
common sense and plain prose? DID
write poetry to you. Lily Mande
ville?"
Now, Dad" declared Thomas
Vaudeville Grantwood who was a
stanch admirer of Jack Wilton, be
reasonable You couldn't, you know
for Lily doesn't rhyme with anything
but silly and chilly and Vaudeville
with i'll and pill. The combination
OF words was against yol."
/ anyway, the verses were very
! pretty" persisted Mrs. Grantwood,
whose idea of poetry was bounded on
one side by the psalm OF Lille" and
on the other by "Curiew Shall Not
Ring Tonight" They began. Oh.
Genevieye, for YOU to grieve.' And he
brought a cat, too, when he brought
the poem. Goncyicve told him that
the rats We're taking the place
Mr. brentwood was Modified at
once. Good, ! always knew that boy
! had some sense. ! could scarcely
sleep last night for the rats They
marched around the room like sol
dierS"
As donor Of the cat, Jack Wilton re-
ceived warm welcome that night
from Gencyicves father, yet the
young mans usually cheerful counte-
nance was clouded He had deter
mined to try his fate that evening. to
tell Genevieve that he loved her, that
HE was nothing without her, and a
number OF other beautiful remarks
that he had carefully prepared tor
the occasion. lie had practiced his
speech in his room. had told his Aunt
Sallie that it should be now or never.
and had left home with Astounding
selfcontidence. But before he reached
the Brentwood home he experienced
Il familiar and sad sensation. his
courage began to dwindle at the front
door it had sunk below the waist
line, and when he was ushertd into
the parlor it had ebbed entirely away.
Jack Wilton was not afraid OF the
choleric Mr. brentwood or the neu-
rcsthcnic Mrs. GrantwoOd; it was the
girl herself who held him silent.
Whether ii was the smoOthnesS OF
her blonde hair, the Wilderness OF her
less common sense shining in her
eyes, whether il WIS any or all of
these things the young man could not
tell. but certain 1t was that he had
never been able TO make love to
Genevieve, though he had served long
and faithfully in her train. Many
frantic efforts he had made. but Gene.
We've was neither sentimental nor
fiirtatious. and her cheerful trlendI.-
ness COMPOUNDED his romantic flights
SO now he gazed In dumb misery
from the rug ut her feet to the clock,
while Gcnevlcrc sang him all her lit
tie SONGS ana told him all the Jokes
In the last installment OF the WON
ans Fircside Friend II was already
1920. and at 1880. As Jack Wilton
knew, Mir brentwood would be heard
coughing violently III the dining
room, and AT that signal ali visitors
must depart. The time VA, near aud
YET he could not speak
Meanwhile, upstairs, Tommy Gian,
wood awoke With a start at Il Slight
sound IN ais room, aud there or tac
table was a great gray rat that Was
their nightly Visitor. Ermcmhegtr.
moiasscs Pie that be had loved and
lost. Tommy Was prcparing to- alng a
shoe ut the visitor when 1.-the form
sprang from the ddrhucs> 10 the IA.
ole. The cat WAS quick, hut The rat
WIS quicker. ard with i startled
squeak it Jumped Tor the door ana
scurried downstairs. the utg cat hard
behind it,
Mrs. Grantwooa. lyinE in bed and
watchine, the clock, decided that If
was time fer Ambrose 10 begin cough.
ing in the dining room. ambrose
she called, but the words died on her
lips, for suddenly there was a strange
humping and humping on the stairs
and q huge rat. pursued by the new
cat. rushed into the room They ran.
both the pursued and the pursuer.
right over the sleeping form of old
Ellen. the negro nurse. who lay on a
pallet by Mrs. Grantwood's bed.
"Oh, Lord" cried the old woman
"et can't Judgment day. ain't
dressed proper to rise In glory"
Mrs. Grantwood rose In bed and
quick OF action. threw the brass can.
dlestick at the rat as II rusbad 49,.