The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1912-08-08
She Had the
Habit


gin in the white serge suit to her
fir I'd on the opposite side Of the
Ii table. Il don't know whether l
c. explain 1t to you because it Is
K t! Of involved
m have to go back to the time
was fourteen and Willie had
i looked upon my horizon. !
Z pelt he was the handsomest boy
Il beMefcent powers above had ever
= ifted to glorify the earth. Fife
s ov. who was in love with the boy
wi.o delivered groceries, and l used
to quarrel for hours at time, each
trying to convince the other of the
~ orior attractions Of her beloved.
remember pointing out to Effie
IL glorious sweep of Willie's raven
Il " above his noble brow and the
"a, On fire of his flashing black eye.
Il said it showed that he was hero
destined to do noble deeds and that
size was a horrid thing to say he was
homely. II was just because she was
jealous.
Years later | came across pic
tire of Sunday school picnic with
Willie In the front row and took
good look at him, He was boy who
was exaggerated at all points. His
bristly hair stood straight up like a
shoe brush nd he had pop eyes. He
just queer looking and 1t seems to
me that I have heard rumors from
some one that he is running livery
stable In his home town.
well, when ! was seventeen my
heart belonged to Richard. l thought
that Of all the grand men on earth he
was the grandest and used to sit at
my window at night when should
have been getting my beauty sleep and
look at the moon and dream Of him.
Noble was the adjective l ap-
piled to Richard. | meditated upon
his serene brow, his poetic face and
his wonderful profile. likened It
to a cameo and sighed to think that
all the men in the world could rot
be like him and so redeem 1t from
its prosaic ugliness. | said that ! st
to look. at him one would know he
was filled with splendid aspirations
and was far, far above sordid thoughts
OF gain that made most men selfish
and grasping rember mother sigh.
ing at the time and murmuring that
sOrdd gain was mighty nice thing
to have around when the grocery and
milk bills came due
Il saw Richard not long ago, and
of all the lank, slipshod weak faced,
no account creatures he is the worst.
| think he sells woodenware and takes
his meals at Il ffteen-cent restaurant.
There wasn't single solitary thing
about him to admire or look up to
and how had raved about him once"
when was eighteen | thought the
sun rose and set in Mr.. Judkns, who
was a friend of fathers and bache-
Tor. said his face showed that he
had fought With the world and had
been victor in his battles and the
marks of his struggles only added to
the strength of his countenance.
said that after knowing him the
younger men bored me with their
greenncss and inexperience and that
1t was such comfort to be able to
rest on Mr.. Judkins' superior tudg'
ment and know whatever he said was
right
"My family were terribly wrought
up about the matter and father used
regularly to explode when spoke OF
Mr.. Judkins' wisdom and stability
Mother would dissolve into tears and
beg me not to ruin my life by marry
ing an old man. Well, that's five
years ago-and today Mr. Judkins
looks TO me- like fat. weatherbeaten
elderly man and If there was law
compelling me to marry him I'd never
obey the law If they puf me- into
prison for life.
There were several after Mr. Jud
| kins. And every one nj the time
considered the best looking man or
earth. The attractive features could
dig up in those men would have been
sufficient TO make a perpetual beauty
show Of the masculine population Of
| this big town We live in
And after We had our falling out
every time | hlnked my eyes and
took another look | saw their thin
hair and wa'ory eyps. their crooked
noses and avn! ears
1T never fa;I =.
Now What is Worrying ne" I've
ri III WHIT serge made marks ~
IT, doilics ~'th - s.ecn IS whc,h
e.
~Yon sec. e onsr.e. l don mean
taerr Is anrA."- serious hetH. g
Barry and myself. but--NeiL ar
ccirc 10 wake ~ ana find ogt hat
ne is homely and commentaries. .5o.
That would b. awful after ] was mar
ried ANDY, m,-hf As well ,el'
YOU that In engaged 10 him. VIA,