The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1912-11-16
"RUBE" AND THE GIRL
BY L. z. BURTON.


long-how long,"
The words drummed in her ears al
every beat of the music; every note
made the pain in her head more acute,
as Nellie Day (whose name on the
program was Mile. Eleanor Diem) pi.
rouetted and coquetted in the maze
Of her dance.
Mile. Diem was the premiere dan.
seuse of a small company playing
THE Circus Lady" melOdrama OF
the most mellow order. doing one
night stands in the middle west.
Although Nell was the pet Of the
show. she had incurred the disapprov-
al of Henry Sweeny. the big. rough
manager. because lately she had
fallen off" in her high kicking and
whirling act.
Sweeney had glared at her and NUT
tered an oath at the end OF the first
act. and now she knew a sharp scold-
ing would greet her when she re-
turned to the dizzy dressing room.
Making her last bow. she smiled
right into the eyes OF the "Rube"
that had followed the show from place
to place for over week, who every
night had occupied a front seat, who
had paid scant attention to the other
players. but who always led the ap-
plause when Mile. Diem appeared.
The other members of the company
tcascd Nell in IA good-naturcd way
about the mash" she had made on
the "Rube."
Lii ard Kid Clay lthe Clay sisters)
told her she was a fool not to 20 out
to supper with him after the show.
IF you are so tired OF this life.
why don't you lay off while and
get him to put up for you' He's got
the coin!"
You girls don't understand. He
amt the kind we've been used to. He's
good. He never asked me to go to
supper after the show, but he took me
ridin in the country once.
lie a.; d ne TO call him Thee. His
names 'lhtorhius sykes. Amt that
name fo. YOU"
As the curtain descended with the
last blalr of q horn. Nell sank in a
i'tlr heap on the stage heap of
cru;npled pink iullr, sMnglcs and
Chr2p satin. SWrr"l groWlcd out Il
word or two aaout "incompetrnts" and
's!ck folks" h0 ma her carried TO
the building that bore The name Of
hotel.
Then she WAS ra' to b d and dose,l
with bad whisky AND water, which
failed to revive her.
Next day the company was forced
to continue is tonr. leaving Nell be-
hind in care of the slattcrAly wife of
the hotel manager. Thcophilus, hear.
ing OF her illness. also remained He
it was who SAW that her room was
made bright with flowers. wild flow.
crs that he gathered in the country
lanes early in the morning, when the
dew was fresh upon them. He it was
who fetched the doctor from a neigh
boring town. and who paid for such
delicacies as could be obtained at tn,
general store on Main street.
The day she was able to sit up in
the big, Old-fashioned rocking chair
beside her bed the Rube brought a
magnificent bunch OF roses and Il
large box of bonbons tied with wide
pink ribbon. These had been sent
from Chicago.
He laid them in her lap; then TAX
ing her frail, little hand in his big
brown one he stroked the back OF II
with the tips of his fingers and in a
faltering voice hcsitated and stumbled
through proposal Of marriage.
Maybe I'm a Rube, little girl: but
| kin take kcer OF you. Come HON,
with me. home to the farm. and rest
all you want to. don't ask you Ia
love me, yet; but just come EN- lei
me keer for you like would my own
little sister. If | had one"
Nell buried her face In the roses
their perfume filled the room. With
q rush of feeling she knew she loved
this man; this "Rube" that all her as
sociates had ridiculed and joked
about. But could she marry him!
II can't marry you. Theo-I-oh
I'm not good enough to be your wife
You are too good-toO honest for a
girl like me. L"
But she got no further. He held
her face between his palms. looked
straight into her big. brown eyes
eyes that did not waver az they re
turned his gaze.
Little Nell" he said, II amt mar
ryin' the girl you have been. I wan,
the girl you are; the gentle, honest
sweet girl that | know is your real
self. You must forgit everything thar
happened to you before today. Don't
talk about it: don't think about It
Begin to live today, now, the life you
want to live; the pure, clean, swee,
life Of the open country. Marry me
and we'll go back home. Will you
Nell?"
Il needn't tell you about my life;
that other life on the stage?
Not q word. You begin to live to
day new life as my wife, Mrs. The
ophilus Sykes"
Her body swayed forward and she