The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1913-01-17
cigar I. BOX STORY
How TWO Lovers We're Reunited
BY a Label on a Box.
az 4. N. EeHERT.

cf his love.
He was resting upon his oars, half
way between the mainland and Cy-
press Key. Under their boat the blue
tides ran swiftly; the rustling palmet-
tcs filled the air with murmurs; the
scent Of the bIossoming orange trees
was borne out to them from the in
land groves. And from west to east
the sky was aflame with crimson.
Dolores said the young planter,
''will you stay here and marry me7"
She started and looked at him In
tently A warm red colcred her
cheeks, and the slanting. sidelong
glance Of her eyes became direct. and
then her eyelids yelled It.
your wife!" she murmured, and
her fingers clutched the rowlocks con-
vulsively for a moment mol" she
continued hurriedly. you don't
know who / am or anything about
me-
Il don't care" Murdoch cried. "A
know that love you It isn't much I
oiIer you--it's very different here
from what you have at home in
Tampa
At home in Tampa, she repeated
mechanically. In her quaint spanish
accent.
She had drifted into Big Cypress in
May, when the last Of the tourists had
left Florida and the hotel was closed.
She had come from Tampa. she ex-
planned, Ianguidly; q touch Of fever,
nced for rest, for change. No, she
had never been so far north before, or
70 SO little q place. She rented lit
tie cottage near the house.
Since then two weeks had passed,
and on the morrow she was to go.
! She would never come back, they
knew, that brilliant bird Of passage
who had fingered there, talking with
the fishermen. pet.ing the fat children
upon the wharves, or reclining Iazily
In the shade Of palmetto tree, puff
ing 1t her vanilla cigarette habit
admired by the men but made the
subject Of vicious comment by the
Ashermen's wives Sometimes Ned
Murdoch would take her in his fat
bOttomed boat from key to key. to
hunt for the elusive tarpon or to gath
er acatch OF mackerel for the evening
meal at her cottage upon the shore.
they had grown intimate, he and she.
and she had exercised her arts upon
him during those lonely sails, during
their long walks on the beach, and
seeing the worship in his eyes, she
had made her conquest sure. Why
should he not succumb. this simple
countryman, rich. according to local
standards, but hopelessly ignorant Of
the world, gauche rustic. and simple?
II was thought at Big Cypress that
she must be the daughter Of some one
Of the Tampa cigar kings men who
had built up the prosperity Of the
town in a generation, and vet retained
their Spanish speech and customs
amid the ceaseiess changes, the Amer
sanitation Of the old Spanish city
No, she answered Murdoch In agi-
tatlon. Il must go home # is impos-
sible."
Ned Murdoch rowed her back and
left her at ! the cottage door. He
raised his hat and went, turned at the
end Of the beach and looked back to
zee her standing there. watching him.
= slight and graceful figure framed In
the rustic door. Next morning she
left for Tampa. He did not see her
again.
She was gone, and Big Cypress
swiftly forgot her. The summer
passed: new tourists came in Octcber;
only Ned Murdoch remembered her.
His loved increased with It's hopeless
ness. Often he would timidiy inquire
concerning her from some Tampa vis-
itor, yelling MS INQUIRIES discreetly:
but none recognized mis- description.
Then the event occurred which
changed his life. One evening, at the
hotel. a tourist offered him cigar
from the box. He took one and then
=