The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1913-01-14
WINNING OF DOLLY.
Thrilling Encounter With Bandits
Puts Pompous italian Count
to ROut.
BY II. S. CANFIELD, JR.


of the disguiseo 1t was his nature to
do all things openly and above board:
and it irked him to have to stoop to
subterfuge. even in the struggle for
the hand of the woman he held above
all. BESIDES, for man who had new
er answered to the call or the craze
of the petrol. goggles. high-collared
coat and bunglesOme cap formed
discomfitting rampant behind which to
hide features and FORM With a growl-
ing imprecation against stubborn
fathers and fate. who kept him fight
Ing for his share of the worlds goods
instead of endowing him with such at
short notice, Arnold swept the big,
rakish-lOoking car In viciously short
curve and brought 1t to painting
standstill before the Leonard mansion
in the Upper Drive.
To his associates and enemies alike
on Change. "Old Bull" Leonard was
the persOnificatiOn of what all good
mothers warn their sons against grow
ing up into. He was just as merc-
less and cruel as his rise to fortune
was sudden and spectacular. The one
soft spot in his heart was for Dolly.
and her request for an imported car
Of fabulous horsepower and an in
structor in its ways and tricks Of loco
motion. was granted readily The rec.
ognitiOn of struggling young Arnold
had been the one request against
which the old broker had hardened his
heart. The influence Of young man.
we'll liked for his personal qualities, is
sometimes as far reaching as that OF
an old man we'll munitioned with gold.
and Arnold had experienced no diff
Guilty in landing the place as instructor
in auto driving to the beautiful Dolly
Leonard
Arnold had no chance to step from
the car after It had stopped. His heart
warmed and his face flushed happily
at the suddenness with which Dolly
threw Open the doors and almost ran
to the curbng in response to the
"honk honk" of the horn. Dolly had
admitted her love for him when Ar
mold had first poured forth his story
of his passion for her; and she was
not ashamed to show that she had
been awaiting him just as eagerly as
he had whisked the big car along over
the bOulevards. II was the lesson in
love. all the better for the subterfuge
and evasion OF authority, which ap-
pealed to the girl. not the dry, techni
cal explanations of this and that part
Of the steering gear, through the i'm
nartation Of which Arnold was sup.
"osed 10 be earning the dollars Of her
father.
Dolly vas ravishing in her auto tog
gerry The carelessly drawn veil hid
just enough Of the pink ear nearest
the begoggled Arnold to make him
long to press his lips Just below II.
desire which imperiled both occu-
pants of the car as they sped along.
Incidentally Dolly learned that such a
thing as clutch existed somewhere
about the brightly new machine and
that certain twists Of the wheel did
certain things also thai the gear box
wasn't under the hood She soon for.
got even these vague limitations Of
| mechanical KNOWLEDGE urOn the part
of her lover. But the things she did
not forget were the long sweet silences
following short. half whispered sen
fences as Arnold brought the machine
TO a snail's pace along the cool cOun-
t"y roads and slipred one arm around
her waist and half IN about her Shout.
der so that she might lean her head
close to his.
Through the long summer the rides
continued. It was not until in the
splendid autumn that the Count Rivoli
put In his appearance. in search of
some fair American girl with whom
went handsome dot to repair the
financial standing ol his family.
With the adveni OF the Italian i'm
pecunious as his rival. Arnold's pains
ana panSS DeSan. ne evident pleas
ure evinced by Leonard pere in having
nObleman as a sutton In his daugh-
ter's train acted not as balm for the
wounds Of the young broker II was
bad enough for him TO know that It
was the Count Rivoli who almost
nightly enjoyed the hospitality of the
Leonard mansion or occupied n scat
In a box beside the charming Dolly.
without having insult added to in iury
nv the presence Of the italian fortune
seeker as one Of the motoring marry
As the afternoons passed in speeding
over the roads. with Arnold bound nv
the restrictions which surround ordi.
nary chauffeurs. while the Count sat
snuggled up with Dolly and insisted
upon murmuring his tender speeches
for her ears alone. the situation he-
came almost unhearable TO the Amor,.
can. At times the muscles In hi.
shoulders became taut and strained
against the power of his self restrain,
as some few words of the Ita,i.,,.
reached his ears
Once. wnen Rivoli took il upon him.
y self to give the orders for tho no,.v