The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1913-11-13
UNCLE DAMS LETTER
By JOHN HONEYWELL.

BY JOHN HOpEWELL.
$50 your Aunt Felicia is obdurate
asked Jimmy Vanstone.
4 Ethel nodded She declares that a
my appointed guardian she will neve
consent to my marriage with you. AT
er / am twenty-one, why of course
can do as please"
"You won't be twenty-one for anott
er six months"
Il know it-but we can wait, jim
my" said Ethel hopefully.
I'VE can't wait much longer If l an
to accept position with the Pillow
share people. They want me to sal
for Germany on the fifteenth OF Octo
ber."
Jimmy! And today is-the fifteenth
OF September" Ethel caught he
breath sharply.
-Four weeks. II Miss Weeks woult
only recognize our right to love eacl
other and to consent to your marrying
me before l sail we could spend oul
honeymoon in Germany" grumblet
Jimmy.
Ethel was silent; her face wa!
turned away from the young man bu
he could see that the pink lips Quiv
cred and the violet eyes were heavy
with tears.
Dearest" he cried sharply, "don't
-"
A commanding voice broke in upon
his words. ETHEL" called Miss Felicia
Weeks in her deep tones.
Il must CO." said Ethel hurriedly
you were about to show me your
uncle's letter, Jimmy"
"Oh. yes! haven't read 1t yeti
thought we could read 1t together.
almost know what the old boy is going
to say, though. 'Bless you my chill
dren. and bring Ethel to see me-Im
sure she's the prettiest girl in the
world That's Uncle Danny Lorimer
the best uncle any chap ever had.
Take his letter. dearest. and then send
1t on to me after you've read it. Good
by, sweetheart | won't say farewell
to Miss Felicia know she detests
the very sight of me. He dropped an
other kiss on her lips and on her wet
eyes and swinging through the gate
went down the road, vanishing almos.
Immediately in the vclvety black shad
ows cast by the tall locust trees.
In the same instant Miss Felicia'g
firm step crunched on the gravel walk
Ethel" she called once more and
then, discovering the girl leaning
against the gate post looking like a
slender ghost in her pale gown, "Why
do you not answer me?' she asked in
displeased tore. Why are you here?"
:" have been saying goodnight to
Jimmy" said Ethel bravcly.
Jimmy! Ethel, you know that vii,
rot tolerate that young man about the
place-why do you meet him clandez-
tinely?"
Aunt Felicia, when have met any
one clandestinely? Jimmy called upon
me this evening and you met him in
the veranda. have told you that | am
engaged to him ard | have a-rer-
perfect right to accompany him to the
and say-say goodnight"
Ethel's voice was mixture of fear
and defiance.
There was something awe-inspiring
about Miss Felicia Weeks She was
tall and finely proportioned and was in
her severe way very handsome WON.
an. Ethel had heard that her Aunt Fee
licia had been a great beauty ard a
belle In her day-twenty.iive years
ago. But the cnce jetty hair had
turned to silver and the glorious dark
eyes had grown stern and the ripe lips
were compressed in hard line. The
Weeks women usually kept their fig
ures and their complcXions in open de-
tal ce to old Father Time. and Miss
Felicia was no exception to the fam.
lily rule. So now, as she came down
the walk, tall and stately in her filmy
black gown, the moonlight full on her
fair face, Ethel marveled that one who
was SO beautiful and who must have
been greatly loved by men, could be SO
hard-hearted.
Jimmy Vanstone was everything to
be desired in the way OF a nephew-in.
l&w-save that he wanted to marry
Miss Felicia's niece Felicia Weeks
wanted her niece to brighten her
lonely household. She had adopted
E'hel when the girl had been orphan.
ed in her childhocd and she had pic
tured a future where they would live
happily together. tasting the best that
the world could give them of travel
ard pleasure. She had not counted on
lthers falling in love at twenty, and
she felt a fierce resentment that all
her plans for the future were to be
upset by mere romance.
Miss Felicia believed that she had
left romance far blhind-and she also
believed more or less happily that she
WAS none the verse for The expert.
cEce.
IT, ,,.