The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1913-04-01
After LONG WAIT
How Success Much Delayed at
Last Brought Happiness.
ey NELLIE c. GILMORE.

ey NELLIE c. GILMORE.
After the hopeless monotony of
twenty years, Berringer suddenly
found himself confronted by a feel
ing of curious excitement; sense
OF something impending, which might
have been tragedy. or travesty. or
even the herald OF happiness In his
dull. dispassionate life. His mood
was whimsical, and he wondered with
q grim smile if he were not growing
hysterical in his old age! Forty-six
and-dreaming? Long ago-a score
of years-he had relegated sentiment
forever to oblivion. And now its
ghost was walking. He was not sure
that he liked the sensation nor was he
altogether certain that lie objected to
it. But he was decidedly disturbed BY
it.
Did this illogical return to memories
signify that the c.ogged wheels OF hi
being were again in motion and that
some subtle in,ltbor.inate self was
preparing to basin th old struggle ali
over again?
Twenty years ago life had look 4
very big and very b.i ,ht TO Arthur
Berringer Fame had coquetted at one
elbow and Love at the other. But put
it had crumblcd in his grasp and in
| the bitterness Of his defeat, he had
deliberately renowned the other. He
had loved the girl better than his life,
loved her far too well to drag her
down with him to the level of medic
Gritty, perhaps poverty. His master
effort had failed. All that was strong.
est and best within him had been
cast into the venture. He knew that
by instinc and he would not go to
Alice Rulledge with the miserable
story of his failure. So he had writ
ten her letter quite calmly, announc
ing his defeat and releasing her from
all ties. Afterwards. he had set stole
ally to work, straining every nerve
and brain cell to its capacity in The
futile effort to give he lie 10 his own
solf-knowlcdac The result was in
evtablc. lis iirsf failure was fol
lowed by repeated others and he had
finally threw town his pen and yiclucd
himself siimly to til" sCddcn grind OF
a cit ricil desk in enc of the big rail
read Offices All ambition was dead
within him, ana though the only thing
in life he really cared for might have
been his for the asking. he vowed sol
EMMY to forSWcar it until he had
proved himself deserving.
Berrnstr was sitting before his
| desk, tracing eccentric designs on the
blottihg pad and staring into space
where the events Of his youth lined
themselves. tie thought with u lit.
tie sigh OF the letter the girl had sent
him in answer to his own. Every
word stood forth wildly in his sud
denly surcharged imagination.
Impelled by some incomprehensibl
impulse to open the little wound. he
took out his keys and fitted one of
them into the lock of a secret draw.
er. The compartment yielded easily
to his pressure and after ~ years
he looked again ON the things that
had been dear 10 him il, his youth.
There WAS packet OF letters and a
bulky envelope .aatafnias tha rem.
nants q his Oh. great hr,.. IT. drew
them cut vih = SORT O HmIl p vcr-
enea and s8t Cur r.Unn m turning
tham 4. ip i. + au ua re-.
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1 ' Sc l tb.aar.
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