The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1913-09-30
BY A. M. CRAWFORD.

Think of a girls fate depending OF
such trivial thing as the color Of hel
parasol. Polly Moore had an engage
ment with young Phil Fuller and when
he rode up in his big touring car to
take her out he was surprised to learn
that she was too i'll to go. Yet as he
turned away, he distinctly saw a pink
parasol over the shoulder of a white
frock move slowly across the lawn
beside a blue serge suit of unmis.
takably good cut.
Want to take a ride?" In bitter
ness of soul Phil hailed pretty Kath.
ryn Stevens just as he turned out OF
Moores driveway.
Delighted" laughed the girl and
climbed in beside him. She had al.
ways cherished a secret fondness for
Phil.
How about the Country club?" he
asked briefly.
"Just the place" she agreed. Her
real name was Kathryn, but she was
frequently dubbed Kat" by unappre-
ciative ones to whom her social meth
DDS were not pleasant.
I'm just crazy about motoring.
am simply too happy for words she
said.
Phil hoped that she was telling the
truth, that she was too happy for
words, for he wanted to mediate. He
was already beginning to wonder if
he had allowed his suspicion of the
reality of Pollys illness to show when
he talked to her mother on the porch.
Inside his pocket and seeming to press
hard on his heart was flashing soil
tarie that he had expected, and per-
haps not without reason, to slip on
Polly's left hand that very afternoon.
He gripped the wheel and steered the
car so violently to one side that he
nearly precipitated his passenger in a
ditch by the road.
For mercy's sake, Phil, what are
you trying to do? You fairly took my
breath away
Don't worry he retorted, savage
ly, nothing could do that You have
enough in reserve to last a month. "
He repented instantly after taking a
sidewise glance at the girl and seeing
her flushed face Forget it," Didn't
mean a thing Honest to goodness,
girl
So she smiled and as they drove up
before the club house, she was laugh
Ing merrily, almost too merrily, over
one OF Pills jokes.
1t seemed to Phil that everybody
was there The two We're stopped
many times as they made their way
to little table on the gallery over
looking the river. For the first time
in his life, people irlita.ed him. While
he ordered everything on the menu
as a sort of apology for his previous
lack of courtesy, Kathryn took out her
gold vanity case and holding d.
minutve mirror before her, proceeded
to put on as much complexion as the
wind had blown off on the way to the
club. Phil frowned. Polly never did
those distressingly vulgar things that
pretty girls seem to think they are
privileged to do everywhere in the
world-even at prayer.
why don't you eat something?
Aren't you hungry? If you don't take
some of these delicious things you
have ordered, I'll think that you are
grieving over Polly Moore" announc-
ed his merciless guest
"Why why should be grieving
over herr" he stammered
"She was desperately i'll this morn
ing. They had two doctors with her.
Appendicitis | think they said"
Il have an appointment at SIX" he
said, opening his watch. Are you
ready to go back to town.
On the way out to the machine, he
heard people everywhere asking about
Polly. She was so utterly dear! He en-
ceeded the speed limit and hurried
Kathryn home. Then he went in
search of the nearest florist shop. The
little old German who sold flowers
there thought that his customer must
be crazy.
81 want pink roses, dozens and doz-
ems of them" he ordered, land want
them as quickly as you can get them
together, please"
His heart throbbed violently at
sight of a closed pink parasol by the
side of swing on the Moore's lawn.
There was the same inhabited blue
serge suit beside white frock, but
to his relief he saw that the girl was
not Polly. Then he remembered
about an expected visitor.
May | see Polly for just minute,
Mrs. Moore?" he begged at the door.
"Why, yes. Phil. She is in my sit
ting ROOM She gave us quite a scare
this morning but she is better now"
Polly was very pale where she sat
propped up by window. She wore
a lacy pink neglgee and as Phil look.
ed at her, sudden lump of terrible
proportions swelled up in his throat
and prevented immediate speech
ITS good of you to come to see
me-" Phil. Are all these lovely roses
mine? My. how extravagant you are!"
II thought that you were just pre-