The Lakeland evening telegram., 1913-08-13
BRAVERY NOT ALIKE
Girl Puts Lovers to Test; One
Afraid Of Fire, Other
of Water.
BY CLAUDINE SISSON.
"Oh. l had forgotten to tell YOU"

On, na0 rorSOtten TO tell you.
MY stars-wh-at."
Mr.. Allison, the banker, was writ
ing letters in his library when his
daughter Maude entered, and finding
him busy she curled up in one Of the
big chairs and was half asleep when
,, he laid aside his pen and spoke to her.
"There is to be war with Timbucto."
"Gracious!"
And every young man in the coun-
try over eighteen will have to 60"
That's awful"
II was figuring this afternoon on the
effect it would have on you"
"On me? Why. father. girls don't go
70 war!"
"But their beaux do"
oh. you were only teasing!"
laughed Maude as her color height
ened.
Il figured that you would lose your
seventeen young men and have to sub
stitute bachelors and widowers."
"Only sixteen. papa!"
well, I'm expecting three or four
Of them here tonight to ask my con.
sent. II you don't want to get mixed
up in the row you'd better be going"
stop joking and ask me where I
want to 60 this summer"
"Well?"
ITO the seashore They are going
to open a new hotel at Rosamond
Beach,"
Il knew that a fortnight ago. and
our arrangements are all made"
You dear. good mani"
Our board will cost US nothing.
get 81 per week apiece for the young
men who will follow you up there.
Twice Ii is 30 and there you are"
Miss Maude Allison didn't have 16
beaux. She didn't have half that mum.
Der. There were only five who called,
and three of them made their calls as
formal as if visiting an orphan asylum.
The race lay between Walter Davis
and Hugh Lee. That is. they imagined
1t did Just what Miss Maude imagined
was a different thing. Neither young
man could complain that she showed
the other any preference. The father
might have had one, but he was not
mixing in.
There are plenty of men, young and
old. who have been in doubt for time
as to which of two girls or widows
to make their wife. The agricultural
department at Washington has stats.
tics showing that men have courted no
less than four women at one and the
same time, and ended by not marrying
any one Of them. Therefore, 1t would
not be fair to charge Miss Maude with
being flirtatious.
Sixteen young men did not appear
at Rosamond Beach the next day after
the Allisons were installed. Fourteen
could not get away but two could and
did. OF course, they were Walter Da.
Vi and Hugh Lee. OF course, they
were greatly surprised to meet each
other at the depot. OF course, they
did not refer to the Allisons. OF course,
each one was going up for a day or
two to see what the new hotel looked
like. Their respective starts Of sur.
prise at seeing Miss Maude on the
veranda would have insured them sal.
aries Of SIG per in the old days Of the
dime museums.
| Miss Maude also gave a start Of sur.
prise. She explained that she had NO
more thought Of seeing them up there
than she had Of meeting the man IN
the moon. How on earth did they know
where to come? She was glad to see
them. of course, very, very glad, (their
hearts bounded) but why hadn't they
thought to bring Billy Sims and Kyle
Harris? Their hearts shrank like cab.
bage leaves In an August day.
Maude's father caught her words and
smiled. She wasn't giving her hand
away very much.
One afternoon after three or four
days had passed. the talk among six
or eight people on the veranda in a
group turned on bravery. OF course II
was mans bravery. No one expects a
woman to dash in front of a raging
lion to save crippled child or a de-
crepit old man. Every one but Miss
Maude had had his say, and when she
was asked for her opinion she replied .
Il may never marry at all, but II I
should, and my husband proved to be
. coward, ! should hate him and leave
him!"
| That was plump from the shoulder.
and Messrs. Davis and Lee sat up and
took notice.
Each longed for something to happen
that he might show his bravery. Would
. tidal wave sweep in! Would \ cv.
clone take the roof OF the hotel, ,
Would . mad dog appear on the beach
and present his throat that he might
be choked to deathi et.v.
Queerly enough. the opportunity Va.
on the way and close at hand. A
lighted cigarette thrown down \ hall
started q blaze. and there was imme.
diate confusion. A score Of men
dashed in with'pails Of water, and an.
or lively fight they got the better az
the flames and saved the hotel
Young Walter Davis was one of the
foremost. and had budding mustache
singed beyond repair. but whar. mo.