The Lakeland evening telegram., 1913-12-24

mad everything YOU wanted, eAcept
the thing you wanted most OF all-sln-
cere and disinterested love. Your
le1.,er ara mo. nel I'D Gled before you
could remember them. and you had !
been lefa To !No care OF A cold uncle
and aunt, VINO thought that they had !
cone ,1-.r entire ,Gi. toN&fu5 yon DN Z
co7.cg that v@G 800 properly fed, |
clolhed ana educuv1u, and implanting !
il You dia,rds,t O. ever, aunlan be- |
ing who cam" about you.
You revar ile the 10y that other |
girls had of De;r,, liked for them.
selves. When sul.urs came you were
told they were fortune hunters. Peo-
pie, in speaking of you, never praised |
you for any charm of your own, or any
grace, or accomplishment. They al
ways said that you were rich, and you
wondered sometimes if they knew how
their words hurt or now it must seem
! to a girl to come to believe that there
was nothing about her that could win
love-that she must buy it with the
money she hated.
Finally you began to realize that
your whole nature was being warped
by your environment. that your soul
was being atrophed, and so you ran
away from it all You persuaded dear
old Mrs. Bullion to take you away as
her hired companion to little quiet
place, where no one would recognize
you. You wore plain little cotton
gowns, and snobs who would have
tlunkied before the rich Miss Maitland
snubbed and ignored you, but there
was a man who saw the woman's heart
under the shabby gown, andothe wom-
ans brain under the common hat, and
he loved you, and asked you to be his
wife. I'VE shall be very poor" he
said, "for | have my way yet TO make
in the world. but, please God, we shall
fight the battle out shoulder to shoul-
der"
You remember" went on her Heart,
"how, with your head upon his breast,
and his arms around YOU, you planned
out the future-the little house, with
the rose above the door, the dear little
economies, the struggles, and the final
success, and you drank deep of the cup
Of Joy. for you knew life had made you
rich at last, for you were loved fOr
yourself alone-loved as woman
would be when strong mar trembles
at her touch, and his smile grows soft
and tender only for you. Then, at last,
came the time when you haO to tell
him that you were none other than the
rich Miss Maitland--'
And he went white as death while
he listened, and said that had he
known it he would never have asked
YOU to be his wife," interrupted Pride.
but it was then too late" triumph
antly cried her Heart; "he loved you,
and nothng-not money, nor position,
nor anything, could change that. You
came horne" continued her Heart,
"and your worldly wise uncle and aunt
called him a furtune hunter, and said
that he was going to marry you for
your money. You did not believe them,
but, by and by, as you plunged into
the old life, with its sordid strivngs,
and selfishness, and disbelief in all that
is high and true, the old distrust began
to creep up and poison life again"
"lIe should have trusted your love-"
said Pride; "he should have known
that you were merely playing"
Ills life said her Heart. sadly,
had not taught him how to play, 1t
had all been hard, bitter seriousness,
and so when he saw you smiling into
this other mans eyes with the counter.
felt Of the looh you had worn when
your head lay upon his breast, he
thought that you were faiJhles8 and
loyeloss, and that yoU--you who had
50 much--h1d come down out of your
high estate to rob him of the little he
had, and to make life worthless"
Then said Pride, desperately, "he
came and flung back your promise in
your face ana told you that he was
ashamed to have loved so poor a
thing"
Love docs not 20 at any mans bid.
ding" sighed her lloart; you saw him
the other day lie looked i'll, and worn,
and poor. Tomorrow will be Christ.
mas day"
"Think-" began Pride; but Miss
Maitland had risen up with look on
her face Of great and exceeding JOY.
Think. can think OF nothing but
my loye." she cried.
The next morning Miss Maitland
arose early, and spent much time at
her desk printing a large placard in
bold and unmstakabe letters. This
done, she donned simple little gray
gown, much affected by her the sum-
mer before, and over this she threw a
long cloak An hour later she directed
her astoniShed cGaChman to drive her
to q certain building ON one of whose
upper floors struggling Young lawyer
was, at the moment, engaged in de.
voUrng #ith his eye the photograph
Of comelv youne woman As sho
! reached his Office door Miss Matt,
hands courage wayotud and sank, but,
! taking d"ath grip upon i. II" hur,
rioaly passed 'hr Office TO-. anG oelora
she knew ID aa IN his nco.
/ alice" Ae ctind, st1rttng 10 his
foot. bt,t Ina gid ,.gt ,,.,'t g.- him -,