The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1913-01-27
HAD PLENTY OF TIME
5y CHARLES PLElNS.

| Don waste any pity on US for be-
ing up here in the woods at this sea-
son OF the year" wrote the girl to
ner best friend in town. who had
oeen sympathizlng with her by letter.
| We are having perfect time. and
I'm beginning 10 find out what leisure
ls-at least | should be finding out
II ! weren't busy every minute. That
sounds contradictory. | know. but the
truth is that | am reteling in tho
KIND Of leisure that gives me oceans
OF time 70 do all the things that I've
always been wanting TO DO
Just fancy the delight Of having
four solid hours OF reading every
| night and then being In bed at 1890!
You see We have an early dinner and
the evening begins promptly at 6.
and 1ather and sit with our needle
Worh II hand while brother VIII
r CAT as chapter after chapter. Don't
you Nisa YOU had chance to get ar-
quaiaii With Little Nell. Colonel
NeWaae 9nd Maggie Tulliyer aaain'
'a mother is working on her
si'h aaili IN The mornings | take an
no. 1T two for magazines and mod
err nalels and I've actually found
thal aave a taste for poetry.
Yea anstnt think. however, that
reading furnishes our only amuse-
me't we have a great deal of other
| entertainment The bird banquet
which we have set outside our dining
room window is a constant source OF
interest We have piece Of salt pork
tied to cedar bou2h and every morn
Ing as We eat our eggs and bacon q
black and white woodpeckor with
dash Of scarlet in his topknot comes
and poEos his beak into this brand
Of breakfast food, which appears just
to sgii him He is usually followed
by tHa ltaniaNs that. moi being adopt
at pe,king. content themselves with
the crumbs which mother keeps un.
der III" cedar tree for them.
We iced the squirrels also They
fash back and forth in front Of our
windows all day long, jumping from
roo 10 hough and scampering across
the snowy lawn with their tails high
IN d., ;ir like graceful red plumcs
HrNtor VIII declares that mother and
Auth luupcrizing these little neigh.
hnfs "a ours. but we insist that our
donations will not interfere with their
Sc aliance.
l'ii tGn recreation that Brother
WI aud | enjoy most is mothers
taxi Thigk Of it, in all the years
,ae sp been her daughter | never
realized until this autumn what a
hrl.aat talker mother is. Until now
! VI h,yr always been too busy with
~ Everyday affairs Of life TO con
about anything more important
4 clothes, housekeeping. entertain.
lists of quests and all the other
yer ending details of existence II
hadn't stayed In the country this
autumn might never have known
what wealth OF "reminiscences and
anecdote is stored up in mothers
memory. She remembers the stirring
days of the civil war she passed
through the great Chicago fire and
she pioneered in Alaska before the
gold rush. brother Will and | have
heard some thrilling stories these aft.
ernoonS when the snow or rain has
kept up close to the wood fire.
You mustn't think Of us as entirely
cut off from the outside world. Every
once in while We see some one from
the village Il was only night before
last that man went by with Ian.
fern, Brother viii and had heat
I'd argument as to whether 1t was the
hired man from the nearest farmhouse
or the village clerk who is said to be
waiting on the farmers daughter
This morning Hrother VIII called
ne from my book TO look ont Of the
window to see how cnneested the traf
fic was on the highway with the rural
free delivery mans cart and wagon
Dad of hogs. both in sight at once
so. you see. life is far from dull
Brother VIII has Just interrupted
my writing to tell mo that his morn
ing mail his decided him to move
into toNn early neTt Wnek
'Of course lvo enjoyed every min
lte Of this long auHpB here. but now