The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1913-03-07
IT WAS A COLD DAY
eY ElIZABETH ALLEN.

IN.
"Oh, by all means!" agreed the
young woman with savage politeness.
Is she made for the open fireplace.
Still, you can talk till you're black in
the face about the joys Of snow and
ice and ruddy cheeks and all the rest
OF that rubbish. but as for myself give
me q thermometer that is climbing to
the top like b new-rich family on the
social warpath. You might throw in
few palm leaf fans and q case of
sunburn into the bargain-lll take
them ALI"
what has happened?" inquired the
hostess. you are SO violent, dear"
Violent" echoed the young woman
who had just come in hurting her muff
at the Pekinese spaniel and dashing
her gloves into a thicket Of Boston
fern. I'm a mild ethereal zephyr
compared with what I'd have to be il
expressed the sum total of my emo
tons! In fact. have so many emo.
tons that feel like the person who
lives in a two-by.four fat with folding
beds squeezed into one corner and has
her grandmother's mahogany four
poster bestowed on her! I've got to
move, that's all! Violent! Come here.
Chow. and let me bite you!"
Leave that poor. innocent dog
alone!" ordered the hostess, hurried.
ly. rs your new velvet dress spoiled.
or what?"
The young woman sank into chair
and groaned as she regarded the fire.
"Worse," she related. Beyond the
limit Of the impossible! You know
Winston Wilder, don't you-the one
we all call Winnie because he looks
like it? Why. once when we were hay.
ing cOnundrums somebody asked.
why is a Winston Wilder?' and the
answer was, Because he was out when
the fool-killer called!' don't know
why any of us have tolerated Winnie
all these years except that he is gen.
orally harmless, in spite of his super.
natural conceit.
"rhen. too, as for myself, always
was interested in counting the six
hairs of his mustaclle and seeing II by
chance there were seven, but there
never were think he has those six
glued On. ard even they are kind OF
pink. He Isn't even decorative at q
tea, because he insists on talking and
that shrill voice OF his sends every ono
home. We have accepted him as one
Of the drawbacks 10 existence. Well.
when Winnie appeared yesterday an
ernoon and said he had come to takA
me skating he seemed so sure about It
that / went. Besides, had nothing
else to do and | like 10 skate and
thought could forget he was along.
I'VE had lovely time at first. until
I noticed that 1t was frishtfully cold.
When get chilled my face always be-
comes SO frozen that the muscles
won't work and | can't talk. It's just
as though they were set In wise. !
didn't know it had happened until Win
ME began to propose to me-"
PROPOSED" shrieked the hostess.
swell, perhaps you wouldn't call Il
proposing II you are finicky about
words" admitted the young woman
who had dropped in. Rather he be-
gan to inform me that he had decided
to marry me. It never would occur to
Winnie to ask girl about little
thing like that--his idea is that she
would hurl herself at him in hysterical
tears of Joy should he but mention
that she had chance to get him. As
soon as | realized what he was doing /
turned upon him with chilling sen.
tence on my lips-where it stayed. !
couldn't get out a word, so | sawed
the air wildly and protcstinsly with
one hand.
81 know what I have said has
startled and overcome YOU remarked
Winnie as he grabbed my hand and
pulled II down, but try to be calm!
Try to control yourself! 1t isn't so
strange when you come to think Of It
you are a very attractive girl II you
aren't beauty and never would mar.
ry for money anyhow. want my
wife to be girl who has been brought
up frugally. SO she won't expect dia:
mond tiaras and ten servants to wait
on her. A woman's place is the home.
making things cheerful for her hus-
band. don't you Think.
Il made some strangling, cultural
sounds and Winnie beamed at me
soothingly. I knew you thought So
he said. You can trust to my judg.
ment. knew you cared for me, dear.
even though you were at such pains
to conceal 1t. The knowledge that
you did SO was what first touched me
1t would have been unmanly to
spurn your affection!'
II stopped short at this and pound.
ed on the Ice with one skate and
glared at him and waved my hands
and tried to talk and my face simply
wouldn't work.
Poor girl Winnie said. still sooth.
ingly. I shall take you home to recov.
er from the excitement OF the mo.
ment. Ill have our engagement an
nounced at once
Il live only two blocks from the