The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1913-04-04
STORY OF MRS. JONES
Bv JOSEPHINE BRANDON.

The auiclness of the narrow streets,
deserted save for belated passerby
or so, proved conducive to introspec-
ton.
Her thoughts harked back to by.
gone days: to the time when her re-
naming parent had died and left her,
with q few thousand dollars. in the
first bright glow Of womanhood. Soon
after that she met Jones. Everybody
thought he was such q nice young
man.
So, a. his calls grew more and more
frequent, she came to rejoice In the
belief that the other girls were secret.
ly envying her. He bought violets for
her and brought her candy; he was q
very nice young man indeed. There
were old maids in those days. and she
had the common fear and horror of
being left single-stranded on the
shores of the ocean of matrimony.
One evening he had TREMENDOUSLY asked
her to marry him; and she had as
TREMENDOUSLY answered him, yes.
But that was a good many years
ago. Since then several little Joneses
had come into the world to laugh and
cry, and get married. They must be
clothed and fed: when old enough to 60
first bright glow Of womanhood. Soon
to school they asked often for pocket
money, the girls especially. The little
boys saved theirs.
On making closer acquaintance
with Jones, she had discovered thai
the position he held was rather more
respectable than remunerative. In
fact, she didn't see how he could have
hoped to support wife and family on
his salary. lie must have been look
ing forward to an early promotion
or else he wasn't looking at all.
But with the help of her little In.
come they managed to get along pref.
ty we'll, 1T least until the panic Of '93.
Then many employees were turned out
of a job; and Jones was one Of the
number. He comforted her with the
assurance that he had never been duly
appreciated, and it wouldn't be long
before his friend, Mr.. White, could get
him a position worth while.
Meantime they lived on her money.
She shivered at recollection Of the
oLooI, IN, bod u,r;ttou ~ ho ~ h od
by hi... in the city. 1t was less pain.
full to lend" that way; because he
was enabled to keep tacitly to himself
the money he needed for personal ex
penses.
Bit by bit had her small fortune
dwindled until these few bonds alone
remained. Opportunities for work had
arisen in plenty, but always to be
passed over as too insignificant. The
places would lower his standing, he
said, hurt his chances for bigger
things. Next week or next month Mr..
Blank or Mr.. Ray had as good as
promised to procure him this or that
fine position. And the loan, you know.
might go through. Then he would pay
her back all he had borrowed" and
they'd be on Easy street for the rest
Of their lives. He then had limited at
an automobile: for he fully expected
to get several thousand Q year.
But since time few by and these ex.
pectations were left behind unfulnlled,
It appeared that he set greater store
by himself than did others. She
thought OF how he would look when
she returned home. There he'd be
sitting, with the eternal paper In his
hand. smoking one cigar after another.
II only he would learn to like pipe.
Soon after she came In he'd begin to
berate the government for Its being
possible that such state Of affairs
can exist, when"
She was tired Of his faulty. These
bonds were the last she had. When
the money for them was gone. what
should she do? Go to the poorhouse?
He wouldn't let her work as long az
she stayed with him, because she was
his wife; and yet he didn't do anything
himself She would leave him. Then
she thought Of the children after all.
they belonged to him, too. But. pshaw!
He seemed to regard them as mat
ter Of course. not as q charge Ghost.
ages of fortune" flashed through her
niind).
Was it for this she had promised to
"love, honor and obey" him9 How alb
surd those words sounded In such a
connection. Was she 10 love man
she rather despised; to honor one
whom she could net admire: TO obey
her husband when she did not love
him? She had been forced by society
to promise what she either could not
have helped doing. or could not pos
sbly have done.
Suddenly the breath was driven out
Of her by a blow between the shout.
ders. and her bag jerked from her
hand by a man, whom she then sav
disappearing down Q side street
"Oh. stop" she gasped. Tho
won't do you any good"
But he had vanished round . 60
ner.