The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1914-02-25

| ioN ~. southern dlllUTIlld. NAY
4 good position the r. | want 10 t.
tie down. will with the right woman
to heln me We are almost in CLAY.
vile, what's to hinder a license. q
wedding and California together"
He was leaning close. and his eager
dominant face both attracted and re-
PEELED her. She shrank back In the
seat
Why everything's to hinder-Will
my engagement"
Il know. know | shall be counted a
cad for stealing another mans sweet
heart; but it's for all our lives long
Lois-for all our lives long. And
after all, happiness is what were
seeking"
On and on he talked in this strain,
earnestly and we'll Through 1t all
Lois tried to hold fast to her HeatOn
instincts, but she felt old moorings
slipping from her, lost In the tide OF
her rising emotions.
| w ucu tuCy dlllNtu III way NiAAO cAS
had not consented in actual words,
but her eyes had given tacit consent.
There was JOY and triumph In his face
as he sprang out of the sleigh in front
Of the bank
Shall | tie the horses or Will you
hold the reins?" he asked
I'll hold them"
Il won't be gone longer than ten
minutes then the courthouse and
the minister's"
She laughed reprovingly, but her
glance fell beneath his compelling
eyes.
At that moment a little mongrel dog
ran out and began to bark In way
+, that threatened to annoy the horses.
Wendell, still holding the reins in one
hand, took the whip from the sleigh
socket, and gave the dog several cut
ting lashes that sent 1t whining and
covering away.
"Oh, don't pleaded Lois, at the
look of terror In its eyes
I'll teach 1t not to bark at teams,
he retorted CURLY. Then in changed
tone, drawing the robes around her.
I'll b. back In a very few minutes. '
what she was about to do Should
she leave the safe conventionality Of
the old life for the unknown allure
ment OF the new? She realized she
could love Wendell with more ro-
mantle love than she had ever felt for
Will Ellis, but on the other hand she
could also feel greater anger and great
err jealousy toward him. He seemed
to have the power Of rousing all the
turbulent emotions in her nature.
And as he said it's for life, she
shiveringly reminded herself, and
above the glamour of his personality
she seemed to see again the look OF
abject terror in the little dogs eyes as
he had whipped it. This cruelty In
his nature BODIED i'll for her happiness.
81 cant go on" she declared with a
revulsion of feeling Without any
formulated plan except to get back
home as soon as possible she sprang
out Of the sleigh, and with trembling
haste lest Wendell should return be-
fore she got away, tied the horses to
the rack and scurrled down the snowy
street.
The south bound five o'clock inter
urban train was soon due and she re-
solved to catch that She had no
money with her, so she decided to
stop in the grocery store at which
they were In the habit Of trading and
borrow some from kind old Mr. Dan
by, who was lifelong friend Of the
family. AS she was going in the door
her name was called. CHANGING around
in startled fear she saw viii Ellis,
the last person on earth she wished
to see just then. sitting In sleigh In
front of the store
Pm on my way back to Endicott;
Will lOu tDIllt Will IllC vi Nbi' yoi
going with the other man." The
sarcasm in his tone told her that In
some way he had heard of her ride
to Clayville with Harry Wendell
81 am going home on the car" she
flashed
He alighted from the sleigh, and
drew back the robes Get IN, he said
peremptorily.
Lois, surprised into dociity by his
unexpected firmness, obeyed Ellis
touched the horse with the whip, and
they we're carried swiftly away to
the 'Gne of jingling sleigh bells.
Neither SPOKE until the town lay far
behind them. then he turned:
Have yon anything to say, LoisT'
Merely that I'm not going to mar
~ you-or Harry Wendell either.
You're hard to please" His lips
curved in mocking smile. We're
the two extremes for you to choose
from"
She gave a hysterical little laugh
That's tiff you'd been more like
Harry, or he like you, could really
love either or-but you're the two ex-
tremes in temperament" Then she
added in resentment. you never
really tried to win me viii. You had
every chance in the world but you
htpr or, 90