The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1914-04-02
BEATING THEM TO IT
BY J. p. ORTIZ.

With an open letter in his hant
just received by rural delivery, Capital
Sholto. retired, walked straight up t
Judge Disbrow. late of the bench. an
said:
Judge. you are swindler, sir"
"And you are a rascal. sir" wa
the prompt reply.
You are liar, sir"
"And you are a coward. sir"
II challenge you to meet me on tn
field, sir"
"And cheerfully accept, sir"
Both men were over sixty years old
both were Of good character and theil
country grounds adjoined.
The duel would have been fought
had they been able to find seconds
They realized what the law would Dc
to all participants.
Two old men who have been neigh
bors for fifteen years don't call names
all of sudden. While they had been
neighbors and had daily association
there was suppressed ill-feeling
Captain Sholto was the last conner
When he had his land surveyed 1t was
found that the judge had eight inches
of his real estate. The Judge said that
the surveyor was dunder-head, and
that he would have new survey, but
he had never brought It about.
Later on the captain had built barn
which the Judge claimed rested upon
his land by several inches. The cap.
tain was to call in surveyor, but had
procrastinated.
The captain had chickens.
The Judge had dog
The Judge had a colored cook.
The captain had an Irish gardener
The captain had a daughter, and the
judge had son, and until they
were old enough to be sent away to
school they were always quarreling
and making up. But the outbreak had
come at last. and that from peaceful
sky. The two old men had been sit
ting and smoking their pipes together
when the captain remarked:
by the way, Judge, some one was
telling me that you owned Plum
island. over on the sound"
IL do, judge"
How large is it,"
Thirty acres"
Good fishing there?"
"The very best, and shooting, too"
Must be good place to pass
month with little party?"
I've tried 1t and know"
What's your price?"
mot cent less than $4,000"
well. have the deed made out to-
morrow and III hand you check"
Four days after Captain Sholto had
become the owner Of Plum island that
letter came. 1t was from a fisherman
who knew him, and who wrote:
Tell Judge Disbrow that the late
great storm washed away half OF Plum
island"
The captain gasped for breath. He
had just bought Plum island and paid
a good price for 1t! Did the Judge
know what the storm had done when
he made the eale?"
He did. the old idiot-he did" was
exclaimed. He had heard the news !
and wanted to stick me! Half my
island gone! A clear thousand dollar
swindle! The miserable swindler shall
pass the rest Of his days behind the
bars!"
And the Son of Mars rushed to the ,
combat.
At eighteen years Of age Miss
Gladys Sholto was a student at Fair
port seminary. At twenty years Of
age Royal Disbrow was student at
Fairport college. There had been
something of an antagonistic feeling
between them as each was bound to
support the contention of the parent,
but this had never famed up The day
after the row over Plum island the
captain wrote to his daughter:
Il have at last discovered what an
unhung scoundrel Judge Disbrow is,
and | forbid you to notice his son in
any manner. Cut him cold and dead IL
he dares to bow to you!"
And the judge wrote to his son:
Captain Sholto has finally revealed
himself in his true coloN. Avoid his
daughter at all costs. Will write par
uculars later"
The schools were a mile apart. and
the students met only on the streets
of the village. The two in question
had not met for a month when their
letters came.
How silly" was the comment of
each after reading the missive; and
they straightway started out to HINT
each other up. BY luck they met at
the post office.
i shall pay no attention to what
father says observed Miss GLADYS as
they talked the matter over.
And shall not let it affect me in
the least" replied the young man.
They have no right to demand that
We break our friendship because they
have quarrel"
Certainly not"
Until that moment neither had
thought to apply the term friendship
10 their relations Their attitna