The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1914-11-05
At ILENFS PARTY
ay GILBERT RIDDELL.

(Copyright)
Mary Bower sat in her favorite
chair, trying to read.
But the printed words were blurred
BY the memory Of others far more In
teresting-the honeyed phrases OF
her erstwhile lover, Allan James. The
sting of 1t all was that she had only
the memory OF them now. for the
staid and serious Allan had grown
weary Of Mary's numerous firtations
and had haughtily Withdrawn his at
tentions.
When two days had passed and no
Allan pushed the electric button at
the front door Mary knew that she
loved him.
On the third day she knew that
she would never love any other. and
on the fourth she became convinced
that there Was nothing for her to do
but get into q nunnery.
This was the fifth day and. although
Mary was still certain that the career
Of q mother superior was now the
only one suited to her broken life,
she had persistently thought Of an
other man who had been rather At
tertive Of late.
She knew his telephone number.
too; and there on the library table,
in front Of her. sat the telephone, ST.
i lently inviting her to use il.
Suppose she called up Jack Ben
nett and chatted with him for few
| minutes? II would while away part
Of the time which must elapse before
she could get to the nunnery.
She lifted the receiver and softly
gave Jacks number to the operator.
Silence for the space of one min
ute-then the CHEEKY voice Of Jack:
Hello. hello"
Hello: l am Mary Bower"
"Oh. am awfully glad to hear you
again, Miss Bower.
80 am L." cooed Mary. isn't 1t
lovely day."
Perfectly ripping"
Il hope tomorrow will be fine"
Why? Is there something on?"
"Yes-something wonderful"
Well. aren't you going to invite
me-"
Mary paused-she had nothing on
for the next night-knew Of nothing
but here was too good an opportunity
to get Jacks society for one whole
evening
III you care to go as my escort"
she replied sweetly.
Care" Jacks tone intimated that
he had no other object in life. when
shall call for you:"
About eight o'clock"
What shall wear? Full dress,
patent feathers. ct cetera?"
Yes. Of course"
Mary replaced the receiver and
dropped the book altogether.
Whatever should she do? What
should she say to Jack when he came
to escort her to party the next
night? Must she confess to him that
she had. in plain English, lied?
Then the butler showed Miss Ilene
Grannis into the library.
Mary threw herself into her friends
arms.
"llene," she gasped, Il have invited
q man to escort me to q party-and-
there is no party"
1lene grasped the situation at once
and asked the mans name.
Jack Bennett"
TOO good to be wasted" she said.
! We'll have a party"
1 Where"
AT my house"
But whom can we invite on such
short notice? Do you realize that It
is tomorrow night"
Yes, perfectly, but we will have
that party. l will phone you tomor-
row. Good-by. dear; don't worry"
Thereupon Ilene went OF. leaving
Mary much relieved, and wondering
whether she could ever care as much
for Jack as she had for Allan. After
twenty minutes spent in honestly ex.
amining the true state Of her feelings,
1 SAS 0AS" tAoe SuC Souluu I. however,
she would never get Allan back. and
she was manifestly unfit for a nun.
At four o'clock the next afternoon
! llene telephoned.
ITS going to be a perfectly beauti.
ful party; I've got six men and three
girls. besides ourselves"
you are a darling" declared Mary.
Before she could inquire who the six
men were Ilene rang OF.
Six! Mary repeated the auspicious
mineral subconsciously, and with the
same delight that mighty hunter re-
peats the news that there are ten
tigers and FIVE lions prowling in the
adjacent forests.
Mary began to regret that she had
invited Jack Bennett at all. He was
nice, Of course, but not quite nice
enough for her. Surely among six alb
solutely new men she could find a
more suitable substitute for Allan
James. She had been foolish to ask
Jack to escort her to the party. That
would mean that she must devote her
evening to him, and there would he