The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1914-02-23

ANOTHER FOOL GIRL
BY DONALD ALLEN.

nave you StGu IL!
Isn't it create"
They say the town will jump right
ahead now"
Miss Cynthia Basset, the old maid,
had opened millinery store in the
village of Hinkley with the $500 left
her by the will of an uncle.
There were two dry goods stores, a
grocery, drug store and wheat ele-
vator at the depot, and while the 700
inhabitants boosted of the enterprise
of their own town all felt that there
was something lacking. Hinkly had
no millinery store. The nearest one
was over at Brownsville, twelve miles
away.
But the longfelt want had been filled
at last, and there was rush to the
new millinery store to pat Miss Bas
set on the back
I'm a-asking Jest 5000 more for my
, house and lot than | was Yesterday"
exclaimed Deacon Snyder as he stood
at the door and peered in; and half an
hour later real estate was on the boom
from the red schoolhouse to the white
bridge
Miss Basset had to have an assist
ant, and she had engaged Minnie Long.
the belle of the village She was not
only the belle, but she had a natural
knack of hat-trimming. She could take
a bow, a rooster feather and buckle
of some sort, and out of an old hat
create such dream of headpiece
that the minister would stop in his ser
mon to gaze at it and wonder if it
wasn't his duty to warn her against
Satan's wiles. He could prove that
jaunty hats had led more women into
the downward path than any other one
influence.
Miss Minnie had been engaged to
Roscoe Dayton for three months be
fore the great millinery event. He was
young man and had just started out
as a builder They were to be married
at the end Of three more months
Hinkly was only quiet village, and
yet it was seldom without its stran
ger, most of them being agents for
one thing or another A good-lookng
man, who claimed to represent lamp
house in the city. but who was just
then taking a brief vacation, was one
of those at the grand opening of the
millinery emporium. He was there to
smile over the enterprise" of the
thing That was his first sight Of
Minnie Long, and he made vow with.
in minute.
Roscoe Dayton was not plug of
O young man. He was ambitious and
hustler, but he wasn't up to date
with young man from the city. No
one, not even Minnie, expected him to
be. He didn't have the clothes, the
cane. the two watch chains, the smile,
the bow nor the glib tongue. He had
had no rival thus far, and there had
been no jealousy on either side.
Mr. Claude Barrie as the lamp house
agent gave his name, tarried in the
millinery store long ten minutes, and
when he had departed woman voiced
the opinion of dozen others when
she whispered:
IF that young fellow stays in town
week there's going to be trouble for
somebody"
There was the beginning of trouble
within an hour. A busy body met Ros-
coe Dayton on the street and called out
to him:
You'd better have your eyes peeled.
young mani"
I'm always looking was the laugh
ing reply.
you know that lamp house agent
from the city?'
Saw him on the street yesterday"
He's a charmer, amt he?"
Maybe"
He was charming Minnie Long
down at the millinery store Say,
they are sure stuck on each other!"
Nonsense"
Minnie, too would have laughed at
the idea but a week later Roscoe felt
it his dutV to say to her: 81 hear that
young Barrie is caller at your house."
why, yes, he has called" was the
reply.
Haven't you become acquainted
very rapidly?
so you are jealous, eh?"
81 don't like him. He is a stranger
to us all He may be what he claims