The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1914-10-05

SA0 WoAhcu OVcI " ucT CcSH dEu
wrote q letter to the editor Of
| Youth"
Poor Miss Mayo! That was the
editors thought when he received it.
For this was not the ordinary school
girls letter. It was the outpouring
Of a heart that had never known
companionship. Those few short.
pithy sentences would have done
credit to q Balzac or a Turgenieh. q
Thackeray or Flaubert. 30 incisive-
~ did she paint herself. her longings.
her poor aspirations. And all that
she asked was that Mr.. 'Trefusis
would write her letter, to her ad-
dress (which she gave the editor in
solemn confidence) and tell her
something Of his life. And would he
send her q photograph? She would
treasure both, and he would never
know how much she would thank
him.
| And then-this was the most des-
perately wicked thing Of all-in or
der that he might not misunderstood,
she signed her letter MRS. Harry
Lesson"
That. Of course. would prove to
Mr. Trefusis that she was no school.
girl, but a woman with whom there
could be no possibility of personal
relationship, she being the wife of
another.
"well. I'm blowed!" exclaimed the
editor.
Being a good editor his first i'm
pulse was to print the letter. Then,
being also q gentleman, he changed
his mind. Then he wrote a short
note to the author, as follows:
Our readers are still writing US by
the bushel about you. You sure have
made hit with the girls. Keep up
the stuff and you can't drown us.
Well be able to take a couple more
serials from you this summer, and
try to turn them out during the next
month If possible, SO that we can
put our artist on the job. BY the
way, Mrs. Harry Lesson has written
US letter asking to meet you in an
epistolary way. Queer sort of note
to send you. Of all people. How
ever. we're not parting with 1t. be-
cause she doesn't want you to know
her address, but this is the gist of
1t. So II you feel inclined,
send US kind word to hand out to
the poor lady"
The letter went of at five In tho
afternoon. At nine the next morning
Mr.. Harold Trefusis was waiting out
side Mr.. Demands office for him or
the stenographer or somebody, no
matter whom, to come along and let
him in. 1t happened to be the editor
himself, who had come down early
to finish up some work.
"Why, hello!" he began, extending
his hand.
SHOW me that letter or I'll strange
you!" yelled Mr.. Trefusis.
whats wrong?" inquired Bernard,
as he unlocked the door. He shook
his finger archly under the writer's
nose. II didn't know you were that
sort of chap" he said in mock re-
proach. Say" he continued, 1T
isn't serious, is It? thought some
body was putting horse on you"
Bernard" said Trefusis. with the
calmness Of despair, you're a kind
man and you mean well. and you've
raised my price again. but unless you
turn over that letter to me right
smart I'll pulp you in your own type
writer"
The editor put the letter in the
writer's hands. Trefusis cast one
glance at the address, and a moment
later he was in the street and speed
ing toward the place where Miss
Mayo lived.
Miss Mayo was out. Trefusis
waited till noon: then, realizing that
she would probably not return till
evening, he went home. But that eve
ming he was back, and at eight o'clock
Miss Mayo was amazed to hear q
ring at her bell.
This was an unprecedented event.
/ With beating heart and fingers that
trembled 30 that she could hardly
press the opener, she waited in her
apartment. But, remembering that
the ringer would have hard work
, finding it, she did what We all have to
do. we hat-dwellers. She went out
and leaned over the banisters.
And there 1t was that she set eyes
upon Harry Leeson again. He was
coming up the stairs, two at a time.
! Fear held her to the spot. Her
brain was whirling. Had Harry heard
| Of the use that she had made of his
name and come to threaten the law?
How had he found her? What was
he doing here? Anyway. she would
die OF shame and humiliation. She
must kill herself-she must-if she
could only get back into her apart.
ment
| But since she was too terrified to
move she did the best thing possible
under the circumstances. Miss Mayo
tainted.
She must have tainted dead away,
| for when she opened her eyes she
| Iv,{u ho III Il xbo ia