The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1914-04-14

The children will never accept g dun
dering old maid as their mother. That 10
Oh, II could only have made them care
for me-that was my greatest dream.
love them more than you can imagine.
but they will be happier without me:
have looked truth sQuarely In the face
and know they want ~ snrs
After you have considered all things
very carefully. you VIII see my view
point and realise that have acted
wisely. 4...,.!n< ...r-~..
She folded the note, and addressed
1t to her husband.
Three months of the only real hap
piness she had ever known, and her
stronger self said this must be the
end. 1t would be hard to leave them
all, and the white. clean little house;
but the futility Of staying had come
to her quite suddenly that morning.
Lila-ten, dark eyed, and reserved
had prefaced a request with moth
er." To Mrs. Carson mamma had
somehow always seemed a sweetcr,
more intimate term.
Don't you think the word mother
bit formal, DEAR" she had ventured.
with fast-beating heart.
Lila looked up quickly.
I'll call you Mrs. Carson, then"
she announced briefly.
IT'S NO use-no use!" voice in
her mind kept crying. "They may
even come to dislike you"
There were two others-Fred, sew
en-, and Alice, the baby.
She kissed the baby. but shyness
withheld her from caressing the two
impregnable little strangers who very
plainly did not wish to be caressed.
All her patient life she had longed
for domesticity and little ones, but for
years perverse necessity had kept her
In the schoolhouse Of q middle West
town.
Some time after the sisters we'd
ding she met Jim Carson, widower.
and after brief hut sincere wooiEg
he brought her Last as his bride-a
girl no lcnTer. but full Of the inno-
cence and illusions Of youth.
The train she must take left at two.
She placed the note in the center Of
the round table, and entered the bed
room-her bedroom and Jim's.
Carefully she took her clothes from
the closet and piled them on the bed.
They were new. neat things that were
her trousseau.
In opening the top bureau drawer,
a small package and sealed envelope
met her gaze. Both were addressed
in very round, precise letters to MRS.
Margaret Carson"
The writing was vaguely familiar.
She tore open the letter first. 1t read:
Dear Mrs. Carson:
take my pen In hand to tell you that
I am going to run away today. II my
brother. Frederick Carson. will go. will
take him. too. You can keep the baby
because you love her. know you do. be-
darling. Here Is your BIRTHDAY presunt
I sowed on 1t every day after school so
I could get 1t done by May 18th (twelfth)
but It Is not done yet. II you will kindly
Embroidery the big green leef 1t will be
done. am sorry you did not like for me
to call you mother.
Respectfully.
Lila Carson
P. ST. know you won't care because
you don't love me. You never kissed me
goodnight In your life.
MRS. Margaret Carson" drew q long
breath, then almost reverently united
the package.
A large cushion-top, embroidered In
bright red and green, unrolled to view.
There must have been hundreds and
hundreds OF the crude little stitches,
and the goods had puckered woefully;
but to the recipient 1t was glorious
thing.
And then. because she was woman,
she cried.
Soon small feet came pattering
through the house, and In q minute
Fred stood An the doorway.
kin l have a doughnut?" he asked.
Eyes, dear, yes. Did your sister
come home with you?" she Queried
eagerly.
"Yes'm. She's out in the wood.
shed. She wants me to run away
with her. but won't" said Fred vir-
tuously. Don't tell her told"
In the woodshed she found her hid
ing behind box. A bit Of the blue
checked dress had betrayed her. ST.
lently the little mother raised and
folded her in her arms.
She kissed the flushed face several
times.
my dear. dear little girl, you will
not run away from mother now. Won't
you believe l love you?" The tone
carried conviction.
Lila glanced up shyly.
81 thought sure you didn't. And
then you SAID you-you thought was
too familiar, or something, because
called you mother"
The mother gave a wabbly little
laugh
81 said formal, dear; but that only
meant l would rather be called NAM
ma. l like 1t better. Now am going
to give my babies their lunch" she
paused. after have torn up very
foolish letter l wrote today"
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