The Lakeland evening telegram., 1914-08-22
WITH A Gypsy BAND
BY INA WRlGHTSoN.

Hills several miles from town. On |
The hills fed cattle from which he
would select such as he needed in |
ms business. He elected to walk ard |
made the trip holiday
Before reaching the hills he was
halted by womans voice. She was
hidden from him by blackberry and
poison oak thicket, but her words
We're to the effect that if somebody
came but step nearer she would
throw herself into the lake to drown.
VI necessity, if she should do that,
Max, being not a poltroon but hero,
must go after her; and he could not
SWIM. With dismal groanings he laid
down his hat and undid his necktie.
The splash came He lunged
through the thicket scratching his
face and hands, then, breathing hard
he went down into the water
As he drowned, conventionally, he
should have reviewed his past in every
detail, but he did not; at least the face
Of his comfortable, plump Pauline or
those of his twin sons, should have
passed before his minds eyeball. but
they did not He saw only, how a
! spot OF rust looked in the bottom of
their kitchen dipper. Then he re-
membered nothing, for he was
drowned
When he came alive again he lay in
a tent, and beside him sat a beautiful
lady in wet bathing suit. Max re-
membered that he had gone to her de-
liverance
so ! rescued you, madame?' he
murmured, weakly but politely
The lady looked at him curiously.
then smiled If you had hung on to
me a little closer when ! was getting
you to shore, | surely should have
drowned, you didn't hang on a little
closer, so-you rescued me. Many
thanks"
But before the mocking words were
finished Max slept. Awaking, he
found the lady still by him, but instead
Of wet bathing suit, were short Grim
son skirt and bodice with many, many
spangles. A crimson silken kerchief
bound her shapely head. A man cam
not be moving picture habitue and
not know a gypsy when he sees one
Max knew her at once Came then,
his Great Idea.
Fair queen, ! crave thy pardon for
sleeping spoke Max grandly, but
adventures are most wearisome, and
many have had
He was delighted to have the queen
answer In similar highsounding con
verse She gave him to eat and
drink While he rested afterward, be
fore his open tent danced the gypsy
band with much clashing Of cymbals
and light laughter. Not the men
they seemed a stolid lot and did moth
ing but smoke
, BY and by the queen waved then
away One man seemed minded u
rebel-but he went. Then Max ant
the beautiful one talked. Not OF hi
, Pauline nor of his twin sons talked
Max: only OF his wonderful adven
. lures! The queen listened well. How
!, lustrous were her eyes and how sWee
her voice. At twilight she went away
!, Happy Max For two days he woul'
stay with the gipsies and play hero
!. then. in the silence of the night, n
! would steal away, and they, thinking
1 that the wander-lust had seized him
/ would never know that he went bacl
/ to his cursed butcher shop as gale.
slave to his oars!
His excitement would not let hlr
sleep. He took his blankets to a roc
Ledge some distance beyond. An az
: vprRsrrpr should sleep under the stal
rv skies but neither could he slice
here. Hours afterward, he hear
two talking on the other side OF tn
1
ledge.
/ "Oh. he's bugs, of course" growle
a strident voice and masculine, It
a wonder he didn't drown himself an
! you too"
| maybe his mind isn't all there, bu
| he's harmless and he's handsome
answered the queens sweet volc'
ANYWAY, IT proves ! can recite some
| you can't deny that, Arnold h
thought twas the real thing.
| Iaarticulate growl of the voice ma
culine.
isn't this the best camping trip yet
| We women gipsies are fine, but yo
men are fierce. You can't masquerad
worth a penny. Tomorrow only Il
= girls shall dress up again and hste
to the Arabian Nights Of our bray
g, Don Quixote."
9 The queens voice lifted out oil hea
E ing Max sighed So they weren
2 real after all! OF course he WASH
:, real, either, but he wished they "eT
2 Mind not all there" harmless
: that is what they thought Of him
. his Pauline ever knew what the
8 thought of his mind! Suddenly u
9 glamour of adventure fell ent3reI
!, away from him, and he longed nigh
9 " for his comfortable bed and h
2 Pauline.