The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1914-12-07
THEIR aunt JENNY
BY FRANK FllSON.

Neither Claude nor Agnes nor Polly
nor l liked Aunt Jenny. Leila hated
her, and Peter, the baby, used to
make faces to himself and cry when
ever she came into the room. She
was . grabbed old thing. I suppose
II was because she had never been
able to get married.
But she has her use in the world.
my DEAR" said father to mother.
Heaven knows she has been kind
enough to me-"
"Just because she lets us occupy
this house rent-free. Arthur" ex-
claimed mother. with her million
or 80. she ought to do a great deal
more for you than that"
However, to resume. Leila IL eight
cen. and Lester Blythe has been crazy
over her ever since they were at
school together. Lester Is twenty-five
and clerks for Mr.. Grimes. Some day
no thinks Mr.. Grimes will take him
into partnership. I asked Mr.. Grimes
about 1t, and he said Lester had nerve
enough to expect anything.
However, to resume again. Aunt
Jenny. who is sixty-nine. let fall q
bombshell in our humble homo the
other night. It came about in this
wise: We had just finished dinner
when she popped in. Aunt Jenny
lives down the street in the big white
house. A man left her q million-I
think they were engaged once; any
way he died and left her a fortune
and she couldn't get another man
even with that, she is 80 grabbed.
But to resume. In pops Aunt Jenny
and in her abrupt way, which mother
says comes from the Truef1tts, not
from her side Of the family. she says:
Arthur, you have too many chill
dren for a poor man. How many
have your
Father counts US. "Six," he an
swers.
Then I'm going to take one Of them
and bring her up to inherit my
money" she says. She looked round
the room. and, of course, her eye fell
on Leila, who was trying to make her.
self invisible against the wallpaper.
'I'll take this one," she said. Come
slong!"
Peter. the baby. burst into tears,
and Leila was SO scared that she fol-
lowed Aunt Jenny without a word.
And none Of US recovered our wits
to say anything until they were half
way down the street.
Then father and mother went after
them, and they did not get back till
late. Mother had been crying, and
father looked very serious.
1T has to be, my DEAR" said father.
after all, Jenny can do more for
Leila than we can. 1t will be q splen-
did chance for the child to be taken
to Europe and put in finishing
school,"
"And how about LESTER" asked
mother. signing.
"Pooh" answered father And that
ended that conversation.
You bet Lester Blythe was raging
mad. He wasn't allowed to go to
Aunt Jenny's house, because she hates
young men, but he did manage to see
Leila on the rare occasions she was
let come home.
Now, to resume. Aunt Jenny and
Leila were to sail on the Saturday,
and the passages were booked. and
our house was mighty glum. l can
tell you. Leila had come to spend the
afternoon. and Lester. Of course. came
hard upon her heels.
Girls" says Claude. Its their LAST
meeting. Let's leave the poor chumps
alone till father comes in
We hated to do 1t, but we are all
sports. even including Peter. So we
left them. But somehow l couldn't
help overheartng what they were say.
ing as l sat reading quietly on the
hall chair, just outside the room.
"Oh. l daren't, Lester" heard Leila
say, half crying.
"Why not, dearr' he was asking.
Once We are married we can snap
our fingers at the old cat. IT'S easy
to get the license. and know . min
lister who'll do the trick. I saved up
five dollars last week on purpose. Say
you will, dearest?"
Whether Leila would have said she
would or not Will never be known, for
at that moment in came father and
mother. and Aunt Jenny, too. We all
followed them into the parlor. Lester
and Leila were sitting at opposite
ends Of the lounge. looking at oppo-
) site ends Of the room, and it looked
sort Of suspicious, but nobody minded
them.
4 am absolutely ruined" says Aunt
Jenny. Every penny l have, except
my little hoard of five thousand and
the house, wiped out in that oil ven.
ture."
Leila do you hear that? am
ruined" says Aunt sJenny. so you
will have to go back to your family
and there will be no Europe for you
and no finishing school, either"
] was amazed to see Leila 20 tc
Aunt Jenny's side. Never mind
Aunt Jenny" she said. I'VE can stay
and keep house together till-till-"
Next" began Lester. hut oil.