The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1915-02-16
BLUE AID PINK RIBBON
By MARY moNRoE.

(copyright. lsi4. BY W. q. chapman:)
For Is years Miss Martha and MISS
Mary had inhabited the big old house
ON the hill. at the top of the Village
street, and neither had spoken to the
other. And nobody in Crawford had
ever learned the cause Of their dis
pute.
When the only brother died. leaving
. little girl. the sisters, then In the
second year Of their quarrel. had each
written. asking Johns executor for the
privilege Of caring for the orphaned
niece. So Maud had come to the
home, and from the first she had &C.
customed herself to the peculiar state
Of affairs in that family.
It was convenient to say what you
wished to say through the intermedi'
airy of a third person, instead OF hav'
ing to soliloQuize.
It was when Maud Grant married
John Springer, the doctor. that the
wrench came. If Maud had only
known 1t, the old aunts were so chas-
tened by her approaching departure
that she could have made them
friends.
So Maud went to live in the new
house at the bottom of the hill, as Mrs.
John Springer; and, though she
climbed the hill often. the old ladies
were sadly disconsolate at her loss.
But after a while Maud did not
climb the hill 50 often; and then the
time came when she did not climb 1t
at all And the two old ladies began to
be very busy with knitting and crochet
work, and the balls of yarn rolled all
over the room as the busy old fingers
pulled at them.
Miss Mary and Miss Martha sat op-
posite each other in their chairs, their
fingers working and the needles click
ing, and, as they worked, they solilo-
Quized:
"A pink ribbon on the little cap, be-
cause, of course. 1t is going to be a
boy" said little Miss Martha.
How glad I am 1t is going to be a
girl" said Miss Mary. Il love blue
ribbons. l think q baby girl with
dainty little cap with blue ribbon on
i is just the sweetest thing in the
world"
VI can't abide blue" soliloquized
Miss Martha. II am so glad that
Maud's baby is to be a boy. Charles?
Or Ferdinand? My uncle or my "a
Their? I think Ferdinand will sound
prettier. and then, 1t would be . sort
of tribute to papa"
"She must be called Dorothy, after
mamma" Miss Mary soliloquized.
They emphasized their sentiments
to callers, and 1t did not take at all
q long time for the news to reach Mrs.
John Springer, in the house at the
bottom Of the hill.
The dear old things!" she said to
her husband. "Oh, John, one of them
10 going to be so dreadfully disap-
pointed. Whatever shall we dot"
We'll, my dear, they are bringing
their own troubles on their own
heads" laughing. I'VE must Just
leave them to work out their own
problems. Anyway, we shall be happy,
whichever way 1t Is. won't we dear?"
Maud smiled up vt her husband,
and he put his arm round her shoul.
ders and kissed her.
And now the day arrived when the
blue and the pink ribbon each re-
posed upon its cap, along with little
jackets and coats and all the para
phernalia Of babylon. And the little
maiden ladies waited. And the wait
proved longer than they had expected.
And by and by rumors began to spread
about the town, and then q carriage
drove swiftly up from the station, and
q famous specialist leaped out and
ran through the room in which the
two old ladies sat, waiting.
Dear Lord, save her to mel"
prayed Miss Martha upon her knees.
Thou knowest l want her-we want
her"
Little Miss Mary started, for this
was the first time in I'll those years
that her sister had betrayed the rec.
ignition Of her identity.
Martha! Sister," she said in a
trembling voice. And it was Martha's
turn to tremble and look afraid, for
she had not dared to hope that the
olive branch, held out, would bear
such fruit SO soon.
The little old ladies' looked at each
other, and Of sudden they fell into
each others arms and cried. And as
the tears streamed down their cheeks
and mingled. they asked each others
forgiveness with sobs and self-re-
proaches.
I'll hope 1t will be a girl!
There!" said little Miss Martha.
mo, no! It is going to be a boy.
want 1t to be bcy!" answered Miss
Mary. And each had gone as far as It
was possible to go when she made
that admission.
There was the sound of hurried foot.
steps on the stairs, and Doctor Spring.
er came into the room Instantly the
two old ladies had seized him, one by
each hand. and their wrinkled old
faces were upturned to his.
John. She's doing weIl?" they
both pleaded together.
WE'LL cried John Springer. WHY.
it's all over. 1t is"
"A girl!" exclaimed Miss Martha