The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1915-05-18
THROUGH MANY DOORS
BY JANE OSBORN.

d s
asEsTsIslsysIsIsIsIsIsl lalsIsIs sIslslsIsEsts
Copyright, 1915. by the Mcclure News !
paper Syndicate)
The first door was the front door |
and Lee Bateman passed that thresh !
old one day toward the middle of that
memorable senior year at college.
Molly was different from the other
girls in the college town. None OF
the boys knew her. II was said that
Doctor Dare had refused to allow Mol
" to waste her time with the college
boys. and wasn't this very fact added
to the golden hair and the bewitching
smile, enough to fire any college
seniors spirit of adventure?
But that first door-the front door
of the rambling old mansion was
the wrong way to find Molly. To be
sure, Lee Bateman was received into
the stately old mahogany drawing
room and Mrs. Dare talked to him
with unenthusiastic courtesy and had
even made out the check that patron
esses were expected to contribute to
the senior dance. But Lees expecta-
tions of seeing Molly were disap-
pointed. His only glimpse of her was
a fleeing vision through the window
as she went out for an afternoon
drive.
Still there are other doors" he
thought. Molly doesn't come out OF
that door when she goes driving. She
uses the side door, But the next
day when Lee tried to approach that
door in the disguise of book agent
he found that the door was guarded
by Molly's pet bulldog, who treated
Lee with the usual canine cordially
toward book agents.
Then there was the back door. All
houses had back doors, Lee knew. and
perhaps if he made his entrance that
way he might find Molly making fudge
in the kitchen Luck had been against
him SO far and it was bound to turn.
1t was not hard to induce the grocer
boy to let him deliver the rice and tea
and coffee; and little change in the
way of a cap and coat transformed
him to the part But Molly wasn't
making fudge that afternoon. To be
sure the cook was kind but Lee had
no satisfaction in the encounter.
The fourth door seemed the most
difficult 1t was the doctors office
door. But somehow Lee went directly
into the doctors private Office, and
before he realized what had happened
he found himself being questioned by
the doctor as to the trouble which
had brought him there.
"Sprained ankle" said Lee on the
spot and the doctor Immediately got
, to work with bandage and liniment
Ten minutes later. when Lee paid
the doctor his fee, there was twin
kle in the old doctors eye.
a Lee jumped out through the pas
' sage into the hall of the house ant
. there-the fates had relented at last
d he saw Molly. the gold hair and the
;, sweet smile and the merry gray eyes
g and even the pet dog who accepted
r Molly's recognition of Lee as sutIicien
8 reason to abandon hostilities.
n Molly Knew Mr.. Bateman. and sh'
was sorry that he had sprained hi
n ankle and she opened the front doc
y and watched him with concern as h
=. limped down the front steps. It wa
= only two minutes encounter, but
was enough to fire the ardor Of Lee
IT devotion.
s Lee limped-when he thought Of
l. around the campus for the day an
d the next day he was one of the frs
= afternoon patients waiting for tn
% doctors professional services. Their
1t were more bandages and more lin
" ment, and then there was that wor
n derful passage through the house t
the front door, where Molly again al
lie peared. The next day the ankle wa
&c no better. The doctor agreed wit
re Lee that 1t needed daily attention
Is and Lees limp was so affecting tha
Molly drove him back to the campu
II. in her pony cart
OF The ankle had to recover. Bandage
Nj and Imminent would, Of course, hav
their results. But there were otht
w complaints that senior might II
az vent. There were sprained wrists an
% strained eyes and strange unaccoun
" able pains, and always the kind
doctor discovered symptoms that LIZ
~ had not even dreamed of, and Away
he accepted Lees spot payment wit
~ the same apparent satisfaction
:" money well earned. And alwa!
:" there was the passage through Il
house. and always there was Mol
~ u,bo caopod IN hovor uoar tho nassap
way at Office hours. Still Molly did n
ask him to come by the side door
the front door, and Lee did not da
he to ask her for the privilege. Som
IN times Lee stayed half hour and som
rs, times he felt that in Molly's smile
III caught a faint reflection Of the dev
list ton that had inspired mis- daily visi,
OF Then one day-it was nearing fin
examination time and Molly had be-
ls- especially eager to know Lees pla
IN for the future-Lee had the Tonga
ticipated opportunity to tell Molly
ne his love and to feel in her glance 4
ay response he had become SO eager
RAJ receive.
de "And now" said Molly, with lau
se that was contagious. daddy C
Die square his conscience about tho
pc fees. He knew that you were bluff
pe and he didn't want to let you keep
ay paying him. But ! wouldn't let h
stop. was afraid that you would
90 come any more. But father likes y
az for your foolishpess. And he ney
Jul would have hal "a chance to know y