The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1915-04-09
REFORM At sEAclIFF
By HAROLD CARTER.

Lilly, VINO always Oeen DeHocrdt,
got the post ONCE away from Sol |
Rogers. Republican.
Who'd be postmistress of fourth
class post Office like that Of Seaclih.
with nothing but the value of the post
age stamps for pay, unless there was
something higher than money In the
profession? Read the postal cards?
Open letters that aren't properly
sealed! Well, all l can say is, show
me the woman who wouldn't, or the
man either. Besides. in these days.
with morals and everything else de-
caying, who's going to look after the
community unless it's some God-fear-
ing, respectable person like Aunt Lily
or me?
My name is Miss Sarah Twist, and
am thirty years old. ! have always
disdained men, though having had sew
eral suitors. and having many yet that
would like to be. l say this to prove
l am a respectable maiden woman.
Naturally, Aunt Lily asked me to help
in the post office.
Well, l had always had my suspi-
cions Of that old Gregory Pratt. who
used to run down for Sundays with
the Schofields. That day when Mr..
Schofield had been called away and
Mr.. Pratt came down, pretending not
to know that Mrs. Schof1eld would be
alone-well, the minute saw them
walking down the street together l
voiced my suspicious to Aunt Lily.
Naturally, in view of the bad char
acter Of most city folks kept my
eyes peeled, as the saying is. So,
when a postal card came from George
| Blenkinsop, who was at Harvard, an
nouncing that he was going to come
down to Seacliff for week, ! was
suspicious 1t was the middle of the
term. Why. then. should George
Blenkinsop leave his studies unless he
had been turned out of college?
And now ensued the most remarkable
display of corruption and debauchery
that has ever been known in Seaclif.
First was letter from Gregory
Pratt addressed to Mrs. Schofield. Oh
1t was shameful, shameful! 1t began
my darling Anne" and it announced
that he was coming down the very
first time Mr.. Schofield would not be
there, to try and persuade her to elopc
with him to China, where they would
have an humble cottage among the
roses and be happy for ever more.
Next, a letter from George Blenkin
SOD to his mother-he had gone bach
to Harvard-announcing that he had
left college and married a vaudeville
actress, who was going to get di
yorce from her third husband.
!. Finally, there was letter from lit
, tie Mrs. Wrenn to Mrs. Schofield. ask
ing her advice as to the best quicl
poison that would get rid OF an IN
desirable husband without leaving an,
trace behind 1t.
Aunt Lily and ! stared at the lei
ters. We didn't know what 1t wa
, our duty to do.
: We talked 1t over for long time
Z and at last decided to write anony
nous letters to each of the parties cor
l., cerned. The letter to Mrs. Schof1el
: ran like this:
you wicked woman; ] have m
y eyes on you, and II you don't send tina
> old Pratt about his business instead @
! going to China, your husband VII
u hear Of IT,"
1 Being anonymous. I felt that ! coul
!, express my real feelings better.
q Then told George Blenkinsop tina
the police we're watching him. and III
less he separated from that vaudevill
actress at once, he would be arreste
, for bigamy. And wrote to little Mrs
Wrenn. who was intending to com
down to her COTTAGE little later, sa,
= ing that II anything happened to Nj
Wrenn all the slow poison in tn
world wouldn't save her from the ele'
trio chair. And then felt I'd don
= my duty.
Well. August came along, and the
i what do you suppose happened?
T was Sunday, and of course the post
fee was closed. Aunt Lily and ! ha
been entertaining some OF our friend
Il and telling them OF the fiendish col
trivances going on in Seacliff, whe
. suddenly in there walked Mrs. Blenl
{, insop, Mrs. Schof1eld. that Wren
8 hussy and George Blenkinsop. My
y You could have knocked me dow
Il with a feather! And all their face
had the same satirical look ! had n
ticed before.
well, Miss Twist" said Mrs. Blenl
y insop. you will be glad to hear thu
r Mr.. Pratt-you remember Mr.. Pratt
II has gone to China to take up pos
y ton as banker there. Yes. and he
IS gone alone,"
The brazen vixen! had hard
h caught my breath to murmur som
% thing when Mrs. Rlenkinsop spoke u
" IL thought you'd like to be one
u the first OF our friends to know tn;
George is going to be married. sf
Ia said "Such a nice woman, Mis-
D. Twist; not an actress or anythin
D. common like that. You know Geore
n has such an aversion for the stage.
It Then little Mrs. Wrenn said: "P
a. the way. Miss Twist, can you recon
Il mend to me a really good poison Il
D. getting rid of the miserable rats? On
d. house is overrun with them, and NJ
% Wrenn thinks you might know Of on
seeing that the post Office suffers
the same way"
And, before I had managed to al
10 swer a word the four got up and lie
D. me. They we're outside before r
allied they had been referring to N
whom thev smoke nj rats mr. IA hav