The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1915-08-16


was the same color-and she gave no
promise of looking like this one. II
, you'll excuse my saying so. she
couldn't be as handsome,"
"Then-then, who is our Helena?
demanded Uncle David fiercely.
AN impostor!"
Absurd" almost shrieked the three
uncles in concert, and Mrs. Muffet
was allowed to depart under suspend
ed sentence Of dismissal until they
could investigate the case of the
niece whose relationship to them she
had SO boldly questioned
What shall we do?" asked Uncle
Anthony. feebly, when they were alone.
LET us get the truth" said Uncle
Benjamin firmly.
So they went in a body into the
garden on their distasteful errand.
They came upon her suddenly at
the turn Of corner arbor. Jack Ly-
man was with her, and what the
would-he inquisitors saw made them
forget their Grand
The young people did not see the
three anxious old faces-they were
TOO deeply absorbed in the telling of
a wonderful story whose setting
should always be in a rose garden.
Guilty. the granduncles tiptoed
back to the house. 81 will wire the
news to Isabel and ask their con-
SENT" whispered Uncle Anthony.
AZ which hic L..
red, for they knew that meant q
speedy solution Of the problem. 1t
would soon be known to them whether
they had indeed been entertaining
their grandniece or an impostor, as
Mrs. Muffet had charged.
She is dear child, anyway" de-
clared Uncle David grufly, and the
others nodded assent.
Uncle Anthony scratched off a tele-
gram, of which the others approved
Helena is quite we'll and wants
your consent to her engagement to
JACK Lyman, our particular friend"
we should receive a reply by din
ner time" said David as he prepared
to take the telegram to the station.
Helena did not make her appear.
ance until half an hour before dinner.
She pleaded headache and she
looked quite pale and dropping when
she came down stairs and joined the
waiting trio on the veranda.
Mrs. Strang's telegram arrived al
most precisely at the same moment.
Uncle Anthony opened it with shak
ing fingers and read:
Are you crazy? Helena is with
me and i'll with whooping cough. an
absurd ailment for girl of seven.
teen. Will write. Isabel"
Without word the distressed old
man passed the message to David.
who read it in grim silence and then
handed it to Benjamin.
Helena stood before them, her eyes
looking like drowned blue violets in
her pale face.
i have something to tell you, ALL"
she began with catch in her voice
Il have told Mr.. Lyman-Jack-and
he has forgiven me. l hope You will,
too. for l love you all SO dearly!"
What is it. my dear?" asked Uncle
Anthony compassicnately
Helena slipped to her knees and
hid her face in his lap.
II am not Helena Strang." she con.
fessed tearfully. 81 am quite an
other Hclena-Helena Clifton. I
have been Mrs. Strang's private secre.
tary for several years. am twenty.
four. ! never had q home. was
brought up in an orphan asylum and
when ! was old enough to go out into
the world I found a place in a store
and worked until l could save money
enough to take business course:
when / was competent Mrs. StranR
employed me.
when she decided to 70 to Mon.
trcal she gave me six months vaca-
t1on-and / had nowhere to 70.
There had been much talk Fl Helen
coming down to her uncles and Il
was all arranged, but at the last mo.
ment she decided to go to Canada
with her parents. Before she went,
she proposed this scheme to me and
insisted that shculd impersonate
her as your grandniece.
1T was a great temptation to me to :
come dCwn here-and-so l came. I
Ycu know the rest-and II you want !
to send for the police, you may! But
you have been wonderfully kind to j,
me and l don't believe Helena Strang
could love you more than l do! So
there!" /
She rose and faced them with tear
ful eyes and trembling lips.
Dear mel" ccughed Uncle An
thony, locking properly distressed.
"Humph-ncnscnse!" growled Uncle
David. "A man may have more than
one grandniece, Ell, boys? Well, Hell
ena Cliff n, III adopt you as my niece
here and nav! like ycu." He held
out his arms and Helena promptly &C.
cepted their protect n.
It's my turn now" reminded
Uncle Benjamin, rather jealously.
After Helena had cried a little on
cac.. kindly shoulder, and still
.usEing dv:-e!y, and with a pathetic
luaver in her voice, she resumed: 81
AVE promised to marry Jack Lyman,
incles. ! told him all about 1t and he
laid 1t didn't matter in the least, SO
We are engaged-provided, of course,
'ou give your consent"
The three old matchmakers looked
'ery uncertain indeed, but while
hey were pretending to consider