The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1915-09-01
he said. And this time the girl did not

ened. The girl was becoming very dear
to Sotheby. At last the day arrived
when he felt that the shadow which
hung over them ought to be lifted.
Mollie,' he said, taking the girls
hands in his. want to tell you, dear
that l love you. / want to ask you
to be my wife. l feel that you and
have something inseparable, some
thing that makes our lives one. 1t is
Evelyn, and yet never cared for Eve
! Ign as love you
The girl looked at him, and then, to
/ Sothebys amazement, she burst into
passionate weeping.
4 can never marry you, Jack she
cried. You do not know-Oh, you do
. not know, and l cannot bring myself
to tell YOU
but you love me. Molly?' he cried.
He took her in his arms, and for an
instant her head lay on his shoulder.
Ives, love you,' she said. But l
cannot marry you She raised her
head and looked him frankly in the
eyes. Listen, jack she said. I have
loved you since l first saw you, and
have never loved anyone else. That
is why l must send you away. 1t IL
because of Evelyn
He could find no answer to make.
He bowed his head and went away.
1t was another year before he saw
Mollie again. Then he was at Atlantic
City.
He was seated in a secluded corner
by the Boardwalk when he saw Mol.
lie coming toward him. At first he
thought, so striking was the resem.
blance, that she was Evelyn herself.
Then, as he watched her, he saw Eve
lyn in the flesh, at her side. and, be-
side Evelyn a man.
THE trio were advancing toward
him, and Evelyn and the man were
engaged in animated conversation.
Evelyn had grown stouter and flesh
Ter; she was still the dashing beauty
of old times, but the dashingness could
not carry itself SO well under that &C.
cumulated load of flesh. 1t was over
done, and the woman was obviously
too artificial. The hair was too light,
the eyes too dark. Sotheby stared.
He could not be mistaken. It was
Evelyn.
"Sotheby was not superstitious. He
knew that Evelyn was at Mollie's side,
and he rose and followed them to
their hotel. He watched them enter,
and all that day he waited until he
was rewarded at last by seeing Mollie
come out alone. She walked, with her
limping gait, along the Boardwalk un.
til she came to the same place where
Sotheby had sat that morning. There
she sat down, and there he accosted
her.
The terror in the girls eyes almost
unnerved him. She glanced at him
fearfully. and saw that he knew all.
"'You have seen her?' she cried,
with a quick intake of breath.
"Sotheby nodded. Tell me the
truth. Mollie,' he said. taking her hand
in his. And he knew then that, al
though 1t was not the same Evelyn
whom he had loved. 1t was just the
same Mollie who had been so dear
to him. who had always been in his
thoughts, night and day, since he had
learned to love her.
"'She Is not dead said Sotheby.
'But-Mollle, tell me the truth, and
trust me-
"'Yes. will tell you the truth an.
swered the girl When you became
Engaged to Evelyn you looked on 1t
as a serious matter. But to Evelyn
1t was just joke, a summer flirta-
ton. She gets engaged at least two
or three times every summer When
You locked on 1t as something lasting
Evelyn was-well. just plain scared.
She liked you well enough to become
to you, but she never loved
you, Jack. Why. Evelyn couldn't love
anybody. The man she Is engaged to
now is rich, and she will probably
marry him; but she never intended to
marry you.
You frightened her, Jack, and be-
cause she really did care for you in
way, she was afraid that she might |
not be able to help marrying you.
And you were not a rich man, not |
rich enough for Evelyn. didn't know
what she was going to do, but l knew
that she was planning to do some |
thing, because she was mad with fear
when you came down to North Cliff. |
You know she can swim. She told |
me afterwards-she sent me a letter
while | was in the fisherman's house,
before you came up to see me. She |
had upset the boat, knowing that you
would take care of me, because I
could not swim. When the boat upset
Evelyn dived and climbed out and
hid behind the rocks. She waited there
Until she saw that we were safe. and
hen she ran home and changed her
iress, packed up and ran away. That
vas % prevent your knowing that she
vas alive. She wanted you to think
Ter dead, so as to escape marrying
Iou.'
And you knew all that, Mollie?
And that was why you forbade me to
lee your
Yes cried the girl. And when
was living with my aunt could
lee you, because Evelyn had gone
Vest. But l dared not let you love
ne.
"'But I have aivavs loved ro,, NJ,