The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1915-03-22
TEST OF CHARACTER
BY DOROTHY DOUGLAS.

(copyrieht. 1915, by the Mcclure Newspa-
per Syndicate)
Sally Van Camp came home IN
state Of complete exhaustion from re-
hearsal. Since the losing OF the en-
velope with her salary in 1t she had
been forced to 60 about her strenuous
days with scarcely enough food 10
nourish q canary and to sing and give
forth her vitality as If the lack OF
food were a thing Of no consequence
The pitifully small salary she drew
for singing every night and two
afternoons a week in big musical
comedy chorus was all she possessed
in the way of financial support. II
took her every penny to spread out
over the week SO that at the end OF
those seven days Sally would have
starved save for the fact that another
pay day arrived.
However, three days had been got
through. Had Sally not spent NIFTY
cents on an advertisement in the lost
and found column after she had
dropped her pay envelope in the sub
way she could have had some lunch
for i've days. AS 1t was, she had to
fight the pangs Of hunger and won
der II anyone finding her money
would ever return It
Philip Turner, who had read the
advertisement, pondered long and
speculatively over it. He. surrounded
by every luxury and the manager OF
q successful restaurant where people
dined and wined and listened to cab.
aret music, felt strangely upset that
some poor working girl had lost
trifling sum Of So and that it was her
all.
Perhaps Philip Turner was half
philanthropic. Certainly he was curl
Gus to see If the girl who had lost her
salary in q white envelope was hon.
est. Turner's hobby, II hobby 1t could
be called. was to test human nature.
II will send 8. v. c. a white en-
velope with So in It and tell her
found It in the subway" he decided
as q conclusion to his speculations
regarding Sally's advertisement.
It was the fourth day Of Sally's en-.
forced fast when the letter from Philip
Turner arrived with the envelope in.
closed. She had come home at 1880
from the theater so weary that the
stairs leading to her attic room had
haunted her all the way home as
task quite beyond her power Of &C.
complishment.
Upon seeing the letter addressed to
herself Sally opened it alphabetically.
She knew instantly that the money
was not that which she had lost. The
envelope and the bills we're not her
own She did not for the moment
doubt that the envelope had been
found and sent to her as supposedly
the one she had lost.
Across the street a midnight shop
Haunted its blaze Of light into Sal
ly's half-starved face. Turkey sand
witch" was the illuminated sign that
goaded her into using the money as
her own.
When she arrived in her room again
she was faint, but not so faint but
that the turkey sandwich set her on
her feet and made sleepy and con
tented girl Of her
In the light of day and with clearer
reasoning faculties Sally felt her po
sition keenly, She mad deliberately
used the money Of some other person
and she would not be able to repay
that money until three days later
It was a very wan but strictly
Straightforward Sally that found hel
way to the home of Philip Turner
Luckily he was in. His servant lei
Sally through sumptuous halls unit
she was shown into the library where
in Philip did his dreaming
She smiled half wistfully as She
handed back the envelope.
81 took this-and used some of tn,
money" she TOLD him. 1T is not tn,
envelope lost. but was starving
and had to rehearse today. want t,
pay back what have used when
can" She spoke brokenly. for the pc
culiarly enveloping light in Phili]
Turner's eyes played havoc with he
nerves. When she had told him in de
tail all that he demanded of her h
took her to the big drawing room, an,
himself sat down at the piano.
Now sing" he said, laughingly
II want to see what you can do.
you please me, l can give you an en-
gagement to sing in my restauran
for $50 a week
Sally's slim hand sought supper
even as it had when she had see
the money in her letter. She smiled
however. ana Philip watched tn
dawning happiness that he was on
day to bring into his own and Sally
, life Neither of them knew for tn
, second that love was weaving thel
into its net. but Sally did know ths
, she was going to sing as she ha
never sung for anyone else.
When she had finished Philip S;
silently looking at her
L could easily make 1t a hundred
he said finally but you might onI
= sing a few weeks for me amigo O
, to the continent or something lii
that. he ended iaughingly for Sal
was very near to tears.
. There is no use-in my trying
thank you" she said. softly.
a Philip did not tell her until Tor
a after they were married that he h;
J. wanted to test her chacater. Ey,
:. so Sally only moved nearer MIN al
Q dropped her head on his shoulder