The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1915-03-19

when finished.
Finished at last and praised by ev-
cry member Of the family, even to
the baby, Miss Sadie insisted that her
young man must be shown. He was
a solemn young man who labored in
an undertaker's shop, and he could
read all the Jokes in family almanac
and sigh over them, but when led into
that garnet by the ear he gave snort
like a river horse.
Good Lord, but have you swal-
lowed your gum!" exclaimed Miss Sa-
die as she thumped him on the back.
The solemn young man lied about
It. He said he had. He snorted sew
eral times more. and then he set in
and told such whopping big lie that
Satan wrote his name down on the
records. He said the effect of that
garnet on him was soothing, placid.
restful and complacent. He said there
was no installing those cherubs for
live Goldfish. He said the expression
Of each and every one Of them was
even more natural than life. He said
that some low.down. beetie-browed
villain might declare they had goose
wings instead Of those Of angels, but
let him come face to face with that
man and the lie should be crammed
down his throat.
What the solemn young man said
about Miss Sadie's roses doesn't mat
ter. as they were married Q year later,
and he never let her paint another.
Miss Cherry returned home to take
up decorating. She had graduated in
the art. She was all there when 1t
came to the cherub business. The
solemn young man wrote down to the
city to bachelor friend Of his, and
the bachelor called at the Kinsell
house and told Miss Cherry that he
wanted his billiard room decorated.
When she called to see 1t next day
he gave her carte blanche to go ahead
as she thought best. Everything
would be moved out and the key CIV
en- to her, and she could use her own
taste. He would be away for q
month, and she would be undisturbed.
In five minutes the girl-artist had
decided on Just how she would deco
rate, but she didn't give 1t away. No
one saw her work until it was fin
ished.
The groundwork was the same as
the Fall River garnet. The cherubs
this time had white bodies and blue
wings and legs. Whether walking or
flying each one carried billiard cue
under his arm. Between each two
cherubs was glass Of the foamy and
a pile Of billiard balls. Nothing was
left to the Imagination, nor was there
anything to which the most fastidi.
GUS could object.
The old bachelor returned home at
night just as the last wing had been
painted on the last cherub. He let
himself into the house and turned on
the gas in the billiard room. One
long look, and then there was a heavy
fall. The housekeeper and the valet
got him to bed. and after an anxious
hour the doctor said he would pull
through. Then he went to look at
the billiard room himself. When he
came back he was deathly pale and
his knees were shaking.
"Who-who did IT." no sasped.
"A mighty good-looking young lady"
was the reply.
"But you can't-can't stand It'll"
mo-"
you'll have to sell or novel"
EYES,"
II can't guarantee your sanity II
you stay here"
II couldn't expect you to-"
white bodies and blue legs!"
IL saw them"
And carrying fence rails under
their arms or wings!"
"And yaller groundwork"
Look here, Stevens" said the doc.
tor. you've got to do something"
Commit suicide?"
mo. You've got to fall in love with
your decorator and marry her, and
then burn the house down so as to
get rid Of those cherubs without hurt
ing her feelings"
"Is there no other way, doctor!"
None, whatever"
The house wasn't burned down, but
ten months later Miss Cherry Kinsell
became Mrs. Charles Stevens, and the
day after the wedding an explosion
In the billiard room Knocked the plas-
ter OF the walls and the poor cherubs
into cooked hats.