The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1915-05-03
THROUGH MANY DOORS
BY JANE OSBORN.

i
a
Copyright. 1915. by the Mcclure New
paper Syndicate)
Il The first door was the front doc
and Lee Bateman passed that thresl
, old one day toward the middle of tina
memorable senior year at college.
4 Molly was different from the othe
girls in the college town. None Q
the boys knew her. 1t was said tina
Doctor Dare had refused to allow Mo
ly to waste her time with the colleg
boys. and wasn't this very fact adde'
to the golden hair and the bewitchini
smile, enough to fire any colleg
seniors spirit of adventure?
But that first door-the front doc
of the rambling old mansion wa
the wrong way to find Molly. To b
sure, Lee Bateman was received into
the stately old mahogany drawing
room and Mrs. Dare talked to him
with unenthusiastic courtesy and had
even made out the check that patron
esses we're expected to contribute to
the senior dance. But Lees expecta
tions of seeing Molly were disap.
pointed. His only glimpse of her was
fleeting vision through the window
as she went out for an afternoon
| drive
Still there are other DOORS" he
thought molly doesn't come out of
that door when she goes driving. She
uses the side door" But the next
day when Lee tried to approach that
door in the disguise of book agent
he found that the door was guarded
by Molly's pet bulldog, who treated
Lee with the usual canine cordially
toward book agents.
Then there was the back door. All
houses had back doors, Lee knew, and
perhaps If he made his entrance that
way he might find Molly making fudge
in the kitchen. Luck had been against
him so far and it was bound to turn.
1t was not hard to induce the grocer
boy to let him deliver the rice and tea
and coffee; and little change in the
way of cap and coat transformed
him to the part. But Molly wasn't
making fudge that afternoon. To be
sure the cook was kind but Lee had
no satisfaction in the encounter.
The fourth door seemed the most
dlmcult. 1t was the doctors office
door. But somehow Lee went directly
into the doctors private Office, and
before he realized what had happened
he found himself being questioned by
the doctor as to the trouble which |
had brought him there.
"Sprained ankle" said Lee on the |
spot and the doctor Immediately got |
to work with bandage and liniment.
Ten minutes later when Lee paid
the doctor his fee. there was a twin
kle in the old doctors eye.
Lee jumped out through the pas
sage into the hall of the house and
there-the fates had relented at last
he saw Molly. the gold hair and the
sweet smile and the merry gray ewes,
and even the pet dog who accepted
Moily's recognition of Lee as sufficient
'eason to abandon hostilities.
molly Knew Mr. Bateman, and she
vas sorry that he had sprained his
mike and she opened the front door
md watched him with concern as he
imped down the front steps. 1t was
MY two minutes encounter, but it I
vas enough to fire the ardor of Lees
evOtiOn,
Lee hmped-when he thought Of 1t
around the campus for the day and
ne next day he was one of the first ]
iterhoon patients waiting for the
octors professional services. There
ere more bandages and more lini. 1
rent and then there was that won. !
erful passage through the house 10 :
lie front door, whore Molly again an. j
cared The next day the ankle was
D better. The doctor agreed with j
&c that il needed daily attention (
40 Lee limp was so affecting that !
oily drove him back to the CAMPUS Z
her pony cart &
he ankle had to recover Bandages Z
ID Imminent would. of course. have !,
cir results. But there were other 4
'mpialnts that senior might in. j,
mt There were sprained wrists and T
raihed eyes and strange unaccount. +
ia pains, and always the kindly Z
ctor discovered symptoms that Lea /
u not even dreamed of. and always +
accepted Lees spot payment with :,
same apparent satisfaction in -
'hey well earned. And always
ere was the passage through tho
use. and always there was Molly
o seemed to hover near the passage. =,
y at once hours. Still Molly did not
MN TO come by the side door or
front door, and Lee did not dare
ask her for the privilege. Some.
les Lee stayed half hour and Soma.
les he felt that in Mollys smile be
'snt a faint reflection of the devo.
= !, tnat mad inspired his daily visits
men one day-it was nearing fina,
time and Molly had beon
'eclally eager to knc,- 7 oe's ,l,,s
the future-Lee had the Ione.an.
pated opportunity to tell Molly IF
ioVe and to feel in her glance tho
pohse he had become so eager TO
Give. '''e1 70
ana now, said Molly. with a laugh
was contagious, daddy can
are MS conscience about those
). he knew that you were bluffjne
ne didn't want to let you keen on
ing nim- But l wouldn't let him
,, was afraid that you wouldn't
lie any more. But father likes Won
=; ,,tr ioollshness. And he never
10 nave had chance to know Won