The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1915-06-04
As IN THE OLD DAYS
BY MARY MARSHALL.

fee."
Tom Blake drew a long pun from
his cigarette and then YEARLY
watched the smoke as it circled ovel
Julia's head. It had come to be
/! matter Of fact for Tom and Julis
Dawson to come OF like this at the
Blair parties and pass an hour In
quiet In the broad sweeping veranda
overlooking the sea.
Julia sat up erect and looked al
Tom with the frankness Of old &C
quaintance, the result of friendship
that had lasted through the days when
Julia and Tom both left college sew
eral years before. You are getting
to be a miserable, grumpy old bach
elor. Tom Blake"
When q man is as old as l am
he doesn't delude himself easily.
wish the Blairs would serve coffee.
Who wants an ice without coffee even
in July?"
"And you are miserable just be-
cause they didn't happen to have It?
Why don't you go down to the hotel
and get some II that IL the way you
feel? If anyone were at our cottage
I'd like you to come home now. COT
fee is very simply concocted.'
81 dare you, Julia" Tom tossed
his cigarette OF the veranda and
stood beside her. Don't refuse q
dare, GO you? double dare you to
let me go home with you now and
make it. Remember how l used to
dare you-dared you to kiss me once
at our junior prom, and you were too
good a sport to refuse. But kissings
gone out of fashion now, Julia.
triple dare you to make the coffee"
A minute later Julia, her light
evening cape thrown around her
shoulders, stole down the veranda
steps with Tom. Just as they turned
into the pathway that led into the cot
tage two neighbors passed. ITS
Julia" one said, land that Mr.. Blake.
No ones in the cottage, either. Funny
of Julia to be there alone, and that
Blake they say used to be in love
with her once" Julia was fumbling
with the keys and did not hear this,
but Tom caught it.
Once In the house Julia dropped
her wrap and started toward the din
ing room.
"Oh, forget the coffee!" Tom called
after her. THAT walk down here was
all the bracer needed. didn't really
mean that was going to let you go
to all that trouble
1t was perhaps because Julia turned
and smiled over her shoulder as she
hurried on to the dining room, and
partly because the remark of the
neighbor had brought back a flood of
old recollections, that Tom rushed
forward and caught Julia in his arms.
But it was q very different Julia from
the Julia he had kissed in his college
days. She had been frightened and
happy then. Now she was apparently
unmoved. She drew away almost in
anger.
Toni" there was deep reproof in
HeT tone, now could your"
But you used to let me. You know
how you protested that night when
We left college and didn't think we'd
see each other for a whole long
month afterward. But you yielded
and then you cried In my arms at the
thought of the separation. And now
l am away from you a whole winter
at a time and you don't give me a
thought" He caught her again and
kissed her as if none of the four in.
tervening years had cooled his ardor.
Julia struggled against his arms.
1T is unfair." she told him. 81 &C.
cepted your dare thinking that you
gave 1t in good faith, and now find
that it was just ruse. Please 90
away at once don't mind being
left here alone. but l refuse to stay
alone with you"
What If they did see? They could
only think that l wanted to take you
on by yourself where l could kiss you
and tell you that l love you
But how unfair of you to suggest
1t just because | thought you wanted
coffee and all the time you were
Tom drew the girls slender figure
toward him. Julia, didn't plan
l didn't dream I'd kiss
you. l was crusty old bachelor
wnen l was at the Blairs. Coffee
was the most important thing in life
at that time. Id forgotten the Joy
OF touching your lips to mine. But it
all came back in food of recollec.
ton. Julia, l think that the neigh.
bors will talk about us. | think II
Will be all over the place, the scan.
dai OF the summer. In fact, | heard
someone starting the gossip as we
came in. Julia. you are dreadfully
compromised-that is what they say.
isn't It? You have been very ipdis. |
Greet to let me come in this empty
house with you, Julia" Tom was
standing with his hands on Julia's
shoulders holding her at arms
length from him. Julia, the only
square thing for me to do now is to
insist on marrying you. That is the
sort of talk that the part requires,
isn't ito
You are laughing at me?" It was
the old Julia and her cheeks vera
warm and her eyes had their old ex.
pectancy as Tom drew her to him
again.
i am in earnest, too, said Tom.
The old days have come back. and
were going to start out where we left
on and forget about the coffee and
the grumpy old bachelor down at