The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1915-05-18

out here in the sun and think ,b,,
over And gradually l seemed to WORK
tnlngs out in my mind. and at first
was reconciled, and then happy. and
now l am just like a girl in mind
again. 'u
you see, as | was saying, folks are
coming back to belief, though it is not
the OLD certainty. Now | never 70.
eretted marrying Jim, and hope and
am sure that shall meet him again
and that whatever there was Of com.
mon interest and affection between us
VIII be renewed. But that doesn't
smut me out from Tom.
NOW suppose l had married Tom
Would the old romance. which exists
still, in spite of my seventy.eiebt
years, continue? Or would Il have
Deen frittered away with the cares of
NE, the bearing and rearing Of my
children, the friction OF things and the
struggles? l think it would have
been.
mat seems the strange thing about
hfe-the moment you begin to realize
happiness you lose 1t. 1t all consists
IN the looking backward or looking
forward
Now, what an adventure life ought
TO be. and was. and is becoming
again, with the old faith coming back
TO US. Because | am quite sure that
II is this youth in our hearts. which
never dies, no matter how old we are.
that Is to be realized in the life to
come. ! am quite sure that then at
last, we shall find the happiness which
we all try so hard to catch and some.
how miss.
Well, then, does anyone mean to tell
me that my heart won't be big enough
to hold both my husband and Tom. in
an existence where there is no marry.
ing or giving in marriage? 1t seems
to me that there one will have all the
romance of girlhood and all the lows
OF being mother, and a grandmother
too.
| have put this idea into words
rather crudely, not being a writer;
but, anyhow, that was my conclusion
and / told Tom about it. You cam
imagine how pleased it made me tc
know that he understood
THAT is just how l have been feel
ing, my dear" he told me. You see
when ! heard you were married lif,
seemed impossible for me But b,
and by | began to find out that it ha.
got to be lived. and | tried to live it
My wife and | were very happy to
gether. And l thought often that i
it had been you our children woul,
have been different souls"
YES" / told him. Il should b.
dreadfully unhappy without Polly ant
Dora and Mark and Philip and tn
two boys in Los Angeles"
But now we have each other a
well as our own" he answered.
closed my eyes, because wante
to think. l was casting over in m
mind the different women knew, an
it seemed to me that whether they ha
married the right man or the wron
man it seemed pretty well to eve
itself out. And l thought of thos
, who had never married at all, an
, what load of experience there mus
! be waiting for them in the next life.
For my part, Tom" l said,
would not have it any different. ! al
so glad l never married you-and
I used to think my heart was broken.
Same here" he answered. squee
) ing my hand, and then ] saw coup
who were passing along the stree
look up and smile at us.
. "I'll be over tomorrow about II
same time" said Tom, getting up ar
taking of his hat with the sweepir
gesture he used to use. I watched hi
It walk away toward his cottage. Ho
e. pleasant 1t is to be alive, though
ID And how pleasant 1t is to be an
70 woman, with all ones troubles liv'
through already.