The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1915-01-22
the PlOTTERS
BY LAWRENCE A. CLAY

On HeT twenty -llulll UiTlHud. hioo
Fanny Blake had a party and cheer
fully announced TO her guests that it
was her twenty-tirst anniversary.
It's a mere trifle for an old maid to
knock eight years off her life at
single blow Miss Blake went about
among her guests with simpers and
! giggles and "firl-girl'' shrugs and said:
Mother contends that am only
twenty years old, but l am letting it
go 1T twenty one, so as to have no
dispute about it,
There was one guest who was par
I, ticularly interested in that question of
age Stephen Nash had been shining
up to Miss Blake for year. He was
| twenty-eight years Old and, though
| somewhat smitten. he worried consid-
erably about her age.
| Mr.. Nash heard some of the whis-
pered doubts. and next day, when he
! happened TO meet Miss Louise Win
chester in the street, he said: Do you
think Miss Blake is over twenty-one
! years old?'
Why don't you ask me if | don't
think she is over thirty"
/! Can you find out her true age for
me?" asked " Nash.
1t must be recorded in the family
bible"
i, Very likely
And when | used to call there the
Bible was kept on a stand in the par
lor.'
But it isn't nov. At her party last
night she claimed to be twenty-one.
"Well?"
How many chocolates can you eat
in week."
"A pound a day"
You copy the record of her birth
from the Bible and the chocolates are
yours"
III do my best to earn them"
: Miss Fanny Blake had a brother fiji
teen years old lie WAS head over
heels in love with the siri OF nineteen
1t was his first love.
Miss Louise took occasion to meet
the calf-lover at an early date and tc
say: frankie, is it true that your folks
have no Bible i'll the house"
who has been telling such a stor,
as that" he demanded
But a person who calls there ha!
looked around without being able t
see Bible"
And why not? because sister Fan
ny gave me a nickel to carry it up il
the garnet and say nothing about it!
IL 10 ~l,.- 4.
you like to go fishing with me tomor
row.
You bet"
did you ever read the story of Laz
arus in the Bible?"
Il never did
story while you tished."
THAT will be bully. can bring our
along"
And that sacred book was sneake,
out and taken along on fishing trir
= and while Frankie fshed for bull
heads and suckers Miss Louise rea,
him the story of the beggar. She ais
turned to the family record and COZ
led it.
AS soon as the record was copic
Miss Louise remembered an importan
engagement that must take her hom
at once
= And off the girl went to place tn
record in the hands of Mr. Nash, an,
receive her chocolates pounds
full weight
I'll And then Mr. Nash did mean thing
He gave the old maid the mitten. o
course, he tried to case his conscienc
on the ground that she had prevar
Gated about her age, but suppose sh
had?
In due time Miss Blake learned o
the conspiracy, and no matter wha
she vowed to do to get even with tn
mink she kept it to herself and bide
her time. When man wants to sc
even he goes out and punches tn
other mans head and has it over with
When a woman seeks revenge she ha
the patience to wait until her oppol
tunity comes.
But-in time the tangle was ur
tangled and Miss Louise Wincheste
became Mrs. Reddick, Miss Fam
Blake was married to Deacon Spencer
Mr.. Nash married girl of twenty an
she used to throw coffee pots an
other things at him. and Frank
Blake got over his calflove and bt
came head bookkeeper for a sand an
lime company.
(Copyrig 1914. by the Mcclure Newspa
per Syndcate)