The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1915-05-26
THE OAKS MESSAGE
BY DONALD ALLEN.
right. 1915. by the Mcclure Newspa-
per Syndicate)

Miss Irene's Aunt Cynthia lived on
and ran a farm. She was a hard
worker and strong-minded woman,
and she had married almost without
love. and certainly without romance.
Her neighbors said she was hard.
hearted and a driver, and seemed ut
terly without pity, but they were mis-
taken. She had loved her brother
John, and when his only child drove
up to the gate she took her in her
arms and said: You poor child, you,
but you shall have a home with me
for life, and / will be a kind mother
to you!"
The lapse of time is the remedy for
all our griefs. After three months
had passed Miss Irene was like her
old self again, and there was song and
laughter in the house.
A quarter Of a mile below Aunt
Cynthia's farmhouse. and near the
highway, was a giant oak tree. The
farmers spoke of it as the old oak
tree, and 1t was landmark to be seen
for miles and miles.
Miss Irene had sat and gazed at that
towering tree for an hour at time,
but 1t had never occurred to her to
make a closer acquaintance until one
afternoon when she had a reply to
indite to the letter of girl chum.
She would do her writing at the foot
Of the old oak tree.
As the girl drew nearer and near
er to the old oak the more it ap-
pealed to her, and when at last she
reached it she stood with awe in her
heart. More than a hundred years
they said, and it had been buffeted
by hundreds Of gales.
Chatter! Chatter! Chatter"
1t was gray squirrel up the trunk
a few feet and looking at the girl, de-
flying her to come nearer.
But will" she laughed, as she
plunged into the bushes,
The squirrel whisked around to the
other side of the tree.
By this time she had reached the
trunk and passed around it the SPUR
rel had made his way to the highest
limb. The girl found something else,
Understanding that perhaps not
one in a thousand who passed it had
knowledge Of. At the height of her
chin was a cup or hollow that would
hold a quart of water. It was a
wound that the tree had received In
some way years before, and the bark
had grown again on all sides to leave
hiding spot. The hand that was
thrust in felt and drew out a small
quantity of dead leaves, but it was
too low down for safety, and no wild
thing had pre-empted it for a nest.
"Why, it might be turned into post
office!" unused the girl.
/ And instead of writing to her girl
! chum she wrote: "A maiden who
lives near here is waiting for her Sir
! knight to come and bear her away"
"There!" was half defiantly ex.
! claimed as the note was deposited in
the cup.
As Miss Irene got up to wander
through the woods a bit and go
home, the squirrel descended q few
feet and seemed to call out:
| SILLY! Silly! Silly!"
| "Of course 1t u.s." said the girl In
reply, "and I'll come back tomorrow
and tear it up. There are no Sir
Knights any more"
| Next day Miss Irene went back to
the old oak and took her note from
the post Office and read 1t with sigh
and blush. Two or three times she
started to tear 1t up, but held her
hand and finally restored it to the
cup.
| And days and weeks and months
passed away, and the girl did not re-
turn to the old oak tree. She tried
to content herself with looking at 1t
from a distance. 1t was young girl
romance, and she had right to keep
it locked in her breast.
One afternoon the gray squirrel
was chattering away as he cut circles
around the trunk Of the old oak There
was nothing to make him afraid
There was no other gray squirrel In
the woods to dispute his right to the
tree. as had been decided by battle.
Chatter! chatter! chatter!"
A young man was passing In an
auto.
Stop minute" he said to his
chauffeur. by George! that's a fine
old tree! And that's the first squirrel
I've seen for years. I'd sure like his
head for an ornament"
He had a pistol in his pocket, and
he drew it and approached the tree
He was led around it as another had
been.
Hello! Here is the old fellows
nest! wonder If any Of the family
is at home"
Very cautiously a hand was insert
ed. There might be teeth there await
ing it, No. there were only a few
acorns and bit Of paper.
"a maiden who lives near here
The young man walked back to the
road and stood looking at Aunt Gym
thia's house a long time. Finally hi
said to the chauffeur:
1--WE will 60 back to that house"
And from between the morning
glories climbing over the lattice o
the vernada Miss Irene peered GU
and saw him and knew that her Sil
knight had found her appeal and ha'
come to answer It
Satisfaction In Work.