The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1915-05-29

molly Out urlNiuS. I1Ci SecpnoeSAs
who hated John with q cold, implaca-
BILE hatred. seemed to approve of this
friendly interest on Sayles' part. as
did her stepsister.
Mamma" said the little girl one
afternoon. us Mr.. Sayles going to be
my new papa?"
Molly, startled at the childish query.
turned upon the little girl sharply.
What nonsense!" she exclaimed.
why do you ask me such thing?"'
Because" answered the child. II
heard stepmother talking with the
ladies' at the tea yesterday about your
divorce"
my what?" cried Molly.
Isn't that the right word, mammal
They said you were going to get d.
vorce and that Mr.. Sayles was going
to be my new papa. And won't have
him." she continued, stamping her lit
tie foot. 81 want my old papa"
Molly looked at her aghast. But be-
fore she had time to collect her wits
Mr.. Sayles drove up in his automobile
and the two went out along the streets
and into the country.
Sayles turned and saw that Molly
was crying into her handkerchief.
"Why. Mrs. GARRETT" he exclaimed.
What is the matter?"
That was too much for Molly. She
felt that she had always been neglect
ed and misunderstood. She told him
the child's remarks. Sayles listened.
and, when she had ended. he put his
arm about her and drew her head
down upon his shoulder.
81 guess the child had about the
hang of it, didn't she, Molly?" he
asked.
you mean"
why, dear. everybody knows that
John Garrett isn't worthy to blacker
your shoes. You've had a miserable
life since you married him, and-ant
: I've always loved you, Molly. Now lei
me tell you something. l have
; chance to open a branch Of the firm
out West 1t isn't as good as some
thing else have my eye on, but car
wait six months while you're getting
the legal preliminaries settled. Come
! out with me, and you can get the di
vorce afterward."
He took her In his arms, and Moll!
frankly abandoned herself to this new
love that had come into her heart
She was to tell her family that Joh1
had sent for her to Kansas City. The,
would never know. Then she was t
slip off to New York and meet Sayle
. there. There was only q week Of wait
= ing before he could wind up his al
fairs But on the fifth day Doris d.
!, veloped a feverish cold, on the sixt
:, she was down with pneumonia, and O.
. the seventh she was apparently dyin(
a IL want my papa!" moaned the littl
a girl as she fought for breath
Molly telegraphed for John. Sayle
I. was a constant visitor at the hous'
, When Doris illness developed int
pneumonia he seemed like man di
tracted. He could not bear the though
of postponement. He came into tn
sickroom and stood looking at Dori
, who was delirious.
:. Molly, is this-going to keep ,
apart?" he asked.
"Oh, l can't leave her now" Mol
answered.
But why not?" the man persiste
You can do no good and you are on
wearing yourself out. Your stepmot
a er will take care Of the child, and aft
Z she is we'll she can come on to u.s."
Z Molly looked DULY at him. Her hea
+ was torn between love Of the chill
newly awakened in her. and Sayle
She did not think at all of the mi
! who Just then came into the sickroo
= John.
& He sat down at the bedside and to-
4 Doris hand in his. The child kne
I, him, she smiled at him. Presently 8
was fast asleep. For hours John G'
- rett sat at her side, holding the b
little hand in his, and never stirrt
His presence seemed to infuse NJ
atmosphere into the room.
J Sayles had gone long ago. Mo
: sat upon the other side of the b
- The presence of John always aw;
= ened in her heart sentiments that
was incapable of analyzing. Din
she felt that John was a good man,
spite OF his vuisarity, in spite OF
noisiness. She was thinking now
she had never thought before.
She saw herself again. with
tyrannous stepmother who had tai
the place of her own mother, now o.
W a dim figure in the mists Of her CHI
e. hood. She saw how the two won
~ had always tyrannized over her, b
she had been a plant tool in tt
supple hands. She remembered
courtship. how John had taken
cry away, their honeymoon together,
ou' long years before her stepmother
MS forgiven her. Would John have &C
ny as Sayles had done? Molly felt
stinctively that she could not pjct
rett John in such a role, and her HI
USE went out to him in q sudden o'tp'
n,u ing Of love.
nim Presently John looked up.
vi Molly" he said.
oies "John?"
anu Pretty tired Of this sort of