The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1915-03-30
and began looking for the mouth Of .

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cave
The limbs and briars soon made tat
tiers Of her dress, but II she thought of
the financial damage she realized also
that one single ruby Of the bushels
in the cave would buy her many new
suits. No cave! No sign Of a cave!
A blue-jay now and then, and a chip
munk now and then. and after an
hour the girl realized that she was
lost and had come on a FOOLS errand.
The thing to do was to sit down on
a rock and have a good cry to try to
figure out how many days 1t would
take for a healthy young girl to starve
to death. Miss Nettie didn't do the
proper thing, however. She sat down,
but before the rest Of 1t could follow
a hunting dog burst through q tangle
and discovered her and began to bark
He had kept 1t up for two minutes
when a man not far away shouted:
go for him, Nero! Hold him till
comet"
Nero redoubled his noise, and pretty
soon a young man slid down the bank
with a crash and came to a halt to ex-
claim:
well. by George!"
what kind of man are you to
sic your dog on a lost young lady!"
was demanded as the girl rose up.
"Why-why, thought 1t was "a
woodchuck!"
"But IL wasn't you seei"
His cap came off and he gave his
name as Robert Bonham. Miss Nettie
could do no less than give her iden-
tity and explain how she came to be
a Babe In the Woods. She laughed
as she talked. and the young man
laughed as he listened. He explained
that he was also from the city and
visiting relatives. and was out on the
hills that afternoon for the sake Of
the tramp.
Your name is Robert, but I shall
call you Bob" said the little girl. you
can call me Net or Nettie. OF course
you will see me homer"
"Oh, certainly"
II want to get at that boy and roll
him in the dust"
do you know that you are about six
miles from the Eagles Nest" he
asked.
Mercy on mel"
TITS q mile or more to the house
where l am stopping. We will 60
first and get bite to eat, and then I
will take you home in my auto"
The coachman's boy had returned to
hide out, and although Miss Nettie
was missed and inquired for he gave
no information until dark. Then there
was rumpus. A searching party
started out with lanterns, and the
women left at home were crying, and
1t had got to be nine o'clock when tho
lost girl was driven up by the finder.
In the interval Mr.. Bonham was
posted on the Shields family, particu-
larly as to Fanny. Miss Fanny had
never been in love; she had a sweet
disposition; her aunt was going to
leave her $4,000; she would make
some one an awfully good wife, and a
great deal more.
The cave.searcher knew that she
had broken her word, and she was
conscience-stricken over 1t. She must
do the square thing to pay for the
anxiety and trouble she had caused
She did 1t like little brick. As soon
as released from her sisters arms she
introduced Mr.. Bob Bonham, and with
| lump in her throat added:
Fanny, I was intending to marry
him, for he Is all that q trusting girl
could ask for, but being ran away
and got lost-and tore my clothes
and broke my promise-and am goine
to have a scrap with that boy, why
take him and love him and marry
him!"
This speech was embarrassing
enough, but had no fatal effects. II
was just \ year ago, and Mr.. Bob Bon
ham has made such good use of the
time that he can now say he is en-
i gagged to Miss Fanny Shields.