The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1915-05-31
The OAKS MESSAGE
BY DONALD ALLEN.

and ran a farm. she was nara
worker and a strong minded woman,
and she had married almost without
love, and certainly without romance.
Her neighbors said she was hard
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
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.
Cynthia's farmhouse. and near the
highway, was a giant oak tree. The
I farmers spoke of it as the old oak
tree, and it 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 1t ap-
pealed to her, and when at last she
reached it she stood with awe in her
heart. More than hundred years
they said, and it had been buffeted
by hundreds of gales.
Chatter! Chatter! Chatter"
1t was a gray squirrel up the trunk
few feet and looking at the girl, de-
flying her to come nearer.
But l Wilt" 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 squir-
rel had made his way to the highest
limb. The girl found something else,
| AOWCNSI oOhCNhIhS thot Pei NV
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. 1t 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 q nest.
why, 1t might be turned into a post
office" unused the girl.
And instead of writing to her cir
chum she wrote: "A maiden who
lives near here Is waiting for her Sill
knight to come and bear her away.
"There!" was half defiantly ex
claimed as tie note was deposited II
the cup.
AS Miss Irene got up to wandel
through the woods bit and g
: home, the squirrel descended a few
feet and seemed to call out:
SILLY! Silly! Silly"
"Of course 1t is" said the girl II
reply, land I'll come back tomorrow
and tear 1t up. There are no 81
knights any more"
Next day Miss Irene went back t
; the old oak and took her note from
the post office and read 1t with sigl
: and a blush. Two or three times sh
: started to tear it up. but held he
hand and finally restored 1t to tn
cup.
And days and weeks and month
: passed away, and the girl did not re
. turn to the old oak tree. She trie
!. to content herself with looking at
q from distance. It was a young gin
a romance, and she had right to kee
= it locked In her breast.
+ One afternoon the gray squire
was chattering away as he cut circle
around the trunk of the old oak Their
was nothing to make him afrait
u There was no other gray squirrel /
J. the woods to dispute his right to tn
i tree, as had been decided by battle.
Chatter! chatter! chatter"
A young man was passing In a
= auto.
: Stop a minute" he said to hi
Il chauffeur. by George! that's fin
old tree! And that's the first squire
I've seen for years. I'd sure like hl
: head for an ornament.
He had a pistol in his pocket an
i he drew 1t and approached the ire
! He was led around it as another ha
been.
Hello. Here is the old fellow
nest wonder if any of the famil
is at home"
II Very cautiously hand was inser
n ed. There might be teeth there avail
ing it, No, there we're only fe
e acorns and bit OF paper.
e "A maiden who lives near here
e The young man walked back to Il
road and stood looking at Aunt Cy
a thia's house a long time. Finally
Il said to the chauffeur:
I'VE will go back to that house"
n And from between the mornir
s. glories climbing over the lattice
e the vernada Miss Irene peered o.
and saw him and knew that her s
y Knight had found her appeal and hi
oona IN ancwor n