The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1916-01-29


around for day or two" answered
Ralph, laughing. 81 thought he had
adopted me, but Of late he has been
less devoted"
"Oh, Misfortune only adopts those
who need him." answered the girl,
laughing.
81 certainly needed him." murmured
Ralph.
They were to be married in about
three months. In the wonder OF the
engagement Ralph did not realize
what his first meeting with Dorothy
should have taught him-that his fan
Gee combined a certain inherited hot
ness Of temper with her sweetness.
Once or twice he had to humble him
self to get forgiveness for omissions;
he had kept her waiting, being I'M
avoidably detained; he had been I'M
able to accompany her to the theater
one evening. He thought nothing OF
this, for he knew Dorothy was the
dearest girl in the world. But some
thing happened which upset all his
calculations. The colonel fell dead in
the street.
After the funeral it was discovered
that the mortgage on the property had
to be met Immediately. The paper was
taken over by an old rival Of Colonel
Sharpe, and Ralph's and Dorothy's fu-
ture left up in the air."
The girl hardened. Ralph's protests
fell UNDECIDED on her ears. 1T would
have killed my uncle, IL he had
known" she said.
But 1 was not to blame, dear"
ooh, you should have been more
businesslike. What are you going to
do now"
per. 81 am going to offer you your
freedom, if you only care for the bust
| ness he said Indignantly.
| He knew he had misjudged her. He
would have been at her feet the next
moment. But Dorothy, Indignantly on
| her part, too, flung the ring across
the table and walked out of the room
with a high head and trembling lips.
Ralph left the house, crushed. A
penitent letter from him remained I'M
| answered He knew that he had lost
Dorothy forever.
She had adored her uncle. She
could never forgive the fact that Ralph
had let the paper fall into the hands
of the old mans bitterest rival. The
old Mirror-Advocate, which had always
stood for the cleanest of clean poll
tics, had become the organ of the low
politician. It's circulation went up by
leaps and bounds. Ralph would rather
have had the prestige of the old sheet
A desperate resolution that came to
him was stimulated by a discovery he
made. The new owners had no legal
right to the name. The Mirror-Advo
cate had changed hands, and the title
was his, therefore the newcomers
bought the plant. Ralph found 6
wealthy man to back him and resolved
to resuscitate the old paper under its
own name.
After lawyers interview Ralph
refusing an offer of $4,000 for the title
restarted the Mirror-Advocate on {
hand press pending the arrival of thu
linotypes. He knew that would please
Dorothy-that and the revival of tn,
paper.
Its success was amazing. Befor'
the paper was anything more than
four-page sheet it had a circulation o
{ seven thousand. Advertisers begal
to come in. Ralph wrote to Doroth
, again. He asked her if she would fol
4 give him when he had restored the oil
v prestige of the paper But no answe
, came, and whenever they met the gil
hurried past him with high head an
Q flaming cheeks.
Q It was about six months after tn
z paper had been re-established tina
Misfortune suddenly reappearet
q Where he had been Ralph did nc
a know-certainly not with Dorothy. II
4 appeared as unconventionally as b
n had gone away and took up his abod
d with Ralph in the boarding house.
e This solitary reminder Of the oil
a days was grateful to the young ma
>. Once Dorothy saw him and the dc
!! together. That was the time 81
passed with head bent low instead
l. held high. That was the time whe
Is Ralph almost dared to speak to he
10 And then came the days when Rail-
t. knew very little about anything. T
4, phoid was raging in the town. thanl
IS to the slackness of the health boar
Is whose head was a, creature of Rot
,r ledge, the owner of the aforetin
Mirror-Advoeate and now the Sentin'
ut Ralph was one of the first victims.
lie He knew very little; he could n
even recall how he came to sickle
n 1t was, in fact, at the beginning
his convalesccnce, in the third wee
that he realized he, was in the hos
at tai, attended by strange nurse, al
Is his heart filled with an aching emp
sr- ness that only one person could fill.
Ip- He almost wept in his weakness.
ne lay back with closed eyes. He did n
care, he did not know that the dc
i'd had opened softly until-she stood
ar side him.
ou He looked at her DULY. II seemet
phantom come to torture him. But d
ed, othy knelt al the bedside and wept.
he'll Dearest l have always want
ex-.l you'll" she, pleaded. Il have put !
hateful pride away. l did not KIN
led. that you were i'll until an hour az
me Dorothy! am so glad"
ere 1T was Misfortune. They would
Il