The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1916-03-07

hall and heat some water. and Ehen
/ come back I'll tuck you up com-
fortzbIy. and take care OF you until
you are veil
But Tom gasped. 4 can't
Nonsense" said The lltle lady
again. you do Just as l say. I'm
used 10 bossing boys
An hour later Tom, tucked up in
bed with hot water bags 10 the right
Of him, and hot water bags TO The
left Of him. and with his appetite
satisfied By the most delicious broth
that be had ever tasted. inquired
meekly OF his grandmother:
How did you know / vas ill.,"
She looked a. him sharply over her
spectacles- "A little bird told me,
she declared.
He vas sick two weeks, and every
day there came 10 hin dainty notes In
the graceful feminine script. They
came By mail now. and there vas the
posrmark Of a distant city.
Tom had learned By this time that
his grandmother" lived on the oppo-
site side Of the hall When be WAS
strong enough he went into her plain
apartment, and then he wondered
where the Injuries which she had fur
nished him during his Illness had
been obtained, for in these rooms
there was no sign OF anuence, yet
there had been for him all the deli
cacies that tempt the appetite Of an
invalid
Now, grandmother" Re said one
morning. when ne vas dressed and
ready to take his first outing We've
got TO have an understanding II
must have taxed you a lot 70 get all
those good things for ne, and al
soon as can get work, I'm going TO
pay you back. But can't ever repay
you for the other things-your sym
pathy and kindness
The little woman patted his big
hand. There" she said, don't you
worry about il. Il hasn't cost ne a
penny-there was a fairy godmother
who met all the bills"
But she would not tell him another
word
/ The next day Tom began 20 look
! for work. He had been badly placed
{ in his first position He felt himself
equal 10 something better.
One day he found it-a bigger thing
than he had hoped tor-with an e1-
( cellent salary attached
: Then he went back TO the little
grandmother" 1 want to find my
fairy godmother." he said. and you
know where she is
Il don't" said the lady fatty
"Oh, come now
/ Il don't" was the decided answer,
/ but | can tell you who she is She
is my niece, and when she was twenty
one she came into nice litrle
sum OF money, and she made up her
mind that she would spend It on hav.
ing a good time. But she's funny
child and she didn't call il good
tine 10 go TO the shows and things;
she Just wanted 70 spend her money
on helping other people. And one
day she heard you cough, and when
your door vas open she peeped in.
and she just couldn't bear TO think
Of your being so lonesome. and so
she planned the little surprises, and
one day she said. Now, auntie, he
needs more attention than l can give
him. and you just do all you can,
and l will provide the money And
she has. and then when you began to
want to know her, she got scared
and went home
Where is her homer" Tom de.
manded
She ain't there" said the little
lady. She's gone TO work. You see
her money didn't last long, when she
sper it that way. But she said she
had the time of her life
What is her work."
She's stenographer." said the
little lady
K ms heart leaped. Then at least
she was not a rich girl, as he had
feared. How could he then have
dared 10 WOO her,
III you know her home address
you give it to me-" he said, and re
luctantly the aunt gave it to him
and that night he took train and
started on his quest.
He found her. for fate was kind 10
him. And she was dear and sweet, as
he had dreamed she might be-
He brought letter OF introduction
from the aunt.
But | don't really need it, you
know" he said
No. her cheeks were pink; did
you-did you think I was very for,
ward?"
Il thought you were-an angel,
Tom blurted out
But he did not tell her then all
that was in his heart. for time was
needed for the wooing and the
winning