The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1916-01-31

r., pio" the waves at high tide
nao washed right through their set.
ein room. and they thought thew was
gum TO float out to sea.
IL wasn't much Of ,;fa for .,,,,
woman was it? But she said her
plother wouldn't leave. While she
uiun complain. l made out that he
was the lazy kind that liked to sat
around the house and do woman,s
work, but he didn't have much ides Of
earnin' livin'.
"hy' Id work my fingers to the
ooen TO get away from here she said
" me with her big eyes blazing.
Wen, | went away the next morn.
IN out | used to think of her when
.ne storms came. and | kind O. got
INTO fashion of running over and set
I'm with her when it was bad enough
to scare her.
But after the winter set IN e
wasn't easy gettin' there. No boat
could live in some of the blows We
nad, and the big waves used to wash
over the causeway at high tide and
make a wall to beat me back
we got to be such good friends
.nat was invited over to Christmas
oinner with them. Lizzie was going
70 cook big turkey, and had plan.
nea TO take oysters for the SOUP.
But when Christmas day dawned
we were in the thick of the worst
gaze ever saw on the coast. There
was snow with it, so that everything
was Just binding whiteness, and the
"ind howled an tore like sixty.
knew there wasn't any use try
ing TO walk across the causeway. so
l iought my way in boat across the
harpor, inch by inch. to get to Lizzie.
| knew what she was sufferin'. and I
didn't know whether she was safe
from the dangers of that sandy strip.
got there just in time. The wind
had ripped up the edge of the roof
ana the snow was piled up on the
hoor. Lizzie and her brother were in
the Kitchen. She was crouched in an
old rockin' chair with her hands over
ner race. but he VS. calmly bas in
the turkey in the oven! And that,
with the tide comm higher every min
ute and the gale increasin'.
went over to the chair and put
my hand on 1.izzie's shoulder. Tt
amt Yery merry Christmas said,
that I've brought you. You'd better
put your things on and come back
with me. It's safer in boat in the
harbor than it is on this beach
she put her hands in mine. oh,
yes, she whispered, anywhere away
from here
Come on said to her brother.
But he just looked up from his cookin'
and said in a stubborn way, She
amt goin', and amt This is where
We belong, and we are goin to stay
here
And if the house blows away,
what them ! asked.
1T amt goin' to blow away he
said, it's stood a lot of storms in its
! time, and it's goin' to stand some
more
But knew what shackly old
place it was, and anyhow he made
me mad the way he spoke about Liz
zie. You can stay here if you like,
| said, but rour sisters goin''
He stra ghtened up and looked al
me across the stove. so | said the
words right over again Your sis
ter's goin',' because | love her and
want to take care of her. And if shell
marry me you can do as you please
stay here or I'll Pay your board on the
mainland, but amt gon' to have her
life ruined by fear and selfishness
and she suffers from both in this
house, and it's got to stop
We'll, she came with me, and hel
brother came, too, huggin' the turkey
which he had wrapped up in a big
parcel. 1t was fight to get across
but when We landed | brought Lizzie
here, and sic has a south room that
looks over the street and away from
the water a, 4 she has lots of friends
and when tie rest fail her she has
me-" He laughed his big laugh
land she amt AFRAID any more, are
you, Lizzie?' he demanded, as his
wife came in with a tureen full o.
steaming chowder
Am | what?' she asked, as she Sc
/ it down carefully
afraid of storms?" he said. g
was jest tellin how you used to feal
: them"
/ She came over and put her hand OF
his shoulder, and stood looking dowr
at him with tender light in hel
eyes. "As if any one could be afrait
with you was her affectionate wa,
of settling It.