The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1916-06-03
Baby Love
By ETHEL HOLMES

lull luNt lltu Slli luES UP bElNtSA
Two young persons OF opposite sex is
like the child that comes to them after
marriage. 1t has its babyhood. its
childhood and its youth. As a baby is
a delicate little thing. liable to be
snuffed out by the slightest adverse
happening, so is the beginning Of love,
Young love has its measles, its whoop-
ing cough and IFS collie
Charlie Edmonds was twenty one
and Rosa Lee eighteen when they be.
came engaged. There was cyclone of
ecstasy for twenty-four hours, then a
revulsion. Charlie wondered If he
hadn't done something dreadful. He
wanted to go right off and put himself
back where he was before; but. be
ing a man of honor and not seeing
how he could honorably do so, he hest
tated. Besides, he shrank from going
back on the wild enthusiasm of the
initial transports and confessing that
he was so unstable. The truth is he
was staggered by the responsibilities
he had assumed.
Forty eight hours absence from his
love was quite enough to cause him to
forget the responsibilities and to long
! for another kiss. 1t was > o'clock in
1 the afternoon when this new phase
came over him, and he resolved to go
| to see her after dinner. That would
! be s o'clock How would he get
through those intervening three hours?
/ At half past he could stand it no
longer and started for her home. Fortu-
nately it required fifteen minutes to
/ get there. He saw a figure Mt the
froEt window and on entering the
drawing room saw the girl sitting in
the cleaning. lie advanced to EN-
/ brace her. She waved him back.
| Il suppose it is all mistake" she
said
"All mistaken His heart sank
within him.
Yes. 1t Is impossible that you can
love me and remain away from me all
these long days"
"All these long days. Why, we have
been engaged only since the night be
fore last
II sat here in this window waiting
for you till o'clock, then went to bed
| and cried all night"
Poor, dear little girl" he said, wind.
ing his arms about her and smuggling
| her face-or rather, her lips-against
| his.
The first spasm OF baby love had
passed and was succeeded by six hours
of rapture.
He started to go at . a. m, got to
the drawing room door at 2:15, and the
last kiss was at 80 in the vestibule
Baby love didn't have a spasm or
anything else for another two days.
Meanwhile Charlie was getting down
to engaged life quite rapidly. A man
moves from one position to another; a
woman. in certain respects, Is apt to
remain where she finds herself. Baby
love had all the children's ills. but
with every one Charlie gained by ex-
perience and came to consider them a
matter of course. Three months after
his engagement he called on his fiance
one evening to find symptoms that
shortly before would have been alarm
ing.
ITS perfectly evident" said Rosa.
withdrawing from him as he advanced
to give the usual lovers salute, that
this cannot go on any longer"
What can't go on any lOngerY"
why, your Indifference to me when
we are in other company"
What have done now?"
DO you think that your treatment of
me at Mrs. Randall's garden party was
such as l have right to expect?"
What did do?'
you know very well what Won did
When asked you to get me an Ice. in
stead of doing so at once you continued
your conversation with Mrs. Fitz Ger
aid. paying no attention to me what
ever"
Mrs. Fitz Gerald was telling me an
incident that happened to her. | could
not break away from her in the mid
die of her story, could IL"
You didn't wish to break away from
her. You were listening with rant at |
tention."
Surely you're not
Jealous? Oh, dear, no. wouldn't
think of being jealous of an old woman
like that. She's twenty eight IL she's a |
day"
bor the first time since his engage. |
ment womans unseasonableness began |
10 rub the wrong way His brow low. |
cred.
You say that things can't go on any |
longer in this way. Do you mean that
our engagement must be brokenY"
Unless | can be assured that Won |
are not to be caught by any married |
woman who chooses to throw a smell |
over you"
Il thought You said you were not |
jealous of Mrs. Fitz Gerald"
I'm not. Mrs. Fitz Gerald is not the !
only designing woman there is in the |
world"
What do You wish me to do?"
This was a poser. Rosa. not having
any reply to make, was silent She had |
had her say and was ready to make n
up She stood looking down at the
floor and as there was no antagopism
in her expression Charlie went 10 her
and took her in his arms.
Charlie hoped that the end Of these
paroSysms would come with marriage I
Trey did not end with the wedding
Gay nor with the honeymoon. Not tin
real baby came was there a per
eeptible change. Then Charlie sudden
~ discovered that his wife had found
another love which took the edge off
the first. A genuine rival had dis.
nlapad hin,