The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1916-09-26

left which l and my wife loved to-
gether."
A tender cord was touched in Miss
bedford's breast. She forgot her no
ton of hating all men in this un-
Ion OF living man with a dead y;o-
man. cemented by their child She said
In kindly voice:
1t need be only temporary. sojourn
II you prefer it. till you can make other /
provision. You can come If you like
Have you had breakfastr'
NO"
DO you know where to get oneY'
NO"
Il can give you one.'
you are very kind, but I can man
age without your help, l think The
baby
"Yes, the baby You will not let your
pride stand In the way Of your baby.
Certainly you will carry her to my
home"
"Of course
He took the child from her arms and
together they started for the house.
On the way he gave her brief expla
ma lion of the situation. He was an
artist and, like most artists who have
not made name, very poor. Not being
able to keep up home, he and his wife
and their child started on q sketchinG
tour. camping here and there, the hus-
band painting landscapes. The wife
had died, and the husband, not having
any other abode, stuck to his tent. 1t
was pathetic story. and Miss Bed
ford's horror for man-at any rate this
particular man-melted before it.
When they reached the house she said
to him:
1T Is in your power to do me kind
ness. Sit down to the same breakfast
table with me and your child l shall
enjoy every mouthful you eat more
than you can conceive"
He gave in to this way of putting It.
Miss Bedford placed herself between
him and his child, and 1t is question
able which she the most enjoyed help
ing, the man or the child. He had
managed to get the simple food re-
quired for his little girl. For her he
would take what did not belong to him
or accept 1t from strangers, but not for
himself. He was very hungry and ate
a great deal. his hostess pressing him
| to do so. After he had finished she
said to him:
You have done me one favor; now
l wish you to do me another. Leave
the child here with me while you make
| your sketches. You are welcome to
come here to see her whenever you
! like. and you may feel privileged to
take her away when you can provide
for her"
The artist could scarcely conceal the
relief this offer brought him. "Since
have only tent for her." he said, 81
have no right to deprive her Of the
comfort you can give her"
And you have no right to deprive
me of the happiness l shall have in
taking care OF her"
An hour later the artist kissed his
child and took his departure. The tent
disappeared. and nothing vas seen Of
man or tent for several weeks. Then
| lie CdiIIe w MISS DculoIu uOHuc Will
number Of sketches. One Of them, n
water vista. the original being on her
own ground. Miss Bedford very much
fancied She offered the artist good
price for It, He declined it on the
ground that through charity she would
pay him more than 1t was worth. But
when she proposed that he should send
| IL To-, - o.,
value he accepted the proposition. Miss
F.! Bedford privately wrote the dealer to
| fix a price she named herself. and this
she paid the artist.
! Now and again he came in from his
sketching tours to see his child, and
every time he came he offered to re-
lieve Miss Bedford Of her charge. She
invariably declined to be relieved I'M
less he insisted on his right to take his
baby to himself, and the longer the re
moval was put Off the more difficult It
would be for Miss Bedford TO give up
accept of the lady's hospitality, and
this made 1t awkward IL he would
have made his headquarters at the
house when not out painting 1t would
have been much pleasanter, for the
child was constantly fretting for him.
Finally when he began to get some
! return for his pictures Miss Bedford
proposed that II he would make her
house his lodging place when not out
sketching she would permit him to pay
a nominal board. After much bag
Cling as to the amount. the lady de-
claring what he proposed to pay moth
ing less than robbing him. n compro
mise was made. and for the rest of the
summer n room in n wing of the house
was at his disposal whenever he chose
to use it.
The truth is nature was working In
Miss Bedford. the artist and the little
girl to make the three one. They were
becoming necessary to one another, and
a time arrived when the woman found
it out One would suppose that her
antipathy to men in general would
have at least troubled her at finding
herself in position to succumb. But
It did not. The child stepped In to