The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1916-08-11
BECAUSE OF BRUlN
BY cATHARINE cRANMER.

Its too lovely q world to be I'm
happy In" she murmured. A squir-
rel gave q harsh and saucy bark.
That's right. little fellow" retorted
Dorothy, seating herself on a park
bench: "iust scold when things don't
suit you. I'm going to scold. too. and
give mother and daddy to understand
that don't care how blue John Now
bray's blood Is or how big his bank &C
count or how good his chances to be-
come governor"
Suddenly the chorus of birds ended
in Quavering chit-chat. Dorothy
looked about and saw full-grown
black bear leisurely sauntering toward
her. She sprang from her seat and
ran for the nearest roadway.
She looked back once and saw the
bear galloping toward her, but she did
not see two park laborers bearing
down on him. Neither did she see a
lone young golfer strolling cityward
until she rushed directly into him.
The force of their collision sent the
young mans glasses flying and they
broke into bits.
THE DEVIL" he muttered.
"Oh, I'm sorry" she gasped, "but it's
really coming right after me-"
What's coming? The devil?"
mo, you stupid; the bear!" Dor
othy's high-wrought tension almost
snapped and the tears hung on her
Tashae Coaino 80 haar ar othar oauoa
for her agitation, the young man
looked puzzled, but the next instant
perplexity gave way to riotous smile.
Down the road came the two park la
borers with the captive bear. Dor
othy quickly snatched bill from her
purse and flung it at the astonished
young man.
There! Pay for your old glasses
and stop laughing at mel" She fed
behind the shrubbery and after her
went the young man.
Il say" he stammered, as he
reached her side and trotted along
with her, I'm sorry was nasty about
the glasses. and you must take this
back
His laugh was too infectious to be
resisted, and Dorothy laughed, too.
They slowed up as they reached the
seat she had vacated and dropped into
1t. Between bursts of laughter, she
explained that when the bear had
frightened her 1t was galloping toward
her, with never keeper in sight
''If / hadn't already been wrought
up, maybe 1t wouldn't have frightened
me So" Then she surprised him by
suddenly asking: IF somebody tried
to make you marry a woman twice as
old as you just because she was rich
and influential, what would you do?"
I'm afraid l should decline"
"But because I'm young and silly
and want to stay that way, daddy
won't take me seriously when / de,
cline; so I'm going to run away"
"Oh. don't do that" he pleaded
why not head of the old man by
marrying young one?"
We'll, I'm sure l don't want to mar.
ry anybody just now" plaintively. A
moment later she stamped her small
foot defiantly. And daddy needn't
try to thrust me upon old John Now.
bray"
John Mowbray!" exclaimed the
young man. Dorothy clapped her hand
over her mouth and fed.
All day Dorothy avoided her parents
because of the scene at breakfast fol.
lowing their announcement that they
had invited John Mowbray and his
widowed sister and her children to an
informal dinner that evening. They
also openly admitted that they had
hopes OF having John Mowbray for a
son-in-law and had reason to believe
that he also had such an ambition.
Their precipitate mention of the plans
caused Dorothy to begin at once to
find excuse for despising her fathers
professional friend. whom she had
hitherto regarded with polite indiffer-
ence. She passed an uncomfortable
day, and as the dinner hour ap-
preached she mentally pictured their
guests as tiresome lot. although she
hadn't even inquired about their num-
Der, their age or their sex.
In simple dinner gown of white net
with blue girdle, with her blond hair
softly knotted at the back and with
her blue eyes deeply serious. she en-
tered the living room from the rear
just as her mother was greeting the
arriving guests. First, her mother
presented her to Mrs. Elwood, a wom-
an of fifty: then came Miss Elsie FL
wood, in her early teens, and then
from the hall entered John Mowbray
and Dorothy's father and with them
came the young man whose glasses
she had shivered that morning in the
park.
My nephew, Jack Elwood, Miss Dor
othy," said John Mowbray, and the
embarrassment of the young people
was happily unnoticed.
When John Mowbray hecama gov