The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1916-03-02
THE GRAY SWEATER GIRL
BY OCTAVE DEAN.


and successful dreamer. had streak
superstition about him that had been
hard to keep in check by practical
Elizabeth, his wife.
The thing that Elizabeth found hard
! est to keep down was his penchant for
signs to be followed.
Elizabeth stuck to him dutifully, a
i good, solid anchor for this poor craft
80 often storm-tossed on the sea of
imagination.
After ten years of devotion on Eliz-
abeth's part Bryan still had doubt?
mistake in marrying her. And this is
why.
One day long ago, after the same
fashion a country maid writes her
name on newly laid egg and ships
it off to market, he wrote his name
across the corner of freshly laun-
/ dered silk handkerchief and below it
the mystic letters, 1T. M. F. w."
which meant something very senti-
mental-"To My Future Wife,"
81 am going to let chance pick my
wife for me-" said he, laying the white
bit on the window ledge. THE wind
will blow it off at certain time
there begins chance. And dozen peo-
pie will pass it by-chance again-and
a girl will pick it up-still chancellor
if the side with the writing is hidden no
one will touch it, but If the writing is
exposed only a woman could be observ-
ant enough and curious enough to read
| it. The mysterious letters will impel
| her to take it home. And that's where
l come in. must watch and see who
gets my handkerchief and follow her.
Then comes chance again-she may be
married, but l think not When luck
has played into my hands so far she
won't turn her back upon me then.
Here goes!"
And Bryan had watched the white
thing flutter to the pavement, where
it lay awhile, finally being lifted by a
girl In gray sweater, cap and scarf,
| who stuffed the handkerchief into her
pocket after reading the name. He
grabbed his hat and rushed to the
street. He had not seen the girls
face, but he was sure of finding her
in clothes so easily identified.
However, at this point luck turned
against him in spite of his predictions
and laughed loud and long, for he
couldn't find the girl in the gray sweat
or, cap and scarf.
The months went on and he married
Elizabeth
Elizabeth was the first person he
had gone to with his secret Of the
handkerchief, but she could not help
him to identify his chance affinity.
She had not laughed at the idea, but
told him how futile it would be to find
the girl he sought.
They had eventually drifted into
marriage, first, because Bryan discov-
cred that she really did inspire him to
work, and, second, because he found
she was so pretty and entertaining he
liked to have her around. But always
he had the feeling that he should have
AAAe'i AiSu thC 6hi III stay. ANOI IudI uG
wasn't fond, very, very fond, of Eliza
beth, but chance had meant it to be
another way and something, probably
his own stupidity, had sent things
! wrong
Now, for the first time in ten years,
/ Elizabeth had to be away. Somebody
| was sick or dead, and Bryan, minus
his companion, business manager and
general comforter, was like a newly
decapitated fowl. At the end of three
days he was beginning to realize what
she was to him. He had never dreamed
he could miss her so much, and he
| waited impatiently for telegram say
ing she was coming home
He thought of her engagement book
in her desk. She would not mind his
glancing over it, he knew, and it
might give him an idea of her return.
But he could not find it. 1t was not in
any of the pigeonholes or small
! drawers above. Perhaps the deeper
drawer below would hold it. So he
turned the key and pulled 1t open. He
started back, staring as though he
had seen a ghost, for there on top of
a few packets of old letters lay a silk
I handkerchief with his name and the
! mystic letters in the corner.
"Ronny!" exclaimed woman's
voice in the doorway. I'm so glad
/ to get back! Why, Ronny, what's the
matter, you look-Or, gracious, did
you find that stupid old handkerchief
after all? | wish I'd burned it,"
Elizabeth" His face was radiant
and he clasped her to him as though
he would never let her go. You were
the gray-sweater girl and you never
told me-"
"Well-what if | didn't? Are you
glad to see me because I'm the gray
sweater girl or because I'm me?"
Both. dearest. Chance has GER
tainly been good to me. To think that
all these years I've been married to
the one girl in the world meant for
me. But why didn't you tell me?''
IF you must know | will tell you
Ronny. Sit down and be sensible. Sup
pose lad told you. Your gambling
instinct, that fatal part of you that
depends upon superstition and chance
would have been a million times
worse didn't dare tell you"
Once alone in her room, his wife
marched straight to the mirror and