The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1916-10-25
A Girl Called
Davy
BY ELEANOR MARSH

ability to bring to his knees any young
man upon whom she chose to apply
her powers of fascination. Mandy
claimed that she did not exercise any
such powers, but this must be taken
with a grain Of salt, for it is the most
natural thing in the world for any one
possessing gift to exercise it.
There is certainly no doubt that she
made an offensive campaign against
Josh Miller. Josh was the only man
in the county who refused to bend the
knee to Mandy, and it was his rebel
lion against her authority as universal
conqueress that spurred her on to con-
quer him. Josh was distinctly mans
man and would have nothing to do
with girls. During the day he attend
ed to his farm duties, and in the even
ing he studied, for Josh was ambitious
to make something of himself more eX-
allied than an ordinary farm hand
And it is likely that this was an addi-
tional inducement for Mandy to bring
him down
Josh first saw the enemy approach
| when he was blowing. Mandy tricked
out in her finest finery came tluttcr-
| ing across the fields, the colors of her
garments lighted by the morning sun
and resembling the star spangled ban
! ner. She was carrying a tin pail and
cup, and when she reached Josh she
said.
Il kind o thought, Mr.. Miller that
you must be thirsty drivin' the plow
all the mornin', and | just drew some
cider and have brought it to you"
"AIuch obeeged, Miss Carpenter, and
Pm sorry you've had so much trouble
for nothin'. | never drink cider. 1t
doesn't set well on my stomick."
'Oh, you don't" looking very disap-
pointed. "I'll leave it here under this
| tree, and maybe you'll change your
| mind later on. l wonder if | could set
on that seat without fallin' Off"
| mo; you couldn't. Besides, I'm set
tin there myself. and there amt room
for two
| I'm pinin for a ride this morning
and think you might drive the horses
on foot long enough for me to get one
Id like mighty well to sit on the pillow
seat till you've been down one furrow
and back the other"
II Josh was moved to say that he hat
no time to give girl ride on thu
pillow, but it was simply question be
| tween them whether he would drive
the pillow on foot and let Mandy rid
| or be mean enough to refuse heI
| Since there was nothing mean abou
| him he got down and helped Mand
| up on to the seat, which was made o
| iron and quite spacious
| Since Josh had the relns there wa
| nothing by which Mandy could ba
ance herself, so she clutched the side
Of the seat with her hands. She wa
in danger of falling, and Josh, wall
ing close beside her, held the reins j
| one hand and supported her with tn
| other In order to hold her in plac
| he was obliged to put his arm aroun
H her waist In this way they proceed
! ed until they had reached the turn.
- 81 don't see," said Mandy, "any rel
son why you can't sit up on the sea
yourself There's room enough Il
\ two. We're neither of us big, an
\ you could hold me on better tina
walkin' on the ground"
mo, | couldn't, replied Josh. "Ho
could hold you on? If got up the
I'd have to drive with both hands,"
I'LL 81 could hold on TO you
By this time the enlightenment of h
waist had moved Josh to view pos
ton beside Mandy with pleasant a
ticipation She moved aside, and
got M on to the seat. 1t was utter
impossible for them to sit there wit
II out one of them clinging to the otht
Mandy did the clinging, while Jo
planted his feet so as to brace hlmst
and drove with both hands.
iii When the horses had pulled them
one length and back another Man
said she'd had enough of that sort
riding and, thanking Josh, was abe
TO leave him when he said that
thought he could stand a drink of
cider. after all.
They went together to the tree unt
II
Josh dipped up cupful of cider, VIII
III he handed to her. She drank lit
of it and handed it back to him.
II drank the balance, taking care to
so from that part of the cup her
III Inns had touched. Then he said
thought he would rest spell and
III down on the grass. Mandy sat do
beside him.
Ill The rest of it was very easy. JOS
arm itched 20 encircle Mandy's wa
III and. having been there once, there v
III no ice to break 10 put it there aga
ILL Josh. however, made two or tn
IL movements toward placing it there
III fore he found the courage to compi
Ia the enlightenment.
iii When ii was learned that MAJ
IL CARPENTER had brought down JOSH
LII Miller wag gave her the nickna
IL of Davy. When asked why he did
III he replied that when the famous hu
IL or Davy Crockett had told coon
III come down from a tree the coon
IL renlied. "Well, if you're Davy CrOcF