The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1916-06-06
The End of
A Rivalry
By ESTHER VANDEvEER

Josephine Sommers was as a girl
from ten to sixteen years an incorrigi-
bic tomboy. Everybody called her Joe,
and everybody admitted that she was
well named. for she might be consid-
cred either a boy or a girl. Her most
intimate friends were boys, and they
always spoke Of her as lone Of u.s.
When Joe was fifteen a change came
over her-that is, she was passing from
childhood to womanhood. This transi-
ton was in her case peculiar. A girl
Of fifteen knows that she can't do those
things she did when a child. For in
stance, she can't climb trees with the
same freedom; she can't ride on horse
back straddle without apparel fitted
for the purpose; there is not the same
freedom in her friendships with boys.
Joe had not quite let go all these
juvenile ways, and yet she was reach
ing for young ladyhood One thing she
had not yet grasped, and that was
proper appreciation of being made love
to by young man. Boys had never
thought of making love to her. A boy
would no more have made love to her
than to another boy. For a boy to
make love to her would have sounded
ridiculous, and, ten to one. she would
have laughed at him.
The first time that anything serious
In the way of a love matter occurred
to Joe Sommers was when she was If
teen and half years old. Two boys,
Bob Atherton and Johnnie Myers, laid
longing eyes upon her. Neither of
them made any mention of the fact to
her. If one walked home with her
from school the other kept out of the
way. If one engaged her for a game
Of tennis the other amused himself in
some other way. Joe did not see the
rivalry, but the boys were conscious of
1t, and there was not day that one
did not try to get ahead of the other.
OF course this constant effort was
bound in the end to make trouble be-
tween the two boys. Every time one
saw the other enjoying Joe's society to
the exclusion of the other the green
monster tapped his wings. An ex-
plosion is sure to come in such cases.
and this one was no exception.
All three Of the parties to this tri-
angular love affair-though the girl
had no sentimental part in 1t at all
were in the same class In the Effing-
ham high school. When a certain
baseball game was played between the
Eflingham and the Waterton high
schools Bob Anterior saw on the
grand stand Joe Sommers sitting with
a vacant place beside her. He joined
her and asked II he might occupy 1t.
She gave him permission, saying that
she expected another boy to sit with
her. but there was room for him on
the other SIDE
Now. the either boy was Johnnie My
ers. Before he reached the stand the
place ON the other side of Joe was
occupied, and he saw Bob in his place.
He didn't approach the two and make
scene, but there was CONSERVATION
within him. He did not even claim
his right to sit by the girl. He went
OH to another part of the field, nursing
his wrath not against Joe, who was to
be blamed II any one was. but against
Bob.
When the game was finished and the
multitude left the athletic grounds
Johnnie saw his rival walking with
Joe toward her home. His own route
lay in this direction. Indeed, he lived
20 a,.1 81, lnAl
from her window into his back yard.
When Bob left her Johnnie joined him
and accused him of Intentionally &C.
cupying his place at the baseball game.
Bob was innocent of the charge, but
certain words used by Johnnie riled
him.
Joe had laid aside her belongings
and was sitting by her window when
she saw Bob climb the fence in the
rear of JohnHie's home and approach
Johnnie with apparent hostile intent.
The next thing she saw was battle.
1t did not take Joe long to discern
the cause of this encounter. Realizing
that she had not properly protected the
boy she had promised to sit beside at
the game, it was plain to her that this
.disgraceful fight between her two
friends was her own fault. Running
downstairs and out through a back
door, she vaulted all fences that sepa-
rated her from the complaints, finally
alighting in the yard where they were
fighting. But so engaged were they
with each other that they did not see
her
What pred0minated in Joe's mind
was this: Through her neglect these
two boys had been brought to punch
each other. She was angry with her
self, but still more angry with them
for making her fault more glaring
The fact of their rivalry for her did
not enter her head. Indeed, she did not
know that there was a rivalry.
1t happened that the gardener had
been asing hose to water some plants
and had left it on the ground. Joe
seized IT, and the first intimation of her
presence to the competitors for her ia
vor was a stream of water poured over
them. Fer a few moments, not dis
corning the cause of the interruption.
they continued to maui each other.
Then both tnrned and, seeing the OBJ
ject Of their devotion directing the
stream, they ceased to fight and stood
apart, whereHpon Joe dropped the
hose and stood looking at them an
grily.. She was trying to find words to
express what was within her, but, fail
ing, she jumped the fence and ran
away.