The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1916-02-26
IMPORTANT DISCOVERY
BY CATHERINE CRANMER.

ably dutiful son. He was also a sue
cessful young lawyer. The one thing
about him which worried his doting
mother was his indifference to matri-
mony and his bookwormish tendency.
One day Mrs. Williams returned
from visit to an old friend and an
nounced to her astonished son at the
dinner table that the young daughter
of this friend was coming to remain
as their guest while her mother went
on a protracted visit to Panama to be
with her engineer son.
I'm afraid it will be deuced awk-
ward having a young lady in the fam
lily, as it were. 1t will doubtless mean
that we'll have to sacrifice to frivolity
many an evening which might be put
to uses worth WHILE" Stanley objected
which from one of his dutiful hab-
its was little short Of open rebellion,
but his mother only smiled in whim-
sically pleased way.
"Oh, Pussy won't demand any sac
rifices that will be hard FIR anybody
to make" she said, still smiling.
Pussy! Mother, you don't mean
that the girls name is-that?"
Its a nickname only. Her real
name is Augusta, and both are clearly
misnomers."
Stanley rose from the table and
passed into the library, where he
picked up copy OF Flammarion's
Wonders of the Heavens" which he
had reluctantly laid aside when dinner
was announced.
A few days afterward. Stanley was
called to a neighboring city on bust
ness. Absorbed in his work for sew
eral days, he quite lost count Of the
time, and on the day of his return
he saw in book store window new
Unpublished book.
1t was a cold, bleak day In January,
and Stanley strobe from the street car
to the house with his soft black hat
pulled low over his eyes and his over
coat cellar turned up, while he held
the treasured new book under his arm.
He went straight to the library, ex-
pecting to find his mother quietly GRO
cheting or scanning the society col
umn in the evening paper.
The warmth of the wood fire was
soothing to his chilled body. and he
walked across the room before remoy-
| ing his hat or overcoat. When he
reached the hearth, he was astounded
| to see a diminutive young woman
snugly tucked into the shelter of his
capacious armchair. One tiny foot
was tucked under her and the
other dangled within a foot Of
the floor Hearing footsteps, the
! young woman opened two very
bright brown eyes and looked in
quiringly up at him without moving
even the dangling foot from which a
tiny suede pump was in imminent dan
ger of dropping.
Just as the girl began to uncurl her
self from her snug position, Mrs. Will
liams entered the room from the din
ing room.
why, Stanley! We've been wish
ing you'd come tonight; haven't we,
Fussy?" AS the girls name was spok
en- by his mother, Stanley realized the
situation, and in the introduction
which followed he stammered out his
acknowledgment and his stiff welcome
to their guest.
Mercy. but I'm relieved" said
Pussy. You looked so serious stand
ing there all in black that l thought
the minister had come to dinner"
Now that we have a man at our
command, Pussy" began Mrs. Viii
liams, as they left the dinner table
where shall we station him for duty
this evening"
"Oh, let's make it musical comedy
with glitter and gayety, and pretty
girls and pretty gowns, and perhaps {
bit of supper at one of those dance
awhile, eat-awhile places I've heard
so much about! Is that too much fol
tired traveller to tackle in one eve
} ning?"
Not at all" said the dutiful host
forcing himself to look away from thu
table, where the new book lay tanta
, lizingly near his hand as he passed
into the library.
The next evening when Pussy cam
into the library all dressed in sof
, gown of pale pink, she found Stanle,
, absorbed in the new book.
please don't let me break up al
t your honey habits she pleaded, a
, she approached him so closely that h
, caught the faint perfume from he
hair. Wont you sit down and 6
$ on reading. or won't you read alou
r to me?"
+ "Oh, this book can wait said StaI
! ley, with strange absence of resen
{ ment, "and I'm afraid it might be dr.
e reading for you. The writer interest
@ me particularly IN his chapter on Or
Y on's Belt" Stanley fingered the ope
I book absentmindedly as he concludes
,. "O'what?" asked Pussy, big-eye
e with curiosity
d "Orion's Belt" said Stanley with
n smile. And. seeing her blank look,
J. added: That's a constellation
e planets, you know. Haven't you ev
e seen 1t on starry night?"
Mercy, no; but II / can see the re
!" thing itself, show 1t to me instead
reading to me about It," And she Il
,e the way to the glass-inclosed 81
ar porch 1t proved to be the beginnil
ID Of a journey into an undiscover
. country for Stanley, for long befo
IN Fussy's visit came to an end Fla
marion's Wonders OF the Heaven
A and the book by the new author we
= undisturhed in a high shelf of the