The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1916-03-15
A WOLF
ON ICE
By CLARA INEZ DEACON
tCopyright.)


There were IL farmers around tn,
shores of Black lake, and the wive:
or ii of them were gossiping abou
MISS Ally Parsons, the adopted
daughter OF old Mrs. Parsons, the wild
ow. If Mrs. Parsons had also COS
siped it would have rounded out the
dozen.
1t wasn't scandal. but gossip, though
there was tinge of meanness in it
whenever two or three of the wives
got together a listener might have
overheard such sentences as:
Who does she think she is, any
way?"
She feels herself too good for any
one around here"
That's what comes from sending q
girl on to be educated"
If | was Burt Hazleton / wouldn't
look at her twice"
What is she looking for-an an
gel?"
And whenever two or three hus-
bands got together a listener might
Heard your spotted COW was ailing,
JIM"
Wish we would have about six
Inches more snow"
Have you fellers read what the
New Jersey weather prophet says
about late spring."
That's the difference between the
sexes 1t has always been that way
and will be to the end of time.
Just because cousin of the widow
PARSONS died and left a little girl
twelve years old named Ally, there
was gossip Who was the cousin?
What did she die of? Why didn't some
one else adopt Ally? Was the child
going to be petted and pampered, and
various other things That gossip
died out, and then. when the girl was
sixteen and was sent away to school.
there was more of it.
She came home at eighteen. and the
talk around Black lake raised the
water a foot higher in three days.
Burt Hazleton, son of a county sup
ervlsor, justice of the peace. chairman
OF the school board. and the one who
always furnished hay and straw to
every circus that came to the village
three miles away, knew Miss Ally be-
fore she went away to school, and fell
IN love with her after she returned.
lie asked her to marry him, and she
did not Jump at the chance" as they
put it. On the contrary, it came to
be understood that she felt herself
above him. She was going to marry
gentleman, thank you, or she
wouldn't marry at ALL No making
soft soap. feeding pigs and peeling po-
tatoes for her.
Was there any truth in all the Cos
sip? Just grain or two Miss Ally
had received fair education, but she
had not become stuck up" She had
always liked Burt Hazleton, but she
was not In love. He had not asked
for her heart. Sometimes 1t requires
shock to develop love in either sex.
That was all there was to 1t, but those
IL women were having more de-
lightful time than they could have got
out of IL combined camp meetings.
Black lake froze up in the winter,
like all respectable and well behaved
lakes, and there was always fair skat-
ing. Sometimes the skaters were in
crowds-in couples-or alone. Since
her return Miss Ally had skated with
the crowd. with Burt and by her lone
some.
On this particular evening she was
out alone. During the afternoon old
Mrs. Hedges, who had rheumatism In
everything except her tongue, had
called to pick at her and get food for
further gossip. One of the many mean
things she had said was that II she
had a daughter who felt herself too
good to black the kitchen stove she'd
lock that daughter up in the smoke
house until she had learned that she
was no better than other folks.
Another was that the girl who had
a few good looks and little educa.
ton, and who figured on marrying
some one way above her on that &C
count. was going to get badly taken In
and done for. She might marry, but
she'd find out afterwards that she had
lightning rod man instead
Of a millionaire.
Farmer Jackson owned a fool dog.
around Black lake, includ-
ing farmer Jackson himself, agreed
that he was fool dog. They said he
didn't know enough to bury bone or
bark at hog. There were many fool
things that fool dog did to make talk,
but he went right on In his upward
career as If his skull contained the
brains of wise old canine This fool
dog had finished his supper and was
Ioafing about when he heard the ring
of skates from the lake. Without
claiming any credit for acumen. he
inferred that some skater was abroad.
and he went down to the shore to see.
Yes, there was a girl gliding along
half a mile away. She was all alone
and must be lonesome. The company
of a fool dog was better than nothing.
and away he sped.
Miss Ally had been told years be-
fore by an old woman that in pioneer
days a pack of wolves had caught a
man crossing Black lake on the ice
and pulled him down and devoured
him, and that just two acres OF the
surface we're covered with blood.
bones, boot-legs and trousers buttons.
This story required to the lonely