The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1916-07-21
A MIXED DISPOSITION
BY LOUISE OLIVER.


the world as Jim Morgan, looked at
his sister quizzically.
'Madge, do you mean to say that
Polly Love is your ideal Of a wom-
anf"
Eyes, Jim, dear, bright, wholesome
little Polly, with her silly giggle as you
call 1t is my ideal of a woman and /
wish you'd marry her."
well. like Polly, of course, but"
he iecked the ash on his cigarette and
failed to finish.
II know what you mean, Jim. Your
type is the dashing kind with a dis
position nike all the months Of the
year combined. June one instant,
April the next and a regular January
freeze to follow. Jim, you men make
me tired with your queer ideas of
women. Take 1t from me. they aren't
the celestial beings you think, any of
them-except Polly. She's an angel"
IF she were here she would laugh
at your wonderful wit" answered Jim
sardonically. mo doubt that's what
she's doing now anyway, wherever she
Is. She's always laughing. And per-
petual good humor bores me as much
as incessant sunshine"
Had Jim known 1t, he was right
when he said that Polly was laugh
ing. And this was the occasion. That
morning a letter had come from Cor
nella Graham announcing that she
would visit them for a week on her
way to Boston.
COrnella was pretty rich and spoiled
and the entire relationship held her
in reverential awe.
"Oh, we can't have her with the
plasterers and paperhangers here"
protested Mrs. Love in a panic. sand
the rugs are all up and away at the
cleaners, and we've no girl. OF all
times for her to comet Why couldn't
she wait a weekw
And then Polly giggled. ISN'T 1t
the limit7 Well-she isn't waiting,
and IL I'm not mistaken she's here
now, for there's taxi Just stopping at
the curb and-behold, milady"
Polly rushed out to the porch. "Hel-
10, Corneliai You dearl I'm so glad
to see you. Come right In, but don't
you dare to sit down or you'll ruin
that exquisite suit you have on. We
look like an accident ward In a hos
pital-all plastered up"
Cornelia was led through shrouded
furniture and buckets of calcimine and
glue up to the second floor to Polly's
room, the only room In the house that
hadn't been dismantled.
Then Polly flew to the kitchen to
see what she could scare up to eat.
"There isn't much" she declared,
searching the cupboard. "Here's a
can of corn and some salmon, but /
believe there's another thing. If I had
more eggs I could mix up custard-
two aren't enough. I'll slip over to
Laura's the back way and get some
eggs. ] hate to borrow. but l must"
Polly got the eggs and went home
unseen by Jim in the library.
"That poor child" said Laura, sis
in an awful fix. Cornelia Graham,
that rich cousin Of theirs, has just
come and their house is mess. Can't
you do something to help them out,
JIM"
"Do you mean that girl that was
here last summerf"
EYES,"
"By Jove, you don't sayl You bet
I'll help them out. I'll telephone right
away and ask her to lunch and the
| theater this afternoon"
When Jim called at the Loves q
workman had put ladder across the
front door, so he went around back
Polly was at the stove getting their
own lunch the best she could. She
was lifting a saucepan from the fire
when she heard Jim's voice. She
turned quickly, the pan bumped against
the high oven and the whole thing
turned upside down on the floor al
her feet.
She was tired, hot and excited
company had come on top of con
fusion, and here was man at the
kitchen door whose good opinion she
valued very much and who, she knew
was very fastidlous. Yet Polly gig
gledl
"You two get out Of herew sh'
laughed, "and I'll clean up this mess
No, of course you can't help. I've go
corn all over my Shoes"
When they had gone. Polly called
Mother, can you come heref Moth
erI" There were tears Of pain in he
eyes now.
IL spilled the corn and it wal
hot. Some of 1t went on my foot ant
it-hurts"
Jim came In at six.
"Say, Laura, take back what
said about a mixed disposition thi
morning"
what So soon?"
Eyes. I've had a taste Of them al
this afternoon, everything from Janu
airy to December I've been scorche'
and frozen in turn until I am numb.
"Then you don't think incessant SUI
so bad? Speaking Of which, | hav
| ND.NI..sn A. ~