The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1916-05-22
ABurglary
By EDITH v. ROSS

an English couple who were related to |
members of the nobility and had lived +!
in affluence. Speculation ON the Stock |
Exchange took all they possessed ex-
cept enough to get them to America, |
where her father made an uncertain |
living 1t was dream with him to
get back to England and with sufficient
means to reassume his former position
When the family came to America
Gladys was but four years old. Con
sequently while the father and moth
er were living on the memory of their
former social position the daughter
was growing to womanhood without !
the advantages of wealth. She was
not only comedy, but lovely girl, and
when her father had passed an age
wherein he could hope to make
a strike he fancied that his daughter
might obtain a station nearer to what
her birth entitled her by an advan-
tageous marriage.
This being the case, 1t was quite nat
ural that every young man who came
to visit Gladys was looked upon with
misgivings by her parents. The hal
cyon days of the family In England
were blank to her. That her mother
had employed half a dozen servants
and had ridden In her carriage was, as
far as she was concerned, ancient his
tory.
Gladys young men friends were
untitled Americans and quite good
enough for her. Naturally, therefore,
she chafed at being catechized by her
mother whenever she made a new ac-
quaintance or an old one called on her
more than once month.
When Gladys fell In love it was one
Of those quick cases wherein a girl will
recognize a mate the moment she sees
| him. And 1t was the same with the
man she met. They could have been
married the next day and made no mis-
| take. Gladys knew very we'll that they
/ could not appear together before her
| father and mother without betraying
/ the position they occupied as lovers.
/ She therefore did not permit her lover
to come to the house. The only man
the parents had reason to dread, Alan
Edmonds, they never saw.
But lovers cannot live simply as low
ers; they must possess each other.
Gladys, knowing that for her to con-
fess that she had met and loved man
with nothing but salary barely suf
ficient to enable a couple to get on
would bring the dreams of years crash
ing about her parents heads, would
neither consent to marry Edmonds
openly nor clandestinely. At any rate,
this was the case when something
happened to make matters far worse
. than they were. The couple CORE
. sponded clandestinely, and one evening
, while Gladys was inditing an impas-
stoned letter to her lover lamp on the
floor below exploded and started fire.
She ran downstairs and assisted in put
ting it out. But before she got back
, to her room her mother, who had been
collecting heirlooms, expecting that
they would need to be removed, had
been In Gladys room and pounced
upon the letter. The secret was out.
But whats his name or where's his
home" Gladys didn't care to tell Both
her father and her mother threatened
and pleaded with her to give them sat
isfaction In the matter. but she held
firm.
Then followed meetings and commu-
nications made difficult by the watch
fulness of Mrs Denton, and the great
: err the obstacles the more impassioned
the love; the more imprisoned the love
o the greater the risks taken. Finally
t Gladys wrote her lover that she was to
e be removed.
a The necessity Of seeing her at once
t induced him to go to her home the
t same evening, hoping to find an oppor
2 tunity to speak to her. He waited In
the yard till every room in the house
e except Gladys was dark, then, climb
!, ing a support of the porch, appeared
q before her window. She had not dis
e robed. Tapping on the pane, he called
It to her to flee with him.
e While they were talking they hearC
n the front door open and close. Ed
| monds, fearing to be caught by som'
G one without, entered the room from
l. the window He had scarcely done s,
!; when a step wns heard in the hall
d Gladys ran into closet The doc
was opened by her mother. and Their
Z stood an unknown man.
d If Gladys lost her head her love
kept his Her watch was on the dress
+ er, and just as the door opened b,
s clutched 1t. Then, darting out of tn
e window, he made OF. Gladys hear
y his retreat and came from her hidini
| place, pale and trembling,
d MY child" exclaimed her mother
# there is nothing to fear! The wretcl
has gone, but he has taken you
y watch"
e "Oh. mother" exclaimed the girl
a I'm so frightenedr'
a The police were called and came i
Il patrol wagon, but the bird ha
d flown, and there was nothing more
n do In the matter.
1t One morning a few months later ar
lie other bird was discovered to hav
n flown during the night. Gladys wa
lie missing, and during the day telt
c. gram came announcing that she ha
E. been married. This time there wa
g nothing to do but make the best of |
lie and the young couple were forgive
l. and recalled.
Ip 1T seems to me-" said Mrs. Dentol
T. scrutinizing her son-in-law, that
lie have seen you somewhere before"
Impossible" said the groom. "Yo
In ( mistake me for another"
And the secret never came out