The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1916-02-15
THE NEEDED SPUR
BY MORRIS GRAHAM.


Five dollars looks mighty big when
q fellows only earning eighteen
week. Ted figured it out after lunch
until even Uncle Chris commented on
his abstraction at the Office. Where
upon Ted sat up and took notice. for
Uncle Chris was absolute Judge and
arbiter temporarily over his actions.
He heard from sigma Lawrence that
Amy was back. sigma corresponded
with her regularly and was well aware
that Ted paid far more attention to
her comings and goings than he did to
the sun, moon and stars all put to-
gether.
She'll be here for at least Q month,
30 you'd better be making hay, Ted
dy," sigma had advised. Make hay
when he only had sure thing Of
eighteen per. He wanted good
whacking salary now, big enough so
he could go to old J. c. Burnham and
tell him he wanted to marry Amy and
could take care of her.
Deep in his own musings, Ted stared
before him on his desk stool behind
one of the bank windows and failed to
notice Putney until he had spoken
twice. Putney. just at that minute,
looked to Ted's troubled vision like
the perfect pattern of the sort of
man he wanted to be himself. Putney
was a partner in the best automobile
concern in town.
TnHfp hn ral1nd ioll
laying down his bank book, deposit
slip and a nice full pad of yellow
backs. Just slip those away for me,
will you ? Going to the Dorrance
dance tonight"
Maybe he was, Ted said rather
gloomily. He wasn't sure. Then all
the morning he meditated, finally de-
Gliding to take the plunge and 60.
; When he went out to lunch, he took
the five he had decided to squander,
went over to the best florists in town
: and ordered the roses.
; Amy was slim and dark, with eyes
Of warmest, deepest brown and skin
like a jasmine flower. So he chose
the little, close, dark red Jacks" for
her, and had them sent with his card
And Just as he watched them being
placed in the box he heard Putney's
voice behind him order orchids
> twenty-five dollars worth Of lavender
orchids.
That night he went to the Dor
: RANGES dance. Polly Dorrance was
specially nice to him, but he watched
for Amy. She would wear orchids
and he would want to die on the spot
yet some deadly spell held him. And
! all at once he saw her. Put was
dancing with her. Just as they passed
= where he sat with Polly she looked Al
him and smiled.
D. Polly" he said hurriedly, was she
II wearing red roses or orchids. did YOU
see?"
. Jacks" said Polly, placidly
"Why?"
y But Ted had excused himself ant
' was moving away in dream. HI
- found himself inexplicably beaminl
on people and getting ecstatically II
everybody's way until he found her.
A Putney stood talking to her, and sh'
- asked him to go and dance with poo
Polly, left all alone.
n You wore them" Ted said unde
his breath. Amy, you darling!"
"Somebody'll hear you-hush! o
course wore them. why, I'm yer,
70 fond Of Jack roses. you know"
. 'He sent you orchids"
III "They were beautiful" she flushe
! ever SO slightly-"but I like rose
20 best"
~ Ted drew her away from the hal
IL room. He knew the Dorrance house
knew there was a window seat unde
IL the big stained-glass window in tn
side hall, and he led her there out G
70 sight.
~ you know and know" he told he
in his funny, frank, boyish way, "tho
. I'm up against it with Uncle Chri!
70 I've got to make good or don't get
70 sou out Of him. But I'm making goot
he says, and just want to say thi
=. much: I've loved you ever since W
- went to High together, and it's the bi,
20 gest hope of my life that some da
- Hudy INC IL Uc Iudhih6 chou5h " 90
- you to marry me-"
Amys lashes hid her eyes. She fiji
gered the close dusky petals of tn
! little red roses.
= I'm not asking you to promise eve
to wait for me-" he began. ITS Pu
ney's race so far"
- 'Putney's race is over" Amy int
posed gently. Il never did preft
orchids. He knows it now, Ted, you
., laugh, but who do you suppose cam
to see father today? Your uncle, an
after he had gone father sent for m
What do you think they managed
fix up between them?"
4, Pass" said Ted. "What?"
40 He told father that every ma
~ needed feminine influence in his III
II. in order to be a real success and
r. didn't see why you failed to fall
~ love. He thought it might be Ii
TO needed spur"
N Il guess I've found the needle
N spur" said Ted. Its up to Unc
ma Chris now"
al Copyright 1915. by Mcclure Newspap
y Syndicate.)
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e. a..