The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1916-06-03
The End Of
A Rivalry
By ESTHER VANDEVEER

and everybody admitted that she was
well named, for she might be consid-
cred either boy or a girl. her most
intimate friends were boys, and they
always spoke Of her as zone OF us"
When Joe was fifteen a change came
over her-that is. she was passing from
childhood to womanhood. This transi-
ton was in her case peculiar. A girl
of fifteen knows that she can't do those
things she did when a child. For In
stance, she can't climb trees with the
same freedom; she can't ride on horse
back straddle without apparel fitted
for the purpose; there is not the same
freedom in her friendships with boys.
Joe had not quite let go all these
juvenile ways, and yet she was reach
ing for young ladyhood. One thing she
had not yet grasped, and that was a
proper appreciation of being made love
to by young man. Boys had never
thought Of making love to her. A boy
would no more have made love to her
than to another boy. For a boy to
make love to her would have sounded
/ ridiculous, and, ten to one, she would
| have laughed at him.
! The first time that anything serious
. in the way of a love matter occurred
to Joe Sommers was when she was fif-
! teen and half years old. Two boys,
/ Bob Atherton and Johnnie Myers, laid
/ longing eyes upon her. Neither Of
( them made any mention of the fact to
: her. If one walked home with her
| from school the other kept out of the
! way. If one engaged her for a game
( OF tennis the other amused himself in
some other way. Joe did not see the
| rivalry, but the boys were conscious Of
! 1t, and there was not day that one
did not try to get ahead of the other.
OF course this constant effort was
bound in the end to make trouble be-
tween the two boys. Every time one
saw the other enjoying Joe'stsociety to
the exclusion of the other the green
monster tapped his wings. An ex-
plosion is sure to come In such cases,
and this one was no exception.
All three of the parties to this tri-
angular love affair-though the girl
had no sentimental part in it at all
were in the same class in the Effing-
ham high school. When a certain
baseball game was played between the
Eiiingham and the Waterton high
schools Bob Atherton saw on the
grand stand Joe Sommers sitting with
vacant place beside her He Joined
her ana asked if he might occupy It..
she gave him permission. saying that
she expected another boy to sit with
her but there was room for him on
the q her Side.
NOw. the other boy was Johnnie My
ers Before he reached the stand the
place on the other side of Joe was
occupied, and he saw Bob in his place.
He didn't approach the two and make
a scene. but there was CONSERVATION
: within him. lie did not even claim
his right to sit by the girl He went
of to another part OF the field, nursing
his wrath not against Joe, who was to
be blamed If any one was but against
Bob.
, When the game was finished and the
; multitude left the athletic grounds
Johnnie saw his rival walking with
Joe toward her home. His own route
lay in this direction. Indeed, he lived
not far from her, and she could look
; from her window into his back yard
; When Bob left her Johnnie Joined him
: and accused him of Intentionally oc-
cupying his place at the baseball game
r Bob was innocent of the charge, but
! certain words used by Johnnie riled
/ him.
: Joe had laid aside her belongings
] and was sitting by her window when
she saw Bob climb the fence in the
D rear of Johnnies home and approach
2 Johnnie with apparent hostile intent
The next thing she saw was battle
1t did not take Joe long to discern
n the cause of this encounter. Realizing
$ that she had not properly protected the
I boy she had promised to sit beside al
e the game, it was plain to her that this
b disgraceful fight betweent her two
n friends was her own fault. Running
e downstairs and out through a back
door, she vaulted all fences that sepa
n rated her from the complaints, finally
y alighting in the yard where they were
e fighting. But so engaged were they
: With each other that they did not see
Q her.
What predominated in Joe's mind
e was this: Through her neglect these
II two boys had been brought to punch
o each other She was angry with her
o self, but still more angry with them
a for making her fault more glaring
The fact of their rivalry for her did
" not enter her head. Indeed, she did not
II know that there was a rivalry.
e 1t happened that the gardener had
II been using hose to water some plants
e and had left it on the ground Joe
l. seized it, and the first intimation of hel
L presence to the competitors for her ia
y vor was stream Of water poured over
! them. For a few moments, not dis
corning the cause of the interruption
? they continued to maui each other
e Then both turned and, seeing the OBJ
e ject of their devotion directing the
stream, they ceased to fight and stood
IT apart, whereupon Joe dropped the
y hose and stood looking at them an
g. grily. She was trying to find words tC
lie express what was within her. but fail
ing, she jumped the fence and rar
u away.
That was the end Of the rivalry fol
Joe Sommers' favor on the part OF
d these two boys. for she turned the coli
shoulder on both of them.