The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1916-09-20
DIPLOMACY
By CATHERINE CRANMER.

pcCtluS utl s'Oh ioh - AONG
visit was the most momentous piece OF
news that had reached Maysburg fol-
many day. Particularly did 1t inter
est the mothers Of manageable daugh.
tiers, as we'll as the daughters them
selves.
Practically everybody in town re-
read Lewis Farmington's magazine ar
ticles describing the customs and peo
pies of the distant parts of the world
to which his diplomatic service had
taken him.
In all the town perhaps the only girl
who kept the even tenor of her way In
the general fever of anticipation was
Lydia Robb, who continued to enjoy
tennis, allowing her smooth arms to
become sunburned and her saucy nose
to gather flock Of tiny brown
freckles. The afternoon of Lewis Farm.
ington's arrival, when the other girls
were either out in their smartest aft.
ernoOn toys or were swathed in cold
cream and beauty sleep as preparation
for possible evening conquest, Lydia
was Win LCA UlothCis
Mother, DEAR" said Lewis, as they
passed up the quiet street in the vii.
lage bus, ''let's have things all to our
selves this summer. I've time only for
you and for my book, and the fewer
functions we have to attend the better
it will suit us both, fancy"
81 do want to make the most of our
first opportunity in years to be to-
gether, and even be little selfish, I'm
afraid; but the people in town are
quite astir with expectancy over your
visit" The mothers proud smile made
the big, dark-eyed man at her side
flush under his tanned skin.
Invitations to teas, garden parties
and dinners made Lewis Pennington
fear that he would either have to an
tagonize the villagers or give up all
hope Of making any Roadway with his
book.
Early on the morning of the Fourth
of July, Lewis took his portable type
writer and some blank paper and a
camp stool and made for the wooded
OuAhS VI tuC IlNCI hull
from town. He found a delightful
spot under big oak tree that stood
on the river bank.
"Gee,' he unused, II could shut my
eyes and expect to open them upon the
sight of lovely Indian maiden Gid
ing down that stream in canoe" He
closed his eyes and let the picture
stamp itself on his mind. When he
opened his eyes, a moment later, he
saw a vision lOvelier than the one he
had been picturing to himself, for
Lydia Robb was drifting down the
stream in canoe The beauty of the
face and neck that showed above the
open neck of MILDLY blouse had not
been dimmed by its coat of Sunburn,
and the dark brown hair that crowned
the shapely head was FURNISHED almost
to bronze in the morning sunlight. Her
blue eyes looked stfaig ht before her,
but suddenly frightened as she threw
her hands wide at either side. while
her soprano voice rang clearly out:
,, My native country, thee.
Land of the noble free,
Thy name I love.
Lewis Pennington felt a thrill even
more intense than any that had come
to him at sight of his countrys flag
in faraway land and. thanking his
stars that he had fairly good voice,
he Joined in the song as Lydia reached
these lines:
love thy rocks and rils,
\ Thy woods and tempted hills,
My heart with rapture thrills,e
Like that above
"BravO! My cOuntrywoman !" called
out Lewis, as the song ended. "Your
Fourth Of July celebration is worth
while-far more to my liking than the
one they're to have on the public
square tonight"
"But l thought you were going to
make speech tonight" The words
came abruptly from Lydia's red lips.
mot I. I never speak in public UNI
less compelled to. I'll admit, though.
that the committee did urge me to
speak"
"They asked me to sing, too, but I
refused" said Lydia.
swell, I'm glad to be the one privi-
legged person who heard you sing just
now, but don't you think you owe me
that much for having been so unneigh-
borly during all this month. I've lived
only block from you? Mother has
spoken of you lot, but you've some
how eluded us except that morning
you brought her the raspberries, and I
half believe you thought then that I
was out hiking"
"Yes, l did, or wouldn't have come.
l haven't meant to be unneighborly,
but was determined not to join in the
general pursuit of you."
Both Lydia and Lewis were momen-
tarily embarrassed by her frankness,
but a moment later they were laughing
over the whole situation, and he was
climbing down the bank at her invita-
ton to be taken aboard the canoe.
A week later, when it became known
throughout the village that Lydia had
outdistanced all the other girls in town
in Lewis Farmington's regard, the vii.
lage wag felt impelled to voice his
opinion about it.
Every man wants the prize that's
hardest TO get" he chucklpd sand the