The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1916-04-19
ONLY 4 Joke
Sy MARTHA ". WILLIAMS.

t-s: house party tor whose success
s1e vas = s-I.oEE
Has Z par-and then sou-eh :
be g1er.sd .a1rtly.
koox r-ezted ron badly. Arne
Sons Day you shall Snoz Why la
70 % t.
May tel ron right now" Ann,
asked ri spots 6sming IL her cheeks
Her readiness startled hin.
= wish 70 heaven you would tel
ne-Ehst ron think il was" be az
Ewe-ed
i don't ,h:nk-I know" she de
clsred ~CoEard;ce. You thought II
make scene over Lima Loree. As /.
cared begged her 10 announce
your engagement When she wouldn't
all but did It myself"
Engagement To whom am / en-
gagged be questioned amazedly
See here Who says I'm engaged
to-anyboty he demanded. his eyes
darken!ng
Nobody But Lima had on your
ring-and parsded II constantly. When
told her knew what It meant she
didn't deny"
Il see John Andrew broke il.
Say, Anne, we've grown up together
and you know me Have ! ever told
you lie except about TRIES or in a
good cause?"
No-so please don't begin It now"
Anne returned looking down 1t
would be as foolish as II would be
wicked 70 deny things-atter you've
given-any girl-your mothers own
! ring"
II surely would" John Andrew re-
/ turned. his lips setting hard. Here
indeed was q complication The ring
was an heirloom.
| He had always been very careful Of
that ring, seldom wearing and still
more rarely letting II pass out OF his
| possession. Anne's touch Of IL had al.
WAYS pleased him-her taper fingers
had seemed 10 caress the bauble. She
could scarcely be mistaken in her as
seTtion as TO its present wherea bouts,
~ ~ 4cl dS liz kIlf- n. Iuc lCWEl WAS
safe within his strong box at home.
He had put it there. he told him self,
the morning he fed from Anne's house
party Later accusing memory re-
called 70 him that he had shown Il to
Lima Loree. over at the Farnhams
But she had certainly returned it to
his keeping. there on the corner Of the
piazza, saving with a strained little
laugh as she dropped it into the case
he held open. Take it. John, But
not for always hope"
Those last words, only whispered,
had been John Andrews danger sig
nal. He had managed somehow to
laugh away their implication and had
then taken refuge in a gallant good
by and galloped briskly home.
Now John Andrew, face to face
with the problem Of his life, dared not
speak out. II would be shameful to
accuse gentlewoman upon mere sus-
picion. Rather than that he must let
Anne continue TO misunderstood him.
Looking straight into her indignant
eyes, he said, unsteadily:
Il can't explain-not now-but If
" bring my mothers ring, may put
it-where you know have always
meant It TO eoo"
She shook her head slightly The
age Of miracles is past" she said re-
gretfully
Il am going to restore your faith in
mira Hllc-anl i,, h.
ing away without another word.
AS the case sprung open in his hand
John Andrew started back with lit
tie smothered exclamation. II was not
empty. but as he lifted the shining
bauble within it and held It to the
light. he laughed grimly.
There was indeed a superficial like
ness between the thing he held and |
the thing he sought. Instantly he re- |
called Lina's passion for the stage, her |
long experience in private theatricals,
and realized that she had dextrously |
attempted to palm on him this bit OF
stage trumpery. and then had been In.
discreet enough. or vain enough, or,
possibly. crafty enough, to wear the
Jewel she had taken in exchange. |
Theft, he told himself. must not have
been the original impulse, but rather
the opportunity to triumph even mo-
over her rival.
He wanted to swear at her at him.
self. at the whole world. But there
was not time-he must act instead.
Longview! Fifty miles distant, He
could make 1t before nightfall with his
speedy roadster
Lima appeared to be neither sur
prised nor abashed at his return. She
met him with an air of bravado which
seemed TO imply that she had nothing
to conceal-that she was willing to
meet him even a little more than half
way
Without a word, he took the clumsy
from the ring case and held
L out to her
oh, | see" she laughed knowingly.
You have returned to Longview to
make an exchange"
Yes" he returned pointedly. "Of
course, know you meant It as a Joke,
1ut assure you there is a serious
tide TO it. The ring actually belongs
o Anne"
"Of course II was only a Joke" she
declared. slipping his ring from her
niger and returning It to him, with
,rave attempt at SMILE II am going
o call up Anne and tell her all about /, +,
l."
Copyright, 1915. bv the Mcclure Newspa-
per Syndicate)