The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1916-06-01
Baby Love
By ETHEL HOLMES
By ETHEL HOLMES

Neltfdle NIUE thAh7' A0 I
,nuffed out by the slightest adverse
so is the beginning Of love.
Young love has its measles, its whoop-
ing cough and its collie.
Charlie Edmonds was twenty-one
and Rosa Lee eighteen when they be-
came engaged. There was a cyclone of
ecstasy for twenty-four hours. then a
reyulsion. Charlie wondered If he
hadn't done something dreadful. He
wanted TO 90 right off and put himself
back where he was before; but, be-
ing man of honor and not seeing
how he could honorably do so, he hest
tated. Besides, he shrank from going !
back on the wild enthusiasm OF the |
initial transports and confessing that
he was so unstable. The truth is he /
was staggered by the responsibilities
he had assumed.
Forty eight hours absence from his
love was quite enough to cause him to
forget the responsibilities and to long
for another kiss. 1t was . o'clock in
the afternoon when this new phase
came over him, and he resolved to go
to see her after dinner. That would
be 8 o'clock. How would he get
through those intervening three hours!
At half past I he could stand it no
longer and started for her home. Fortu-
nately it required fifteen minutes to
get there. He saw figure at the
front window and on entering the
drawing room saw the girl sitting in
the cleaning. He advanced to en-
brace her. She waved him back.
II suppose it is all mistake" she
said.
"All mistake" His heart sank
within him.
Eyes. 1t is impossible that you can
love me and remain away from me all
these long days"
"All these long days! Why we have
been engaged only since the night be-
fore last"
II sat here in this window waiting
for you till o o'clock, then went to bed
and cried all night
"Poor, dear little girl" he said, wind
ing his arms about her and smuggling
DGG ldlhtI, hNi iPS hS"iii'S
his.
The first spasm OF baby love had
passed and was succeeded by six hours
of rapture.
lie started to 90 at a. m, got to
the drawing room door at 2:15, and the
last kiss was mt 80 in the vestibule.
. Baby love didn't have a spasm OF
anything else for another two days
Meanwhile Charlie was getting down
to engaged life quite rapidly. mar
moves from one position to another; O
| woman, in certain respects, is apt t.
remain where she finds herself. Baby
love had all the children's ills, but
r with every one Charlie gained by ex
perience and came to consider them {
e matter Of course. Three months afte
+ his engagement he called on his flame,
D one evening to find symptoms tina
r shortly before would have been alarm
{ ing.
4 Its perfectly evident said Rosa
| withdrawing from him as he advances
t to give the usual lovers salute, "tha
g this cannot so on any longer"
|. what can't 90 on any loRgerW
n "Why, your Indifference to me whel
g we are in other company"
It What have | done now?"
"Do you think that your treatment o
r me at Mrs. Randalrs garden party wa
# such as | have Il right to eXpectT
what did do?"
y "You know very well what you die
E. When asked you to get me an ice, II
'r stead of doing SO mt once you continue
Is your conversation with Mrs. Fitz &c
&c aid, paying no attention to me wha
10 ever"
A Mrs. Fitz Gerald was telling me a
&c incident that happened to her | coui
IL not break away from her in the mi
TO die of her story, could II"
"You didn't wish to break away fro
IN her. You were listening with rapt a
TO tentiOn."
ne surely you're not
oo jealous? Oh, dear, no. l wouldT
think of being jealous of an old Won't
In like that. Shes twenty eight If she's
nj day"
Dy For the first time since his engag
I'D ment woman's unreasonableness beg'
to rub the wrong way. His brow To-
er cred.
We "YOu say that things can't go on al
mp longer in this way. Do you mean tn
Oh our engagement must be broken?"
on Unless | can be assured that Y
gh are not to be caught by any MARI
~ woman who chooses to throw a SIP
eu over you"
S. 81 thought you said you were I
on jealous of Mrs. Fitz Gerald"
I'm not. Mrs. Fitz Gerald is not
ar only designing woman there is in
'ge world"
'ok What do you wish me to do?"
On This was poser. Rosa, not havi
eat any reply to make, was silent. She h
the had her say and was ready to make
re- up. She stood looking down at
floor. and as there was no antagoni
my in her expression Charlie went to
ald and took her in his arms.
as Charlie hoped that the end of tn
a paroxysms would come with maria
She They did not end with the wedd
the day nor with the honeymoon. Not
a real baby came was there |
the ceptible change. Then Charlie sud-
lrn- ly discovered that his wife had 70,
We another love which took the edge
'ous the first. A genuine rival had
to placed him.
:.
Keep little in Stock.
!. Patience and perseverance are s
A. good things that it's a mistake To