The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1916-06-09
A MATTER OF TEETH
BY HELEN MERRITT.


marked attentions from an eligible
man. she may be pardoned for getting
. little bit excited.
And Miss Arabella's life mad con-
tanned 80 little love, so little personal
interest. that the fact that someone
thought enough of her to show her
little attentions, bring her little gifts
and defer to her timidly expressed
opinions seemed to bring the dawn of
q new existence.
Mr.. Jenkins had come unostenta-
tiously into his place at Miss Cross
boarding house two months before. At
first, he had attended strictly to his
own AFFAIRS, but as he was a gentle
man of leisure. this soon grew mo-
notonous. Then, in casting about for
human companionship, he passed over
the younger women and the girls and
began to cultivate an acquaintance
with Miss Arabella. First 1t was Just
short conversations in the parlor Of
evenings. Then it blossomed into
offerings of new magazine, a bunch
OF violets, or box Of candy. From
this was a short step to an invitation
TO go occasionally to the picture show
In the evening or for a walk in the
nearby park on Sunday afternoon.
And now it was June, and the day
after tomorrow would be Mr.. Jenkins
birthday. And he had invited Miss
Arabella, with an air which there was
no mistaking, to motor with him to
the beach for an evening dinner. The
middle-aged wooer had not yet de-
clared himself, but ArabeIla was NOR
ally certain that she would come back
from the beach trip an engaged wom-
an. Her heart-even at forty-five-
thrilled at the prospect.
Alas for human hopes. On the very
morning Of the birthday, after Miss
Arabella had timidly presented the gift
she worked for her admirer with her
own fair hands, she bites into a piece
or hard candy taken from q box which
Mr.. Jenkins had brought her the eve
ming before, and snap! went the plate
OF her upper teeth. They were beauti-
ful, but deceitful teeth. Without them,
Miss Arabella looked every one of her
forty-fve years.
Miss Arabella was in despair. But
she did not ponder long over the stu
alton. Stealing out of the house un-
seen, she hastened to the dentist who
had made the teeth. He agreed to send
the teeth before he closed up that
night. Miss Arabella went back to
Miss Cross.
Miss Arabella put in the afternoon
watching the clock and praying that
the dentist would not fail her. At
$3.50, the automobile would be at the
door.
At six o'clock, in the tasty new gown
and hat reserved for the occasion, she
heard knock. She opened the door
Just enough to permit the dentist
boy to thrust In small box. Then
Miss Arabella breathed again. She
hastily undid the paper, opened the
box, took out the teeth--and almost
collapsed on the spot.
They were not her teeth! They be-
longed to q much larger mouth evil
IDENTIFY than Miss Arabella's. She
gazed at them horror-stricken. Then
she burst into tears.
Strange to say, in Mr.. jenkins room
. similar scene minus the weeping
and plus a few harsher words than
Mr. Jenkins usually used-was being
enacted. That very morning, Mr.. Jen-
kins had broken on front tooth. He
had persuaded-not without difficulty
his dentist to repair the damage and
deliver the teeth that night.
4 But they were not his teeth.
Mr.. Jenkins gave himself up to des-
pair. And Just at that moment the
chambermaid knocked at his door and
handed him a note.
Il was from Miss Arabella. In terms
of the utmost regret it announced that
the writer, for reasons she could not
explain, would be unable to help him
celebrate his birthday that evening.
Mr.. Jenkins spent a sleepless night,
and the next morning he slipped out
eariy to the dentist, with something
little short of murder In his heart.
With the little box which had caused
al his troubles clasped in his hand,
Mr. Jenkins was laying down the law
Nc great rate when the door behind
him opened. He turned-and confront.
ID Miss Arabella.
A little box, the exact counterpart
of the one he held, was clasped in her
beatty gioved hand. She gave one
despairing look at Mr.. Jenkins. Then,
fhint for want Of the food she had
raissed at dinner and breakfast, she
sank helplessly into a chair.
Explanations followed, of course,
Miss Arabella and Mr.. Jenkins walked
home together. both with their well.
Hitting teeth In place. The dinner was
then and there declared postponed un.
81 the coming evening.
And that evening, when the bright
moon revealed an automobile speeding
over the road cityward, it also dis
closed, ON the back seat. a masculine
arm around feminine waist and a
feminine head on a masculine shoul.
der.
and suddenly Mr.. Jenkins said
fondly:
How foolish we were! Knowing
re we're going to live together all our
lives. what did 1t matter?n
Miss Arabella did not reply. For
the first time in all her starved and
sEunted forty-fve years, she was
Iearning what It meant to be really
happy.
lcopy1ight BY the Mcclure Newspaper
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