The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1916-05-31
Middle Aged
Lovenaking
By ETHEL HOLMES

cool? Tomkins can run the business
as well as l. l don't care whether
there is any profit for a couple of
months or not. Why should l? My
securities pay me $4,000 year, and
that's enough for lone bachelor with
out any other income"
The only objection to Mr.. Chidleigh's
going to the country was that he was
too old to join in with the young per
sons he would meet and he wouldn't
know what to do with himself. He
was forty-two years old. However, he
made up his mind to get sniff of sea
air, and, leaving his business in the
hands of his chief clerk, he got into
his car and after a hundred miles spin
pulled up in front of summer hotel
overlooking the ocean.
As he went up the steps he noticed q
lady sitting on the piazza whose face
was familiar to him.
81 do believe" he said to himself,
that's Del Smith
Del Smith had been a flame" Of
Chidleigh's twenty years before. If
indeed it were she he need not be lone
~. He might get some amusement by
remaining incog. and making her ac-
quaintance as a stranger. Going to the
hotel office, a clerk placed the register
before him, and he signed his name so
that it looked like A. Chindey.
The next day he was sitting on the
piazza near the lady he supposed to be
his old flame, she being in company
with an '9erlv woman who looked to
Chidleigh much as he remember
ed her n -uyr twenty years before.
They were regretting not being able
to hire an auto for ride.
Ladies'" said Chidleigh, 81 have an
auto which is at your service, and
will be happy to drive you wherever
you wish to GO"
After some parleying the offer was
accepted, and the trio spent pleasant
afternoon visiting various points Of in
terest Il, the vicinity. That was the
beginning OF an acquaintance or, II
the lady was Chidicigh's old flame, the
renewal of one. On the beach the next
morning she sat alone--her mother pre-
ferred to remain in her room-and
Chidleigh Joined her. He didanot ask
her name, but ne propounded some
leading questions, the replies to which
convinced him that he had been mis-
taken in the person.
He was disappointed in this, but tn,
lady gave him every encouragement t.
10 fr;n u ha cha n M
her mother knew no one at the hote
and would be very glad to see as mucl
of him as he liked during their stay
To this Chidleigh declared that he wa
in the same lonely condition.
Notwithstanding the replies to hi
leading questions Chidleigh could no
divest himself of the feeling that tn
lady was Adele Smith. Going to tn
hotel register, he hunted up the name
but not finding a recent arrival o
Smiths he asked the clerk for informa
ton, and he showed him the name
"Mrs. Turnlee and daughter" Thi
COMPOUNDED the investigator but h
would not give it up that the daughte
was Del Smith
However, Chidleigh found associa
ton with Miss Turnlee more and NOR
pleasant every day. He took her an
her mother out in his ear every da
that the mother would go, and whe
she declined his invitation he took tn
daughter.
One day when they were drivin
alone together they left the car an
sat on a dune overlooking the ocear
Chidleigh felt that they were draw
nearer together from the fact that the
were far from any one else and tn
expanse of sky and water above an
before them were so vast.
"You remind me-" he said to her &C
girl knew when l was youngste
l was twenty-five; she was eighteeI
/ was drawn to her, but at that ag
there are so many girls for the boy
and so many boys for the girls ths
one is not inclined to choose and picl
wish now l could be the age l wa
then. l would provide against m
present solitary condition"
81, too, have such a memory.
knew a young man whom 1 considere
the pink OF perfection. l wished b
would make love to me, but he didn'
You men have a great advantage owe
us women in that respect"
"Do you remember his name?"
"Do you remember the girls namei
Eyes"
''Let us make an exchange"
every well; she was Adele Smith"
"He was Amos Chedleigh."
Amos turned and looked at her d,
eddy.
"How is it that you are Miss Tur
lee2"
I'm not; I'm Miss Smith. My mot
er married a second time"
"Do you know that am Amos Che
leigh?"
"Of course l do. 1 recognized y
when l saw you come up the hot
steps the day of your arrival"
'Do you regret being spinster"
"Of course / do. Every spinst
does"
Lets make up for lost time. W
you marry me?"
81 will"
Given a man of forty-two and
woman of thirty-eight sitting on
dune overlooking the ocean In
twilight, a crescent moon overhe'
lust betrothed. and despite their m
die age we may conjecture the rest
the picture.