The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1916-05-29
Baby Love
By ETHEL HOLMES

TWO young persons OF opposite sex Is
like the child that comes TO them after
marriage. Ii has its babyhood, its
childhood and its youth. As baby is
delicate little thing. liable to be
snuffcd out by the slightest adverse
happening. 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 cyclone of
ecstasy for twenty-four hours, then
revulsion. Charlie wondered if he
hadn't done something dreadful. He
wanted to 20 right off and put himself
back where he was before; but, be
ing a 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 weight 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 he could stand it no
longer and started for her home. FOrtu-
nately it required fifteen minutes to
get there. He saw a 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.
81 suppose it is all mistake" she
said.
"All mistaken His heart sank
within him.
Yes. 1t is impossible that you can
love me and remain away from me all
these long days"
IAN these long days! Why, we have
been engaged only since the night be
fore last"
IL 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
her face-or. rather, her lips-against
his.
The first spasm of baby love had
passed and was succeeded by six hours
of rapture.
He started to go at a, m, got to
/. the drawing room door Mt 215 and the
/. last kiss was mt $50 in the vestibule.
, Baby love didn't have spasm oil
anything else for another two days
Meanwhile Charlie was getting down
, to engaged life quite rapidly. A mar
moves from one position to another; 4
+ woman, in certain respects, is apt Il
: remain where she finds herself. Baby
r love had all the children's ills, bu
with every one Charlie gained by ex
Q perience and came to consider them ;
+ matter of course Three months afte
o his engagement he called on his flame,
r one evening to find symptoms tina
{ shortly before would have been alarm
i ing.
1 | II ItlltNllN CNlutllli Hdltl IA'Sti
t withdrawing from him as he advanced
g to give the usual lovers salute. "tha
/. this cannot go on any longer"
II What can't go on any longer"
e "Why, your Indifference to me whel
t we are in other company"
Y What have done nowY'
: "Do you think that your treatment q
f me ut Mrs. Randalls garden party wa
such rs l have right to eXpect?"
y what did do?"
! You know very well what you did
r When | asked you to get me an ice, il
: stead of doing so at once you continue
e your conversation with Mrs. Fitz Gel
o aid, paying no attention to me what
A ever"
Q Mrs. Fitz Gerald was telling me a
1t incident that happened to her | coul
o not break away from her in the mic
die of her story, could IL"
n you didn't wish to break away frol
o her. You were listening with rapt a
e tention."
Nd surely you're not
a jealous? oh. dear, no. l wouldn
n think Of being jealous of an old woma
Il like that. She's twenty-eight II she's
y day"
d For the first time since his engag,
ment woman's unreasonabeness bega
II to rub the wrong way. His brow low
e cred.
p You say that things can't 90 on an
III longer in this way. Do you mean tn,
N our engagement must be broken?"
h UNLESS can be assured that yu
= are not to be caught by any Marie
ID woman who chooses to throw spe
s, over you"
IN 81 thought you said you were n,
Jealous of Mrs. Fitz Gerald"
r I'm not. Mrs. Fitz Gerald is not Il
ye only designing woman there is in Il
'k world"
IN What do you wish me to dO?"
at This was a poser. Rosa, not haviI
he any reply to make, was silent. She hi
e had her say and was ready to make
up. She stood looking down at Il
~ floor, and as there was no antagonis
Id In her expression Charlie went to h
s. and took her in his arms.
a Charlie hoped that the end of the
he paroxysms would come with marriag
he They did not end with the weddil
day nor with the honeymoon. Not
he real baby came was there a p'
n ceptible change. Then Charlie sudde
We " discovered that his wife had fou
us another love which took the edge
to the first. genuine rival had d
placed him.