The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1917-07-20

70 s,a nisut and too wide awake
~. s,eep' SO l went back to the lihrarv
got my bag. put out the light and l ,as.
Tue mousse spent the night s;t.;na
w. T., = oehch in the railroad station. md
aua - needless to say that l took tho
nrst train to town." 'ne
And that is all?" asked s,odo ,e.
4 little silence. "ue AFTER
isn't it enough?"
You didn't search the bouse nab
any effort to discover whether tba in
'iuuer was spook or human-d;dn,.
you do anything" 'un
nary thing. went abroad the fol,
i living week and at times forgot the
incident. A few days ago it came hack
me- anu SO l invited you down 70
spend this night with me at tha Eln,s ),
why this particular nightw do
manded Slade suspiciously.
because it's the anniyersarv Of M
adventure with Viola" replied Gilbort
coolly. Il want witness TO furtha.
demonstrations, you know"
'onii Siade sank back into the shad.
ows OF his chair and smoked thoupbt.
iuily. Once he burst into a reminis.
cent chuckle.
l suspect you have lost your heart
10 this Viola, as you call her Was
she so lovely?" "
she was perfect" said GiIhort s,n
cerely. Her hair was that duskv
olack that frames the face mistily. Won
KNOW, her eyes were almost golden
ana her brows fine and black like her
hair; but her colorins. her features
her form-oh, say, Slade, can't GET
her face out of my mind."
Slade lighted fresh cigar ~ must
tell you an incident of the same SORT
that happened to friend of mine"
ne SAID solemnly, land it may serve
TO throw light on your own affair"
out with it," said Gilbert briefly
Its only 10 O'Clock now. You have
till midnight, John"
This man owned a grand old Mace
In the country, but he was bachelor
and never looked at it.
/ "There was young cousin of tbo
mans. girl who was beauty and
a toast Never mind her name. She
has married and changed it for another.
This girl was up to all sorts of mis-.
chief and FRANKS and carried lot OF
scatterbrained young folk with her in
many harmless escapade.
"She conceived the idea of giving a
ball in the old mansion of her cousin.
! Now, l have not the slightest doubt
| that the man would have gladly con
i sented to turn the house over for such
a. merrymaking had they asked him.
But, no; of course half the fun lay in
the clandestinc proceedings!
"And so one night when the moon
was young and the aged caretaker off
on leave several great automobiles roll.
ed quietly up the long avenue, and
the mischievous girl and her friends
and their reluctant chaperons trooped
through side entrance and made their
way to the great ballroom on the sec.
ond floor.
''The room had been cleaned in some
mysterious manner, and when the cleo
trio chandeliers were ablaze and the
polished floor stretched forth an invit-
ing surface the small orchestra they
had brought tuned up, and the fun be
gan. Several servants unpacked re-
freshments in an anteroom while the
young people danced and between
dances wandered over the grand old
house lighted from top to bottom by
Laura's"-
Laura shouted Gilbert, but Slade
interrupted:
Hold on there, Danny! ! didn't
mean to make a slip, The house was
lighted up and the dancing was goinl
on and everything was going along
finely when suddenly a messenger ap
peared among them. The station agent
from the depot, who had known of the
merrymaking, came 10 say that th'
owner had arrived at the station ant
was on his way to the house. lie nae
iumped on his wheel and sped with tht
message.
'aThey worked fast and without judg
ment. One bright soul cut the electric
light wires and plunged the house II
total darkness. Before a search coulC
be made for candles and escape made
the front door was opened and the In
truders heard footsteps below stairs
After awhile the library door opened
and all was silent
"By aid OF matches and the sta
tion masters bicycle lantern the part!
reached the ground floor and by stealu
left the house. That was all part .
the fun, don't you know. And then
lust as they were going to leave on
Of the girls discovered she had lost he
net handkerchief and was sure she MAJ
left II in the library. She recovered IL
although she would not say how am
she was quite breathless when sn
climbed into the motor. And that
ALL" -. o.,
Daniel Gilbert arose to his tul
height and laid his pipe on the nan 4,
tel "And that was Laura, VINO 80, =
the party and everything. shali olt e
rorr wife all her days, John, II sh