The Lakeland evening telegram., 1917-08-06
Trapped by
Girls
By OSCAR cox

Higgins was his name, but his pser
donym was Courtney Sinclair. Fl
lived with his mother in a small subuI
ban house, had his study on the secon
floor. overlooking trees, shrubs an,
flowers, and while composing was no
to be interrupted.
One morning he was writing stor.
on a theme with which he was yer.
much pleased. His hero was a woman
hater, but SO fascinating that he wa
besieged by girls who were bent OIL
marrying him. The body Of the stOr.
consisted of ingenious devices of thu
maidens to get at him and his ingenious
methods for preventing them from do
ing so.
This hero lady killer shut himself VI
in tower, living at the top. What
ever he required was drawn up by
him in basket attached to rope
If a man called on him he would throw
out key to door below. A CIR
hidden in box of provisions on one
occasion got into the basket and was
drawn up to the top. but before being
taken in the lady killer saw her. He
let go the rope and she was killed by
the fall.
Higgins mother had gone away on a
visit and left him alone in the house
About II o'clock, when he was en-
crossed with his story, there came a
ring at the doorbell When Mrs Hig-
gins was not at home he usually an
swered such summonses and now rose
from his desk to reply to this one.
Descending the stairs, he saw through
the glass Of the front door several girls
without
They're after subscriptions to some
war loan," said the author to himself
"1'll not admit them"
Turning. he went back to his desk
by the window and continued his story
about the lady killer in the tower. He
had scarcely written line when there
was another ring at the doorbell. He
ignored it. Another ring. He ignored
that too. The bell kept on ringing. and
the autnOr kept on writing.
''ThOse girls are mighty persistent" !"
he said to himself. IF / should let
them in they'd stick me for big Red
Cross or war subscription of some kind.
But they don't get in; not if know
myself"
The ringing was succeeded by a
knocking Higgins smiled. "Just you
continue your efforts, my dears," he
said to the girls separated from him by
walls and doors. Maybe some one
will hear you by and by"
The ringing and the knocking con-
tinued. Higgins laid down his pen.
II wonder why they keep up this eff
fort to get in when it must be evident
to them that there is no one in the
house." he said. Usually persons who
have rung several times at doorbelI
and get no response go away. These
girls cannot have seen me. If they
had l would not be surprised at their
persistence. l think I'll do a bit of
accommodating"
He went to the landing, from which
he looked down upon the front door.
The glass was covered by lace shade,
but through it he could see the girls.
They were dressed in the height of
fashion, and so far as he could Judge
none of them was I'll favored.
'They are either after a subscription
to the liberty loan," he said to himself
"or the widows and orphans fund or
some other matter involving money.
What would do to protect myself
against three girls, quite likely from
among the elite of the town, if should
face them alone and unprotected? |
wish mother was here They've got
me penned in"
He had no confidence in being able to
stand off a lot Of girls who were de.
termined to get at him. 1t was all
very well to write story about a
woman hating lady killer who prevent
ed women from reaching him. That
was fiction. This was the real thing
He could invent no end of contrivances
by which his hero might effect an es.
cape, but here he was corralled and not
single plan for avoiding these girls
at his own door occurred % him. He
determined to return to study, paw
no attention to the rings & Knocks
and go on with his story.
He was writing glibly about his he
ro's escape from woman, his inven
tive faculties being in excellent condi
tion. when he heard from out the win
dow beside which he sat these words
spoken in melodious feminine voice:
I'VE are taking the census. Are
there any men in this house between
the ages of twenty-one and thirty.
oneY'
Higgins looked aside. and there in
the branches of tree growing not
twenty feet from him was a girl look
ing straight at him.
The hypothesis of subscription
tumbled before the certainty of the
draft. He had forgotten that the gov.
ernment was intending to capture
young men to enter the great war. II
he had remembered ii he certainly had
never dreamed that bevy Of pretty
girls would be employed to take the
census of eligibles.
Il am resident of this house. and
am twenty-eight years DID," said Hig.
gins, with q sigh.
10