The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1917-06-14
'pWiCea
a Widows Experience
n ESTHER yANDEyHER
~ ESTHER vANDEvEER

Sny love for Edward Lane began
shea We were both SO young that mel
Scr 1t us could remember q time
Shon e did not exist. His fathers
80 was but short distance from
8 IN Indeed, the rear line marked the
s mita az both places. On one side Of
IL line was the playground Of the
Neral children, boys and girls, in
uding Edward and myself, who lived
tho neighborhoOd. can remember
far back as when was seven years
ID and Edward nine that in playing
eep house he and l always played the
: art Of husband and wife. There was
swing on this playground. and Ed
yard's father put up articles for
oys' gymnasium A little house four
. five feet high was built for us girls
nd furnished with toy furniture. At
lines we would leave our dolls there
IL night, first putting them to bed.
When / grew taller | could not I'M
: lerstand how could have stood up
light In that little house. And what
eemed more remarkable to me was that
Edward could have done so, for he was
always large child. And remember
hat when he had been away to school
Tor long while and came back he was
taller than the house.
BY this time we were growing out OF
childhood into that intermediate period
when, though boys and girls may feel
love. they are not likely to express it.
It = period Of transition from child
love to real love. The boy mind is taken
up with athletic sports, while the girl
hides her secret almost from herself.
Indeed, so nebulous is this period that
IN my own case it Is difficult for me to
recall my exact feelings. remember
them family and as existing at inter
walls. They were rather small portion
Of my girls existence than the whole
Of Il.
When / was sixteen l was awakened
70 the true condition by the marked
preference displayed by another girl
for my Edward. From that time my
love became the principal instead Of
minor part in my life ! failed to con-
zeal my jealousy from him, and this
brought out his own consciousness OF
what was between us. There was no
formal declaration, no conventional
Giving Of the hand, not even the low
ers' kiss. He merely said something
about the other girl know not what,
but Il assured me there was no change
In our position since the days when
We played husband and wife at keep
Ing 4house-no change in the position.
but a great change in the condition
It had then been like winter bud, but
It was now swollen under spring sun,
ready to put forth leaves.
/ sometimes wished that could have
experienced the proposal that other
Girls seemed to regard the next most
important moment in their lives to
their marriage Edward and l had no
occasion for proposal. Our love was
rather, as l have said, an unfolding OF
! bud .han the birth Of butterfly.
The onS abrupt part Of 1t was when
b gave me the first kiss. | treasured
that in lieu OF a proposal.
When we were married great changes
had occurred. had been left alone In
the world. so it was arranged that we
should occupy my house. Our living
room was on the second floor, over
looking the playground where we had
pretended to be husband and wife
The faint dream of childhood had been
developed to a realization of almost
perfect happiness. If there could be @
perfection on earth these five years Of
my life, from twenty to twenty five
were such condition. Two children
were born to US, boy and girl
What seemed strange to me was that
though | gave them a boundless love
thst which bore their father, instead
of being diminished, was increased
Truly love must be, like space, infinite
OPP to this point there had been al
expansion of happiness. Suddenly
there came a check. Our youngel
child sickened and died. l have de
scribed with some minutener what
have likened to the gradr ldini
OF flower. | have n y
more than a brief M
ing. Within Il -.
nrst death SSS
within anots ssss
lapse, Il