The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1917-01-16
A Bone of
Contention
Il Came Between q Pair
of Lovers.
By CLARISSA MACKIE

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
It stretched across the salt marsh
and connected two villages. Harbor-
bead folk called 1t 1.-THE red bridge"
while Portside people grimly referred
to 1t as "the white bridge" As a mat
ter Of fact, 1t had never been painted
At all, and now, after two years ex-
posure to wind and weather, the new
wood had taken on soft gray tints that
blended with the silver tide that ebbed
and flowed between the piles.
Although Harborhead and Portside
were connected by the new bridge and
the vehicles of both villages rumbled
to and fro over the planks, the inhab-
itants were widely separated by a
growing bitterness.
Parson Lane of Portside had pound
ed the pulpit vigorously over the mat
ter. "Pots Of paint Pots of paintr'
he exclaimed one memorable Sunday.
"Have my people drowned their souls
In pots of paint? The good Lord made
It possible for these villages to be unit
ed by beautiful bridge. and you
wrangle over the painting of 1t as II
the color mattered. Brethren, see that
your souls are as white as you would
have the bridge painted. Let not the
red smirch Of anger sully its purity
After that sermon the bitterness was
intensified. The Harborhead people
who weekly crossed the bridge to at
tend Parson Lanes church fluttered
homeward to spread the good mans
words far and wide, with most unhap.
py results.
Noah Wade and Almira Turner were
to be married in June. Three times a
week Noah crossed the bridge to Har-
borhead to see his sweetheart They
had never discussed the bridge matter,
because they had been too happy to
talk about anything except their own
wonderful affairs.
The Tuesday after Parson Lanes
sermon Almira waited at the front
gate for Noah. She could see him
stepping quickly across the bridge
tall, erect, with his head poised high.
All the Wades were proud. The girls
blue eyes did not soften at her lovers
approach. A new expression came
into them.
waiting for meT' smiled Noah, TAX.
ing the hat from his brown hair and
covering Almira's little hand with his
own sunburned fingers.
She drew her hand quietly from be-
meath his touch. YES" she said grave.
". "Come with me, Noah. have
something to say to you. Let US 60 to
the orchard"
"What is the matter? Are you in
trouble? Has anything happenedT'
demanded Moan anxiously, falling into
step beside her.
Almira SHOOK her head. In silence
they went across the grass to the or
chard and paused in the shade Of the
gnarled old apple trees.
'sWhat is the matter, AlmiraT" re
peated Noah at last.
II can't marry you. Noah," replied
Almira quietly.
"Why not?" Noah spoke grufly
He was angry at Almira's strange
manner, at the coldness in her voice
and her sudden aloofness.
She looked at the distant sails with
steadfast eyes. "Father says I sham
marry any one from over the white
BRIDGE and I don't know that ! wan,
to-"
! Personally don't care a rap what
! color the bridge is," retorted Noah
sI've crossed it for two years to SEE
you, Almira, and now at this late day
you suddenly drop me and say it's be
cause l live over the bridge-a fiimsy
excuse. Why don't you say outright
that you don't care for me and neve
did" His face was growing whittier
and the hand pressed against the tre'
trunk was clinched until the knuckle
were livid.
Suddenly Noah swung away from
the tree and without one backwar
glance tramped across the grass, LEAP
ed the fence into a winding lane an
disappeared along the shore road.
After that it became known that A
mira's wedding garments were care
fully laid away out Of sight and Noa
Wade no longer crossed the bridg
three times a week.
Then followed a summer unprec'
denied for its lack Of rain. Week
followed days, and months followe
weeks, while the sun poured relen
lessly down on the sister towns an
burned the vegetation to crisp brown
ness. Only the salt grass that va
wet by the tides remained greel
Crops died in the baked earth
September came, f,ercely bot On
breathless evening Almira Turnt
walked lstlessly along the bridge.
\ was said that whatever breeze ther
might be would be felt on the Ion
wooden structure that united the tw
villages, yet In its way formed q ba
rier between many hearts.