The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1917-07-17
ASin That Brought
A Blessing
By OSCAR cox

| would marry some girl with nothing TO
recommend her but pretty race
used to think that she wished me TO
marry Margaret Deane, who knew now
| to sew and cook and do lot OF pracu-
cal things in which took no interest.
I rather admired Gwendolin German.
GwendoIin was a tender flower, just
such a girl as a man likes to take IN
der his protection Her cheek was not
round and rosy, but there was a little
pale red in its center like rosebud
painted on a china cup, with lips OF the
same hue.
The time came when / made UP my
mind that unless l could win GWendo-
lin my life would be a failure | was
but twenty, and that's very young for
man to feel that his happiness is
bound up for life In one person. How
ever. | proved my consistency by years
Of devotion to the image l had set up
in my heart Fearing that | could not
express myself with sufficient delicacy
to impress one SO young, SO modest, so
tender, l wrote my proposal in letter.
| was several days composing 1t, and
when finished left 1t for another day
more before posting It,
| was suddenly called away, and
when | returned the letter was gone.
| asked my mother what had become
- oh said th0t ~ hn6 hnan
posted with batch Of letters that had
been sent to the mail while l was
away from home. With this l was
content and confident that Gwendolin
had received it and waited anxiously
for reply.
When | met my love again l was
much embarrassed. My Imagination
made her seem to me cold, even Of
Tended, and MS she made no reference
to my letter it occurred to me that for
some reason-I imagined a dozen-she
was displeased with my proposal
did not call again, and within year
her family left the place where l lived,
and she went with them. My heart
vent with her ! lived on 9 bachelor.
My mother frequently invited Mar
garet Deane to our house, and could
see that she was Intentionally placing
her in my way. Margaret accepted
whatever attention | gave her, which
was not much, but when | was I'M
mindful Of her she did not seem to
notice 1t. AS the year passed l made
friend of her, but it did not occur to
me to make love to her.
When | was thirty my mother died
Before her death she made me con-
fession.
MY dearest boy" she said, before
| die | wish your forgiveness. Ten
years ago | saw that you We're about to
choose companion for life who would
not make YOU happy. | kept the letter
you wrote to Gwendolin German, hop.
Ing to gain time to direct your atten-
ton to Margaret Deane. Ten years
have passed. and every year l have In
tended to send your letter to Gwen
dolin. have never done SO till today.
BY tomorrow morning she will know
for the first time of your proposal, but
by that time shall have left you free
to choose for Yourself
And SO my mother. to whom was so
devoted, had caused me ten years Of
| forgave her and did not utter
a word of complaint. Indeed, the pain
| suffered at her loss neutralized any
feeling Of regret for my long suffering.
The day after laid her in the grave
took up number of letters that had
accumulated-mostly of coincidence
and among them was one from Gwen
dolin. 1t brought the first of different
sensations from what had experienced
since the beginning of my mothers i'll
ness. But with it came the remem-
brance of what my mother must have
endured from her distaste for my
choice. Margaret had been with her
In her last days and had
her as If she had been her
lwn daughter
| felt an inclination to complete the
sacrifice my mother had brought about
~ acceding to her wishes and giving
Margaret the option of being my wife.
But l was bound in honor to Gwendo-
In as well as by love- In her letter she
asked me to come and see her IL felt
10 inclined.
A few days later 1 went to see her.
She still lived with her family, who
we're wealthy-more so than when I
had parted from her-in a stately man.
sion. 1t was evening when l called,
and l was ushered into private par
or. In few minutes bony, sallow,
scrawny woman came into the room,
dressed in the height of fashion, be-
iecked with jewels, her hands covered
with rings. 1 barely recognized Gwen
dolin and would not have done so had
she not preserved the rosebud In her
cheek by touch of paint.
$50 your poor mother has gone" she
said. What silly thing to keep your
letter from me! Just as IL l were
counting on you. You were lovely as a
boy, admit; but, you know, papa has
always brought me up to understand
that l must marry money, and of
pOllrSa that would Y,at sao1,a -