The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1917-06-18

MAKING
HISTORY
Only II Pertained to Two
Persons Instead Of
a Nation
By ALAN HINSDALE

country road, enjoying the constantly
changing scenery. The spring had de-
veloped into summer; the leaves on the
trees were full blown, birds were sing
ing In the trees, a range Of distant hills
stood soft and mellow against the
horizon, light, feecy clouds sailed
lazily over an azure sky.
1 am one of those who love to ride
slowly, that l may see each vista, each
landscape, near objects, enjoying them
while l look. l have no patience with
those who must be always tearing
along so rapidly that no sooner does
one get an eye on a green velvet slope
with cattle feeding upon it than, pres
to-! it has vanished and its place IN
taken by a ragged height covered with
scrub trees, past which the road may
be so uneven as to require three
mile an hour gait. Such drivers will
get over twenty miles of beautiful
scenery in jiffy, to drag and jolt
along beside quarry or street lined
with novels.
On this summer morning Of which l
speak my heart had been warmed by
the beautiful hecked sunlight beside
the road, and l felt especially char.
liable toward all the world. l was mo-
toring along a narrow dirt road, but
extremely smooth, lined with broad
space of turf on either side to the
fences, when l saw before me femi-
nine figure whose lines and dress indi-
Gated that she was young girl. She
was carrying satchel of ample dimen-
siOns on her arm and used a staff.
When l came up with her l brought
my machine almost to a standstill, she
| turned her face toward me, and no
ticed that It was comedy.
"Shall give you lift?" l asked.
THANK you, sir. have far to go and
am aweary," she replied with that
Scotch accent which in a woman is
especially musical, though from man
| the words usually come like bullets
| from the muzZle of pistol.
| She was about to climb into the rear
scat when l opened the forward door.
and she took the seat beside me.
where do you go?" asked
| 81 dinna know at present" she an
swercd. II am to meet my brother at
NcGbury. Where we shall 60 from
there Gamma tell"
got out my road map, asked the girl
TO unfold it and while held the wheel
with one hand held the map with the
other. l saw that Medbury was a
matter of ten miles as the crow flies
but it was fifteen by road and nearly
thirty by such roads as would be suit,
able to an auto
"At what hour do you expect to meet
your brother?' l asked.
This afternoon
| 1t was 9 o'clock in the morning.
was not required to be at any particu
lar place at any particular time There
was plenty Of time to get the girl to
there. She was pretty, her voice was
very sweet, and / saw no reason why
l should not enjoy her companionshir
for the greater part Of the day instead
of riding alone.
l logged along till we came to fork
in the road, and as was about to turn
into the right road the girl made q
move to alight. saying that her route
lay over the left road, which was only
a lane. ] told her that l would take
her to her destination over motorable
roads, and she consented. Again l ex
amined my road map and laid out q
course involving fifty mile ride. ant
since preferred slow gait we woulf
make Medbury at noontime. AS We
rolled along | led my companion tc
talk about herself, for l felt some Gu
rioSity concerning her She was not
dressed as a farmers daughter, and
although her accent was Scotch. it wa.
not peasant accent. l could not un
derstand why so refined person
should be trudging along on foot. anG
! did not consider the lonely roads 4
proper place for a young girl to be un
attended.
During our conversation she CAV,
me her name as Edith MacDownell
Her father and mother had come I,
America from Scotland when she wa.
about ten years old, which accounted
for her retaining only portion of tn,
dialect of her native country. Her IA
Their had been landed proprietor to ,
. very limited extent in Scotland and
having been seized with the desire {,
extend his possessions. had sold hi.
property and come to America. wher,
the proceeds of the sale would Dur
chase more extended domain. But 4
did not appear from what the girl tolt
me that he had utilized his American
acres except in devoting some Of then
in the cultivation of fruit.
As we do not realize that we ar,
making history. so we do not recogniz,
In small events that we are shapin.
our lives. l often revert to that pleas
ant summer day when l took into m,
auto for lift girl had never seer
before. intending at the start to Sc
her down where our paths diyerged
; how l resolved to make her nv com
i panion for ride; how she communi
Gated TO me brief statement as TO he,
social position. 1t was under tn,
warm sunshine, tempered by a dell
! ciOuS cool breeze whila uo rollo5 o1o-