The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1917-06-18
A Revival
Of Romance
By SADIE OLCOTT

MISS Josephine warren, prominent
society girl in an eastern city, being
tired of the winter social gayeties.
pinned for something different. In the
first place, she had had half dozen
proposals, not one of them having in 1t
anything like real love. They came
from men who wished to marry from
some interested motive. One wanted
her because she would bring her hus-
band some means, another because she
would give him better social position
and still others because they wished to
marry and she was considered one Of
the prizes of the season.
Miss Warren's father owned, among
other things, ranch in the far west,
which had fallen to him through
foreclosed mortgage One morning dur
ing the early spring Josephine heard
him say that his ranch, which he called
his western elephant, would ruin him
If he did not so out and look after it
"DO go, papa" she said. land take
me with you"
His having his daughters company
decided him, and within a few weeks
father and daughter were in west
ern ranch house and Miss Warren in
stead of receiving the attentions of
young men in silk hats and spats was
surrou.ided by cowboys with sombreros
and spurs.
One night Josephine was awakened
by a serenade under her window. A
man. accompanied by guitar, was
singing with voice smooth as run
ming brook. Moreover, his whole heart
seemed to come out with his voice, and
his song was one of passionate love.
Josephine could not help comparing it
with the lovemaking she had listened
, to from the gilded men of the eastern
social world.
Rising from her bed, she went to the
window. The moon was at the full
and shone directly upon the face of the
serenader He was in cowboy apparel
except for the hat, which lay on the
ground beside him. Whether it was
the moonlight or that his face was
really more refined than the average
| cowboy or the effect of the music, he
certainly appeared to Josephine as
superior being.
He sang but one song. which seemed
altogether too short to the listener
then went away, leaving Josephine in
sort of ecstasy she had never felt be.
fore. oh, that she might be wooed in
such fashion by one of her own sta
tiOn
The next morning she asked those in
the house who was the serenader
They had heard the serenade, but no
one knew any cowboy who could sing
anything except ragtime music, and
there was no musical instrument
among them except banjo. Josephine
was disappointed. And yet what ben
eft would she derive from knowing
which of the many herders had poured
forth an impassioned love song? She
was not for such as these: she would
return to the east and settle down to
i the artificial life of woman of society
with some man who spent part OF the
day in trade, the rest at his club and
his evenings escorting her to social
functions.
Josephine hoped that the serenader
would favor her again. Every night
she lay awake till sleep conquered her
hoping to hear those delicious notes
once more. When she rode out, which
she did great deal on horseback, she
scanned the face of every man she met
looking for that of the serenader. But
no one appeared with the same fea
lures, and Josephine at last concluded
that the moonlight had given the one
she had seen its heaven born expires
sion.
When her father announced to her
that he had done what was to be done
In respect to his investment, which was
to sell the ranch to a neighboring
ranchman, her heart fell at the idea Of
leaving. The last night she spent at
the ranch was one of regret She was
going to sleep thinking of her sere
nader when again that melodious voice
came up from under the window.
The next day the father and daugh.
ter rode twenty miles to the train, and
soon after boarding it Mr.. Warren
brought a man to his daughter and in
troduced him as the purchaser Of his
ranch. He was about thirty years of
age and evidently gentleman. 1t soon
| appeared that he was one of those
young men who, having inherited
| means, prefer a free life to one Of con-
finement and go in for ranching. He
was going east to raise funds to pay
for the property he had bought from
| Mr.. Warren.
The ranchman travelled all the way to
the Atlantic coast with the Warrens