The Lakeland evening telegram., 1917-06-22
CHILD
LOVE
Il Was More Than
That Later
Bv ETHEL HOLMES

] am an old maid. l have never hat
q love affair and never expect to have
one. Perhaps this Is why l take an in
terest in the loves Of other people
Nothing is so attractive to me as to
watch a young couple drifting into
imperceptibly that they are not aware
they are In it. Indeed, so unconscious
are they Of being incipient lovers that
it does not occur to them to conceal
the fact from any one else.
And to me there is something eSpe
cially touching about the loves OF chill
dren. Some deny that there is sucl
a thing as pair Of children lovers. !
deny their negation. and | do 50 on a
very sound basis When v-"T -,
years old l was in love with hoy 6
fifteen. This Is the nearest evet
came to love.
/ remember one day sitting at my
window sewing when a boy and a girl
passed on the other side of the road
The boys straw hat was dingy, ana
there was plenty of ventilation in it<
crown. His only other clothing was
shirt and trousers-no shoes or stock
ings, nothing around his throat, his
collar being open and displaying the
tanned skin. The girls clothing WAS
neither better nor worse, and there
was about as much of it.
The two were evidently absorbed in
each other. What they were talking
about l was too far from them to hear,
but it was of vital Importance. 1t
may be that the boy had been kept
In" after school and they were indig-
nant over time thus lost in play. II
may be that some urchin had smashed
the china head Of the girls doll.
Whatever 1t was it was being discuss
cd with animation
And l maintain that these childish
interests are Of more real importance
for the time being than those which
come later. No addition to an adults
stock Of wealth gives the same zest as
a new toy to one Of these little people
Often afterNard saw these two and
| ulWdy lOBCL itI. III IlllS tucN were
different from other children who play,
boys with bo and girls with girls
learned that they were Henry Morse
and Lila Bun ker, a farmers boy and
farmers girl Indeed we were all
farmer folk, all knew one another ev-
erybody bein, Interested in some degree
at least in every one else, simple com.
munity and N ore than usually free from
the petty jes ousies common to man
kind.
Henry Nor re's father was determined
that his son .hould have good educa-
tion, and the boy was sent away to
school. After this ! used to see Lila
going by our house, but no companion
supplied Henry's place, She was al
ways alone, and l fancied her thinking
of her other self But this was simply
fancy on my part AS | have said in
the beginning. not having had any love
affairs of my own, ! conjure up love
affairs for others. In this case of
Henry and Lila l knew nothing of
what was passing between them except
from observation, so | may be excused
for filling in occasionally that the story
may not seem too disconnected At the
last | was present and shall not have
to draw on my imagination.
When Henry came back from schoo'
there was more modish appearance
to his clothes and to his manners
Poor Lila. who had remained on the
farm. had only an unadorned beauty
fraS Shopnl Inv M
They were now about sixteen years
old. though Henry was half a head
taller, and | could not see that their in.
tereSt IL each other had waned, though
the childish Inconsistencies that they
were OF different sex had disappeared
| used 10 see them so by the house to
gether as formerly. but the prattle OF
ch.,,dhood had given place to the more
sober conversation of youth. | often
wished | could hear what they were
saying to each other
Henry did so well at school that his
| father decided to send him to college
| | wondered what effect his four years
association with young men and WON
| en- Of the world would have on my pc
| love affair. | feared that Henry. hav
| Ing become used TO the polished girl.
| he would meet. would return to see II
Lila country girl lacking the air,
and graces of her sisters Of the city
Would this ALLEVIATE himf 1t was to b,
expected that 1t would And, though
country born and bred myself. don
know that those of us who go to tn,
city and acquire city ways are to b
blamed when we return and Yield !,
dissatisfaction with country ways.
II Henry remained away a year at col
lege before he came back to the farm
Then one July morning. when sitting
at my window darning socks, | locke,
up. and there on the opposite side o
the road were the couple | had frs
\ noticed eight or nine years ago a
children Though Henry was plainl
dressed, his clothes were not countr
clothes. 1t seemed to me that he Nigh
pass anywhere as a city bred youn
man. And Lila-how my heart wen