The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1918-11-20
The UNDESIRABLE
BY MILDRED WHITE.

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An day long, It seemed. she sat In
the low wicker chair. far back In the
garden, humming over book in her
lap, or gazing, arms clasped above her
head, into the distance. Her white
frock showed daintily amid the green
and her high-heeled slippers Idly
tapped the grass.
The new curate sighed a. the pic
ture daily met his sight: no doubt the
neighbors were right. Accustomed as
he was becoming to their village Cos
sip, he was forced to admit In this
case some Justification. For indoors
the elder sister labored, as the women
said. from morning till night. Not
only was the great old house to be
kept clean and provided. but there was
the added duty Of the querulous in
valid grandmother. II was this grand
mother who had taken her daughters
orphaned children to raise. Mary and
Martha, they were named. and the
naming appeared to grow more fitting,
as years passed.
Mollie, they caressingly called the
younger sister In her golden haired
childhood. and Mollie she remained,
but Martha was never anything but
Martha.
While Martha accepted naturally
the duties at hand. glowing reports
came to them in the country town Of
Mollie's progress at school. Her
achievement was their ruling Joy.
ITO sit" as the neighbors sneered,
lin the garden while Martha shaved"
Seems as If Mary there might help
you some," one Of these said to Mar
tina. But the elder sister regarded her
sympathizer coldly. and turned away.
"Don't seem fair for Martha to
have to do all the work while you
lounge here In the garden" another
sharply reproved the vision In white.
So the mothers warned their mar
rlageable sons, keep away from that
girl" they said, "she's heartless and
she's useless" SO they kept away, with
the exception of the curate, who had
been prevailed upon to talk to her.
"Some ones got to wake the girl
up" the anxious ones insisted.
The young minister was baflled. The
accusations appeared to be true. Mar
tina, wan, and warm from her kitchen,
led him to the invalid's bedside, Mol
lie, cool and bending over her book,
welcomed him In the garden.
His commentator was silently re-
ceived by Martha, while his tactful re-
monstrance was met with apparent
smiling Indifference, by the younger
sister.
The curate was obliged to content
himself with frequent calls In the
pursuance Of pastoral duty. And 1t
was after one Of these lengthy calls
that he awoke to the alarming realiza-
ton that his sympathies and interest
had inexplicably gone over to the one
undesirable.
Distressed, he recalled the fact that
not more than ten minutes Of his stay
had been spent indoors, and that his
lasting impression had been the blue
ness Of Mollie's eyes. Filled with con-
triton, he decided to spend the entire
time Of his next visit with Martha,
and to renew the offer of his services
In any way that might be helpful to
her. 1t was difficult to pass the low
wicker chair among the flowers. More
difficult to respond to Mollie's wave
Of greeting, with bow bespeaking dis
approval.
The curate accomplished both, much
to his own dissatisfaction. But In
Martha's patient face was an express
sion as of subdued happiness. She
smiled with a resemblance to Mollle's
radiating smile as he led the way to
the sick room. Grandmother put out
her hand warmly. the querulousness
seemed to have disappeared.
"You have been so kind to u.s." she
said. '"The assurance Of your sympa-
thy was comforting through our anx-
iety, but now all will be different.
Shall we tell him, Martha?" And Mar
TIN leaned eagerly forward.
| "This has always been grandmoth-
er's home." she said, but there was a
mortgage. and we feared lately that
1t would have to be taken from us.
The fear, and thought of change. I
think, helped to make grandmother Ill,
and her savings were almost gone. /
could not leave her to earn money you
see, and we really did not know what
to do. Any situation Mollie might
have been able to find away from
home could not more than have cared
for herself, but" Martha went to the
window looking toward the white-clad
girl in the garden-"she was so sure
Of herself, was Mollie, so bright and
brave. we caught her courage.
"'Just wait she would tell us as
she went out beneath the trees In the
morning. Patience my dears, and you
shall see.' There with her drawing
board upon her knees she labored,
catching the shade Of butterfly on
wing, or the shadows Of q trees fo-
llage, for her children's Fairyland pic