The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1919-02-11

the tear bottle OF some long inferred
Egyptian princess, but as she scraped
off the mold from the sides It appeared
to be modern glass. After Q little
effort she unloosed the stopper and
leaned over the bottle for the scent
there was no mistake about 1t. It was
souvenir dam0ur.
Twelve dollars q bottle" sighed
Susan to herself. And then she fell to
thinking Of what might have been.
She pressed back the sod under the
Eilac bushes, carefully folded the
m0ldy bottle III q handkerchief and re-
sumed her seat. She was really in Z
most unusual mood. In the magic
aroma Of that scent came rushing back
sentiments and illusions that she had
long forgotten. The sensible. perfectly
contented Susan went and. In her
place came Susan that was not en-.
tirely satisfied With the prosaic role Of
being Susan Beverly. and playing or
golf tournaments.
The truth was that Susan was being
tormented by return Of the only sen.
timent approaching love that had ever
marred the serene contentment Of her
existence: and the fact that she had
successfully put 1t from her for FIVE
years--ever since she buried that bot
tie Of magic sweetness-did not make
It any the less keen now that 1t re-
turned with the sweet scent. She was
thinking Of Tom Canton. She won
dered whether they would ever meet
again. Surely he must sometimes re-
turn to his home town and sometimes
he must think Of the hours under the
lilac bushes that spring time five years
ago. But then. why should hep Susan
herself had succeeded in putting away
those thoughts and he was no less sem
slble than she.
There was a sound along the gravel
walk and Susan looked up to see Tom.
She passed her hand across her eyes.
It occurred to her at first that this
vision was but the final and most tor
menting effect Of the magic perfume.
But when she heard his voice calling
her by name she knew that 1t was re-
atty.
He called her Susan with all the ease
Of five years before, and Susan sat
there on the long chair with Tom be-
side her just as they had sat five years
before on little rustic bench that had
since been demolished. First they
talked Of generalities, the weather, the
war and mutual friends. Then the con-
versation drifted back to the key in
which 1t had been pitched on evenings
like this five years before. The five
years that had gone between seemed
as but q day gone by and sensible
thirty-year-old Susan found her mus
cular, athletic hands held In Toms
with as complete surrender as in the
days when they had played Off fewer
golf tournaments and were perhaps
a little softer. Then--it was no more
Toms fault than Susan's, and surely
not Susan's in the least-Susan's head
. leaned on Toms shoulder and there
were some stammered monosyllablet
about love, and, on first regaining &
sensible way Of looking at things Su
, san wondered whether 1t all meant
that they were engaged again.
: 1T has all come so quickly" she
told him. II thought If 1t ever did
come there would be SO much explain
Ing and 1t would be 80 hard for us
both to get back into the old mood
again. You see, with me 1t came
about this way. I CHANGED to get
whiff of perfume like a bottle that
you once sent me, five years ago. ! am
afraid I didn't realize then that you
really cared for me. After we had
that misunderstanding returned the
letters and the gifts, but this perfume
well, I didn't want to throw 1t away.
That would have seemed sacrllege.
and I couldn't bear to use It because
you had given 1t to me, and It remind
ed me of you. So I buried It here un-
der the lilac hedge, And today came
out here and, just ont Of curiosity, I
dug 1t up again. There was little
left, and it's the magic Of that perfume
that has brought back all the old feel
ings."
Susan took the undiscovered bottle
from the handkerchief and rev forth
the cork to let escape breath Of the
sweet perfume.
"That perfume seemed to me then
to express your personality perfectly"
Tom said. "That's why / bought 1t for
you. And you used to use 1t sometimes
and--well, 1t had the same effect that
the perfume of woman man loves
always does. It was intoxicating. And
then you lost interest and never
came across that perfume again-ex-
cept In my imaglnation--it's painful
how the memory Of perfume will
haunt you--till today. Today on Main
street some one must have spilled
some. Anyway, got Whit Of 1t and
that was all I needed. It brought the
old longing back again and Just had
to see you" n
And as Susanwllowed her two hands
to be clasped eagerly in Toms she
was trying to work out plan whereby
the little salesgirl who had spilled the
precious perfume might be reimbursed