The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1919-03-29

nlac bushes, carefully f0ioed us
rnoldy bottle in q handkerchief ana -
eumed her seat. She was really NJ
most unusual mood. In the mays
aroma Of that scent came rushing bae.
sentiments and illusions that me n.o
long sorsotten. me sendbiN perfscuy
eootestsd susan went and, IN ~
ulscs eame Z Susan that was nor o.
urely satisfied with the prusaie roe 9
being Susan Beverly. and playing %
rolf tournaments.
n Truth was hat Susan was beng
tsrmented By q return Of The only senr
ffment approaching love that had svse
marfcd me serene coutentment OF DC!
existence: and the fact that shs had
successfully put It from her TOR NE
yesry--ever since she buried that Dot
tie oe magic sweetness not MAKE
it any the less keen new that It r.
turned with the sweet scent She vas
| thinking Of Tom Canton. She won.
dsred whether they would ever meet
again. Surely he must sometimes ~
turn TO his home town and sometimes
he must think Of the hours under tho
lilac bushes that spring time five years
ago. But then, why should he1 Susan
herself had succeeded In putting away
those thoughts and he was no less SEN
sible than she.
There was 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-
ality.
| He called her Susan with all the ease
Of 1--WE 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 a 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
q 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 monosyllables
|, about love, and, on first regaining q
! sensible way Of looking at things, Su
.. san wondered whether It all meant
, that they were engaged again.
ut has all come SO quickly" sht
. told him. II thought II 1t ever die
: come there would be so much explain
I ing and 1t would be 30 hard for vi
! both to get back into the old moot
!. again. You see, with me It CAM
J about this way. CHANGED to get
: whiff Of perfume like q bottle tina
you once sent me. Ave years ago. i an
: afraid I didn't realize then that yo'
|. really cared for me. After we ha'
that misunderstanding ! returned tn
. letters and the gifts. but this perfum
! well, ! didn't want to throw It ava,
! That would have seemed sacrileg,
y and couldn't bear to use It becaus
: you had given It to me, and It remint
|. ed me Of you. So buried It here NJ
!. der the lilac hedge. And today I cam
= out here and. just ont Of curiosity.
y dug 1t up again. There was a littl
y. . left, and It's the magic Of that perfun
= that has brought back all the old fee
:. ings,"
!. Susan took the moid-covered bott
,, from the handkerchief and rev fort
:" the cork to let escape q breath OF u
sweet perfume.
=. sThat perfume seemed TO me the
~ TO express your personality perfectly
10 Tom said. 'aThat's why bought It +
~ you. And you used to use 1t sometim
% and--weil. 1t had the same effect tn
no the perfume of woman man low
=, always does. It was intoxicating. Al
10 then you lost interest and ! new
au came across that perfume again--e
" cept In my imagination--it's paint
a'' how the memory Of a perfume W
on haunt you-till today. Today on Ma
street some one must have spill
80 some. Anyway. I got a whit of It a
i.o that was all I needed. II brought (
- - old longing back again and ] Just b
~ to see you"
ct And as Susan allowed her two har
to be clasped eagerly In Toms 6
..s was trying to work out plan where
70, the little salesgirl who had spilled
'a precious perfume might be reimburs
ou for her loss.
nv And It really is strange how thir
happen--for If the little girl had !
90 broken that bottle Susan Beverly Q
~. n Tom Canton never would have b.
is reunited.
---~
woricI's Oenendence ON Coaf