Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1899-12-21

seemed renewed. Gracious and gay and
gentle, uplifted as by some secret news
till her eyes shone bright, she used al
| her powers to please everybody. She
woke the whole place to causeless
sense of festivity. Only Tito, the lead
ing mans pet spaniel, failed to share
/ it. Between two acts May danced q
| fanciful dance on the stage to the mu-
sic of the orchestra, and while his mas
ter stood looking on with Tito in his
arms the littie dog whined dismaliy
May stopped and took him herself, and
Tito went on moaning queerly while he
nestled close and kissed her barred neck
again and again.
What the devil is the matter with
the brute?" said the actor. You're toe
good to him, May. You're letting Inn
lick all your make up off,
Never mind, never mind, little Tito
dear little Tito. Don't dry. Don't cry
So" She kissed the small head and
then said, speaking quickly and coldly;
Take him, Harry, and go and shut
\ him up. His noise will give me nerves
If hear any more of it,
IAN right, but you know he is al.
ways as still as a mouse. don't know
what's struck him." Harry answered
with parental sensitiveness, and Tito
was condemned to the society of d
mental whom he despised. ~
May sent Ellen home before. the last
act and told her to go to bed, she would
want her no more. So 1t was alone
through silent house that she took hei
4 way at last to her own room. Such q
pretty room.
What a happy evening she muir.
INJURED as she entered 1t. How unrea
for the instant seemed all her bitter
stress. She put one hand over her eyes
as she stood there with her white CLOAK
half falling off and thought. Yes yes
it was real enough. 1t must be al
faced tomorrow rehearsal of the new
piece was called, If she saw tomorrow
but she wouldn't. She Rugged tina,
knowledge anew to save herself from
the wearing treadmill Of reflection an6
triumphed in the peace it brought. On.
ly small things bothered her. She mus
sit down and write one line for Ellen's
sake. She did not want to do that OF
to make any bow of farewell at all. Il
disturbed her to turn her eyes upon the
scenes of life. Frightful fear and pair
lay in wait for her she knew If she al.
lowed her thoughts to range, But Ell.
len-what nuisance Ellen had been 70,
years with her infirmities-and she
must have whatever was left after the
debts were paid. She turned UP the
gas and went to her desk. Standing
there, she wrote on the first sheet thai
came to hand:
Dear Ellen--I want you to have everything o
mine, everything, and to do exactly as you vial
about everything. Additionally.
| MARY DOYLE.
Unnoting, she signed the name shs
had changed when her old Irish mother
died and she left their little squatter'.
shanty to be a chorus girl.
She laid herself in her nightgown OF
the bed, her little silver mounted pisto
in her hand, and then with smile sh,
got up again.
I'm always after bothering meself,'
she whispered in the soft brogue sh,
had lost even as a child. She took {
towel and folded it with scrupuloul
care, returned to bed and placed It will
the same unnatural particularly unde
her gown and beneath her warm whit,
shoulders. She leaned back upon hel
piled up pillows to keep the towel II
place, and, having completed the fulfil,
and bed from stains, with one hand sh,
picked up from the table at her side tn,
pistol and with the. other mechanical,
began to make the sign of the cross
She looked like somnambulist. AZ he
hand touched her breast she gave {
start forward, and seeing look leapet
like flame into her eyes. The pisto
fell noiselessly on the bed as she reach
ed out her hands before her, Rropingly
pleadingly. caressingly. In one instan
she dropped back among her pillows, {
little white huddled heap, and with he
face buried in them began to sob will
free flowing. wet sobs that SOUNDED
like child's. What had happened wa,
strange and not strange. She was in
Estate Of the highest abnormal tension
With the old. familiar. long disused sa
lcred gesture there had come before her
fleeing, but vivid as light in the dark
a vision of her mothers face, the wash
erwoman's old, worn, contented, goot
face. For one flash Of time 1t shon,
close to her. real and loving, and will
the sight May Doyle was hurled away
from her purpose on q tide of feeling a.
If she were straw in stream. Sh,
was not frightened. She took the illu
sion with untroubled Celtic inconsist
ency as a thing both real and unrea
J and as phenomenon gave no though
to it, but she was drowned in shame
With the sharp vision of that dear, hal
forgotten face sense Of her own trivial
J ity and impiety broke like a big wav,
} over her head. The veritabie waters O
the sea rushing in upon her then ant
there could scarce have taken her NOR,
unawares.
Five minutes before no scruples has
touched her, no question of right an,
wrong had been heard through the dill
: OF her miseries, but now the blood :,
her veins reasserted its attachment t,
uplifting ideals and selfiess devotions
And all through the tumult of her feel
ings with a childish reiteration bea
the thought: "She was old, she wa,
old!" And she had not rebelled; sh,
had not even repined! An hour befor,
all of argument that lay in her pres
ent experience could have been put t,
her. and the words would have bee,
but as the wind that blows, but now i
was not words. but old loves, that cam,
home to her, and she was shamed He
tears eased her, and when they wert
spent she turned from all thought O.
the lknntc N hor soft :