Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1899-12-21
CHAPTER XIII.
HE MAKES LOVE.

CHAPTER XIII.
HE MAKES LOVE.
"Here,' said Tant' Sannie to her
Hottentot maid, 81 have been in this
house four years and never been up
in the loft. Fatter women than go
up ladders. will go up today and
see what it is like and put 1t to rights
up there. You bring the little ladder
and stand at the bottom"
There's one would be sorry If you
were to full" said the Hottentot maid,
leering at Bonaparte's pipe, that lay
on the table.
Hold your tongue, jade" said her
mistress, trying to conceal pleased
smile, land go and fetch the ladder"
There was a never used trapdoor at
one end of the sitting room. This the
Hottentot maid pushed open, and, set
ting the ladder against it, the Boer
woman with some danger and diff
Guilty climbed into the loft. Then the
Hottentot maid took the ladder away,
as her husband was mending the
wagon house and needed it, but the
trapdoor was left open.
For little while Tant' Sannie poked
about among the empty bottles and
skins and looked at the bag of peaches
that Waldo was supposed to have liked
SO. Then she sat down near the trap
door beside barrel of salt mutton.
She found that the pieces of meat We're
much too large and took out her clasp
knife to divide them.
This was always the way when one
left things to servants, she grumbled
to herself, but when once she was mar
ried to her husband Bonaparte it would
not matter whether a sheep spoiled or
no-when once his rich aunt with the
dropsy was dead. She smiled as She
dived her hand into the pickle water.
At that instant her niece entered the
room below, closely followed by Bona
parte, with his head on one side, smil-
ing mnwkishly. Had Tant Sannie
spoken at that moment the life Of
Bonaparte Blenkins would have run a
wholly different course. AS it was, she
remained silent, and neither noticed
the open trapdoor above their heads.
"Sit there, my love-" said Bona
parte, motioning Trana into her aunt's
elbow chair and drawing another close
up in front of it. in which he seated
himself. "There; put your feet upon
the stove too. Your aunt las gone out
somewhere. Long have waited for
this auspicious eyenty'
Trana, who understood not one word
of English, sat down in the chair and
wondered If this was one of the strange
customs of other lands-that an old
gentleman may bring his. chair up to
yours and sit with his knees touching
you. She had been five days in Bona
parties company and feared the old
man and disliled his nose.
"How long have desired this mo-
ment!' said Bonaparte But that
aged relative of thine is always casting
her unhallowed shadow upon US. Look
into my eyes, Trana."
Bonaparte knew that she colnprc-
hended not a syllable, but he under.
stood that it is the eye, the tone. the
action, and not at all the rational word,
that touches the love chords. He saw
she changed color.
"4All night said Bonaparte. 81 lie
awake. see naught but thy angelic
countenance. open my arms to re-
ceive thee. Where art thou, where?
Thou art not therew said Bonaparte.
suiting the action to the words and
spreading out his arms and drawing
them to his breast.
"Oh. please. don't understand" said
Trana. II want to go away"
Yes. yes" said Eonaparte, leaning
back In his chair, to her great relief,
and pressing his hands on his heart,
"since first thy amethystine counte-
nance was impressed here. what have
not suffered. what have i not felt? Oh,
the pangs unspoken, burning as an ar
dent coal In a fiery and uncontaminat-
ed bosom" said Bonaparte, bending
forward again.s
Z Dear Lord" said Trana to herself,
''how foolish I have been! The old
man has pain In his stomach, and
now. as my aunt Is out, he has come to
iue " uelp ulll.ie
She smiled kindly at Bonaparte and,
pushing past him, went to the bedroom,
quickly returning with bottle of red
drops in her;ha
'9They are very good for 'benaauwd-
heit.' My mother always drinks them"
she said, holding the bottle out.
The face in the trapdoor was a fiery
red. Like tiger cat ready to spring,
Pant Sannie crouched, with the shout
der of mutton in her hand Exactly
beneath her stood Bonaparte. She rose
and clasped with both arms the barrel
of salt meat.
"What, rose of the desert, nightin-
gale Of tie colony, that with thine
amorous lay whilest the lonesome
night| cried Bonaparte, Selling the
hand that held the ''yonlicense." Nay,
struggle not! Fly US stricken fawp
into the arms that would embrace thee.
thou
|. Here a stream of cold pickle water,
heavy with ribs and shoulders, de-
scending on his head abruptly ter
minated his speech. Half blinded, Bona
parte looked UP through the drops that
hung from his eyelids and saw the red