Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1900-06-19
to have me swing for what never

AGAIN Mrs. Fanshaw faced Ronafds &
this time she stood between him and
his father. A frightened look of cum
ming lay in her heavy-browed eyes.
"If was you, Rom" she said, hurried
~, I'D go upstairs; he's tuck quar-
notion somehow that you are ag'in i'm, :
an wouldn't aggravate i'm
Glad of an excuse to get away from
the narrowing scene our hero went up
to his room. Presently he heard the
clatter of hob-nailed boots on the porch.
The old man, nj w pacifed, was being led
like dumb animal to his room. Then
all was quiet below. The silence lasted
till he heard Dawes voice outside
speaking through broken window
pane to his mother.
I'm a-goin' to ride fur DOCTOR" he
was saying.
The floor complained of its burden
as Mrs. Fanshaw went out on the porch.
Well she replied, you might as !,
well, j reckon; but wouldn't git Sloan;
he'll charge two prices, an dun us to
death. 1t hain't nothin' but stroke
nohow, an his drugs nor nobody else's
can reach it. It's Jest question O.
time. DIR. Wade will do as we'll as any-
body
Later in the afternoon Ronald had
come down and was sitting before the
fire in the living room. The man had
fallen asleep. watched by Bud Tarbell.
who had sent his cart home and offered
his services according TO the custom
among neighbors in that vicinity. Mrs.
Fanshaw came in and began to look for
g bottle of liniment on the mantel-
piece.
DIR. Wade's jest gone off," she told
Ronald. he says it's the second stroke !,
he's had, an that the next one will
carry i'm off as sure as preachin.. II
was you wouldn't go nigh i'm, Ron,
it's best to humor pussons like he isl
Our hero made no reply. Dave came
from the sick room and stood on the
stone hearth warming his toes at the
flames. Mrs. Fanshaw had found the
bottle for which she was searching, and
turned to go.
He won't last long, she said to
Dave; Seems to me heerd yore pa say
he left off payin' on his life insurance"
Two yeer ago he did, said David,
6espondently. 81 had put good money
of my own into that, thinkin' if he dice.
the insurance would help us buy farm
| Of our own out west, whar Uncle joe
says they are SO cheap, but in that
| hard-time season when all the crops
was burnt pa let it lapse, an it's gone
to the devil
TITS jest our usual luck grumbled
| the old woman; 'some n would 'a',hap-
pened to a-lept all that money from
reachin' us anyhow. We never was
born under good STAR
Ronald looked up. "You needn't let
that bother you, mother" he said, soft
ly. The insurance policy is all right;
attended to it,"
The sudden change in Mrs Fanshaw
was rot alone due to gratified surprise.
Ronald thought he had never seen her
look at him quite so strangely. She
started to say something, which seemed
to have rushed impulsively to her
tongue, and then she shook her shoul-
ders, closed her lips tightly and leftthe
| room.
| Dave laughed. "She certainly acts
| peculiar to-day" he said. Dang it, pa
does, too, as for that matter. wish you
| could heerd i'm rant about you Jest
now. He thinks you've got old Reddin'
an twenty other lawyers on his track
! about somen."
To this observation our hero made
| no response.
| CHAPTER XIX.
| The next stroke, two days later, si-
fenced Jade Fanshaw's tongue forever.
| 1t fell at dawn, just as a big red rooster
! under the house crowed and tapped his
wings. Dave came upstairs and shook
his brother, who had fallen asleep only
about an hour before. 81
WELL" he said, ''the old man has
handed in his checks. Geewhilikins,
Ron, I'm beginnin' to think I've run my
blasted head into secret OF ma an
pas that they've kept from us fur over
a quarter of century. AL night long,
an up to the time he tuck his last suck
of air the old man talked of nothin'
else but you-you-you, an some dead
| SOLDIER
He seems to imagine" Ronald be.
gan. but Dave interrupted him.
Imagine dogs hind foot!" he blurt.
ed out. 'Thar's some'n behind all them
hints an threats that have been passins
betWixt ma an pa sence I was knee
| high to bow-legged duck, an have,
ut this late day, jest got my fust whiff
Of u dead mouse. You don't have to
knock me down with a load o. mill
rocks as general thing; can see
inch fore my eyes, eff T am cross-eyed.
The old man kept runnin' on last night
about baby an its dead daddy; an
ma kept tryin' to keep me from under.
standin till she fell asleep out o pure
WEAKNESS of the brain an then. tho
truth begun to creep into my noggin.
Ron, never did think you was q bit
Like the rest of us. an now I'm sure
you don't belong to this litter
Ronald sat up on the edge OF his bed,
as white as death could have made
him.