Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1900-03-15
Matthews changed the subject

Matthews changed the subject
abruptly.
"Your judgment in the matter Of
cigars, Thomas, defies criticism. This
is superfine."
He took the cigar from between his
lips, gazed reflectively at its cohesive
white ash, flicked it free with his fn-t
ger and gazed m%editatively at the, cell
ing.
Tom gave a thoughtful twist to the
soft brown fringe that clothed his up
per lip with promises and changed the
position Of his long legs restlessly.
Was this premature display of pa
rental hostility meant for his especial
benefit? He smiled at the futility of it.
Did this ogre Of a papa think he could
give the world one glimpse of his ra-
diant child and then shut her up in his
own ravished heart forever? He frcwn-
ed at the daring Of 1t.
A vision of the future was already
shaping Nself in the boys active Dra1n,
a vision which comported so perfectly
with what he called "the' common sense
of the situation" that this valiant show
of opposition on the part of the a
he lad selected as a father-in-law had
the effect of q slap on his cheek. Tom
was not yet schooled in the wisdom Of
cheek turning. He would bide his time,
he said to himself, but he would not be
deferred from asking Olivia Matthews
to marry him, when that time came,
by all the fathers in the universe. Com
mon sense dictated waiting, and Tom
never turned a deaf ear to common
sense.
His vision had come to him unbid-
den, but now that it had come he hug
ged it close with defiant tightness. The
frowning front his guardian showed
could not affect it in the least.
1t had come to him first in the little
pavilion under the sycamores, where
he had made one of four happy young
things who ate ices, wasted cake and
talked the most delicious nonsense
with an abiding conviction Of profun-
dfty. 1t was there and then that lie
had drunk in Ollie's loneliness from
the crown Of her pretty head to the
dimpling sweetness Of her mouth, with
its ready smiles.
Ollie had been one of the four, the
chiefest, the only one of tie slightest
Importance. A Miss Westover Geanne,
he believed Ollie had called herr and a
Mr.. Westover Clarence, he believed
his sister had called him) made up the
quartet.
The Westoyers were of no more val
ue to Toms vision than the daubs Of
green and brown paint the artist filings
in for a background to his portrait of
a lady.
1t was the portrait Of his lady, the
daintiest, sweetest bit of womankind
that artist ever limned or lover mooned
over, that filled in all the foreground
OF Toms yision-no nebulous fancy
ings, with neither beginning nor end,
sense nor substance; a vision quite
perfect in all it's essential ro%undings, a
vision which cast a rosy glow over all
the yelled "to come" and made him
feel as if he had been taking great
drafts Of some new, strange. intoxi-
cant. 1t was the probable made posi-
tive, the fitting final. But he would
wait.
When he got through with books and
college and came home to study law
under his guardian, it would be time
to look at his lovely vision in detail.
No danger Of its fading from memory.
He was placidly sure he should never
see anything prettier, sweeter or more
entirely to be desired than Olivia Mat
II thawC a Sha N-pS g tt,n nN,r, a,.e%D,,1 80 bs1
vision. He did not propose to be in
any clumsy haste about asking her to
be his wife. She was too young, and so
was he. He was glad his youth was the
most serious impeachment. Some fell
lows had to labor so hard before dar-
ing to speak Of love tt their chosen
ones. Tor the first time in his life he
rejoiced in the possession of great
riches. 3
"For your sake, little one, all for
you! You looked regal in your jewels
tonight. You shall have every desire
of your heart, Ollie, miner
He ap%ostrophized his new found love
fervently and mutely while he was
holding out the cigar box to her father.
His beautiful vision had come to him
entirely unbidden. When he obeyed
Oliyia's urgent telegram 'to come,' it
was solely with the good natured mo-
tive Of entirely sanctioning the free
use Of his house and all that ii, con-
tanned. The little girl wrote that. she
would be much better satisfied if he
shared the responsibility of welcoming
her friends to Broxton Hall. That her
father was not in entire accord with
this sentiment Tom was just finding
out. But even Ollie's father was.only
a bit Of the necessary background
daubed into Toms portrait of a lady.
While the lawyer talked lugubriously
Of the depreciation of property in and
around Vaudeville Tom smoked and
unused. When he had mastered a pro
fession and was actually a lawyer in
his OWL right, he should turn his atten.
ton toward making Broxton Hall very
beautiful. Ollie had said the wall pa
Derinp was too dark and so GLOOMY. II