Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1900-05-22

y l.
that he was not wearing his togs to-
day."
Capt. Wrinkle seemed to have lost his
speech. And the colonel, fearing that
his daughter had inadvertently made
disagreeable comparison, frowned up
at her.
what are you talking about, Eve
lyn?" he asked sharply.
'sOh, only a little story / have read"
she said, coldly. 81 shall try to look it
up. 1t had a beautiful moral"
With that parting shot at the COVER
ing victim of his own folly, she drew
Mrs. Lancaster again out on the We
randa.
why, dear, you have almost fright
ened me-" said Mrs. Lancaster, under
her breath. What did you mean by
what you said?"
II meant to cut the very soul of that
little coward, if he has one the girl
said, fiercely. II almost feel as if I
ought to have exposed him to the others
before whom he was posing as brave
man when he is no more than
Evelyn had been speaking SO rapid
ly that her words ran upon one another
and became jumbled, unintelligible
mass.
Mrs. Lancaster turned Evelyn's
white, impassioned face towards the
light of the moon and grasped her rigid
hands. "You almost brighten me, dar-
ling" she repeated; what has wrought
you up to such pitch of excitement?"
II think ought to tell you all about
it, answered Evelyn, after moments
elaboration, "but it must be in conf
dence."
you can trust me. DEAR" the sweet
old lady assured her.
They sat down in hammock and
Evelyn kept it in motion with her slip
pered feet as they rested lightly on the
floor.
DO you remember the young man Z
showed yon at church that day?'
"The one" questioned Mrs. Lam
caster, who you said had saved your
iife?"
eyes; do you remember him."
quite we'll; his face made wonder
fui impression on me, and have
thought of him a hundred times after
all you told me of his struggle to bet
ter his condition and educate himself.
l don't think l ever saw finer speci-
men of physical manhood; he had SUI
perb face. Were you alluding to him ?"
Then in a low voice full of agitation
Evelyn explained.
For several minutes after tle girl
had finished the old lady remained
silent, then she asked gently, cautious
ly. as if she were treading on ground
upon which she had not been invited:
DO you realize what all this means,
dear Eyelyn?"
II realize that Mr.. Fanshaw is a
friend of mine, and that Capt. Wrinkle
has tried to humiliate him in public"
Il did not mean exactly that" the
widow corrected, quickly. st is your
own danger that am thinking about"
my danger?" Evelyn emphasized the
first word.
Yes, you see it is difficult for young
girl to be wholly in sympathy with
such noble, suffering character as this
Mr.. Fanshaw without running a risk
OF becoming dangerously interested.
Young glls are prone to care for what
is withheld from them, and you may
not be an exception to the rule. You
ought to keep the fact always before
you that nothing but disaster could
come from an alliance with one so far
beneath you, at least in point of birth;
you see what / mean.''
Evelyn drew herself up stiffly.
You need have no fears in that d.
rection," she averred. "We have Meth
er of us thought of that"
But" gently persisted the old lady,
you may not even now know your own
heart. | am afraid you could not have
been SO fierce just nav had the captain
been talking about any other man."
81 don't like to think for a moment,
Mrs. Lancaster, that Mr.. Fanshaw is
beneath us in any respect"
"Ah," interrupted the older woman.
that is still another proof of your
peril; you even want to feel that he is
your equal, when, my poor child, all
that you may know him to be mentally,
morally or otherwise cannot make him
so. Remember your fathers pride-the
high standing of your family. 1t would
break his heart, Evelyn"
What would break his hearth" burst
petulantly from the girls lips.
ut would break his heart to refuse
you anything, and yet he could not
consent to your marrying into such a
family as Mr.. Fanshaw's."
Evelyn's face was very white, and in
the moonlightsit looked ghastly.
81 have never dreamt of such q
thing she said, quite truthfully. ST
have thought only of his happiness-I
have only prayed that he might tri-
umph over all the obstacles in his way
to success and happiness"
The negro quarter, consisting OF a
village of about thirty log cabins. lay on