Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1900-07-03
night, and next morning as he looked

| oSLOSo taG campus uc hAG W ludL LAC
woman he loved best was alone with
her grief. He could see the wreath Of
flowers on the door, and it told him at
| once that John Gilbert had passed on,
never more to be yeXed with the strug-
| gle of the life that now is on the
earth.
The week following was one Of the
most trying that Malcolm Kirk ever
knew. The funeral of John Gilbert
was held in the seminary chapel and
| attended by the professors and towns
people generally. Dorothy's aunt was
| with her. Kirk had no opportunity to
see Dorothy and be to her the comfort
he longed to be. 1t was agony to him
after the funeral was over to think
that there across the campus in the
great house was the woman he loved
passing through great sorrow, and he
| had no right to go to her and share
that sorrow with her. He felt as if he
| could not break in on her grief to speak
| even of his love. So the days passed
| restlessly for him, and he tried to work
on his report, but made very little real
1 plOS51CSSs LIZ iuld tllc lulllld luiG Ou
his table and tried to write with the
face looking up at him, but lie made
no progress at all then, and the close
Of the week found him walking his
room in great uncertainty Of heart aud
| mind.
| On Monday the week following he
| was obliged to go down to Boston to
consult some authorities in Settlement
work, and when he came back the
| next day the Gilbert house was closed,
and Dorothy and her aunt had gone to
| Beverly.
1t was the very next day that Kirk
| saw in Boston paper the name Of
Francis Raleigh, arrived few days
before from Liverpool on the Cepha-
lonia. Looking over the columns a
| little farther down, he saw in the To-
cal news from Beverly this statement:
"Mr. Francis Raleigh, the Hermon
artist, recently arrived from a years
study abroad, is the guest OF Mrs. Ar
thur Penrose, sister Of the late John
Gilbert"
That was all, but it reused Malcolm
| Kirk to instant action. lie knew with
all the vigor and intensity of his deep,
honest nature that his love for Dorothy
Gilbert was now the largest part of his
life. He had consecrated his time and
strength to the ministry. He did not
deceive himself. He knew. what such
a conservation meant. He faced, open
eyed, the entire meaning Of q minis
ter's career in a home missionary
| church "out west
But looking at it all through dis.
passionate eyes he said as he walked
his study: "She must choose between
him and me. cannot go to my work
without speaking to her. My love for
her is honest and true, and If God
| grant that she can love me and share
my life with me-
4 lie left the rest unspoken, and. go
I ing back to his desk, he sat down,
trembling little as he put his face in
| his hands and prayed that the hunger
of. his heart might be satisfied. He
had made up his mind to act and act
quickly, and once he had decided on
his course he was free from all doubt
as to its wisdom.
| He took the afternoon train for Bev-
erly and reached the place before dusk.
Mrs. Penrose lived in one Of the hand
| some summer villas near the sea. The
whole place smote Kirk as with q
blow aimed at his poverty. his obscuri-
| ty, his whole future. And yet he said
to himself as he walked up the steps
that there was something in his life
which money and all It's attendant ele-
gance could not buy, and he believed
that Dorothy Gilbert somehow. If she
ever loved any one enough, would feel
the same way toward all the outward
display Of wealth.
| The servant who came in answer to
his ring said that Miss Gilbert had
gone out for walk and had not yet
returned. He at once asked for Mrs.
Penrose. When she came in where
Kirk was standing in the reception
room. she surprised him by greeting
him very warmly by name. He had
merely met her at the time of Mr.. Gill
bert's illness, but not more than once
or twice and then very briefly.
u
She was a woman of great tact, and
she made Kirk feel at ease. She had
not the remotest idea that he was in
love with Dorothy or what was the OBJ
ject Of his call, and in few minutes,
seeing this, he made up his mind what
| to do.
Dorothy is down by the beach with
Mr.. Raleigh. They will be back for
ten. You have met him, Mr.. Kirk? I
would be pleased to have you stay and
take tea with u.s."
"Thank you. shall be glad to do
So" replied Malcolm Kirk promptly.
All the while he was fast arriving at a
determination to tell Mrs. Penrose
what he had come for.
81 believe you met Mr. Raleigh
while you were abroad? He was tell
ing us something about you this morn
ing"
WAS he?" said Malcolm Kirk quiet
! ~. "Yes, met him on the Cepha-
lonia going over. We had several lit
tie visits together. enjoyed them"
| Mrs. Penrose was sitting where she
I