Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1900-04-24

She reflected with pleasure that the
sideboard would keep Morton in his
rooms. Indeed there was not much
danger of his going out She knew his
habits and HAD counted upon them in
coming there. The young man was a
writer of stories, and the forenoon was
his principal work time. From o'clock
till l, us he had told her, he was nearly
always chained to his writing desk.
The young lady ran down the second
fight Of stairs, and just at the bottom
of them she became aware of famil-
lar voice below. 1t was the voice of
Mrs. Leland Powers, a person of great
social consequence and one whose good
opinion Miss Weld greatly valued.
Il can't let her see me here" cried
the girl. "Why she's here herself heav-
en- knows, and it's none Of my business.
But she simply mustn't see me-"
She ran nimbly up the stairs again.
The rear hall was still barred, but the
man whom she feared was no longer
visible. She stood looking over the ban
lister railing until she saw Mrs. Powers
OA luS SCCOAO AlSAIp lACa SuC luSllGu
to the third.
"She must stop somewhere" said Miss
Weld to herself. 81 will keep ahead Of
her if go to the roof
But, glancing up the third fight, she
saw, standing at the head of it, Mr..
Graham Douglass and Mr.. BERTHE Hol-
, lis, both well known to her and the lat
ter farfamed as bearer of tales. 1t
was simply impossible to meet them.
Far rather would she face Mrs. Pow
ers, who at least might be silent about
the encounter.
The girl was leaning upon the BAN
lister rather Imply when Mrs. Powers
reached the top of the stairs The ma
tron seemed not in the least surprised.
Good morning, ANY, she said.
"These stairs are perfectly dreadful,
aren't they|
And she passed on. Amy had no time
to wonder at this calm and convention
al greeting. Her business was to get
out Of that building at the earliest pos
sible moment. Again she essayed fight,
only to be halted by the horrifying
spectacle of Mrs. Warner Burton and
the two Hayes girls in the hall below.
Dollie Hayes was sitting on the second
step of the stairs, and the others were
standing before her.
TO be seen by those people was sim
ply impossible. The fact that she had
called upon Mr.. Morton might better be
published In the newspapers with pic
lures.
Amy lodged back just in time to es-
cape being seen, and in doing so she
came into collision with the janitor's
assistant, Edward.
''Will you please see if Mr.. Morton is
in?" she whispered.
mo, ma'am; he amt in," replied the
black man in an equally cautious tone
'but he'll be right back, and if yoh'd
like to wait in his room I'll let yoh in'
| "But how can get by that thing?"
she said, pointing to the sideboard.
AS she turned to do SO she encoun-
tered the gaze of it's owner, Mr.. James
| Ormund, who had exchanged his bath
robe for an artists yelveteen jacket
and seemed otherwise to be sufficiently
clothed, though only his shoulders and
head We're visible. He was leaning over
the lower part of the sideboard, some
what in the attitude of one Of Rapha-
els cherubs.
II dunno" said the colored person,
'but pears to Inc yoh might climb ODER
wild cheer
| Quite possible, quite possible" said
Mr.. Ormund "Good morning, Miss
Weld! Just wait a moment, and I'll
get chair-two chairs, in fact"
He ran into his parlor and reappear-
ed with the necessary furniture. One of
the chairs he passed across to Edward,
xMa