Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1900-07-31

hardly be said to be spectacle when
there are none to see. It's my own
foolishness, and no one will ever know.
anything about it."
Two weeks later Erard Allen said I'd
| her:
II love you dearly, Lillian; have
asked your mothers permission TO
speak to you, and she is quite wiling
| "Oh, yes" said the girl, with some biti
terness, 81 know she is entirely will
ing"
"And are you? Are you willing to be-
come my wife?"
"Why not?'' responded the girl,
sharply, and the lover had to make the
most he could of that ungracious ae-
| ceptance.
Mrs. Erard Allen came to be known
as brilliant and successful woman.
Her beauty, her wealth, her gracious
ness of manner, her hearty friendliness.
andher intelligencewona distinguished
| place for her.
"What different woman Lillian id
from what she might have been if she
| had married that poor Dick Under
| wood" Aunt Lucy Favorsham re-
marked at frequent intervals, and
Lilian's mother acquiesced. They had
however, some complaint to make, in
| spite of their freely-spoken admiras
| ton.
Lillian never comes to sit with u.s."
they said to one another. eff we go to
| her house she is always surrounded by
| others. We are invited there to dinner
or to tea. She never appoints time
| to be alone with us. Do you remember,
what pride she used to take in making
little gifts for us: Now she buys things
ready-made and sends them up. Ii
sometimes seems as if she had forgot1
ten us, doesn't it ?' !
The woman they spoke of knew many
mental vicissitudes, but she conf1ded
them to none. She had her temptations
for she was beautiful, and men
guessed that she did not love her hus1
band-but she conquered them. She
became a student, and knew the deepa
| of intellectual JOY. She bore and lost
two children and soundedsorrow. And
at last her husband died and left her q
widow.
well, there's one comfort" com.
mented the mother; shes got enough
to keep her in perfect comfort to the
last Of her days"
While she was congratulating herself
in this fashion her daughter was max.
ing over to others the fortune which
had been left her.. A part OF it went to
an old aunt of her husbands; moro
went to certain large families remote1
ly connected by marriage with HERSELF
Some went for q creche, some for fred
kindergarten. Then, clad in an illliti
ting blue frock, old fashioned and
frowsy, she presented herself one day
at the door Of certain poor man.
"Dick," she said, II have been widow
for two years, and have waited for you
to come for me, but you did not. II
Lillian! Have mercy. I have resist1
ed the temptation twenty times each
day. I am almost as poor as I ever
was"
'I've come in the little blue dress 4
made, Dick, It'll do nicely. for we'd
ding dress, Tiff you think--if ypd
think wedding dress is needed" 4.
He was increduIous.
"It is a fantastic dream he said. ED
cannot be true that, after the mockeru
of endless dreams which faded AZ 3
grasped them, you are here, in tho
flesh \.
She threw OFF her hat and. clasped hsZ
hands upon the table before her.
"Look at me, Dick" she commanded
"see how my eyes say: T love YOU
They look with perfect frankness and
naturalness for the first time in many
many years. For the first time the
tones of my voice seem to ring true td
my ears. For the first time feel hon1
est with myself. This is me-this
woman who says: I love you, Dick.1
OF course, if you like, you can send md
away. But I'm SO poor now, andl-'a
She pretended to look melancholy.
"It must be dream" he murmured
still But there is no harm in embrac.
ing dream, SO 1t be kindly one, and
he embraced this dream tenderly, with
many brokon words, with tears which
would not fall, with all the starved
hearts unutterable hunger.--Chicago
Tribune.