Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1900-03-01

AS for Olivia, she was always vivid.
One must needs have shorn her yellow
name and robbed her laughing lips of
their cherry ripe redness and her eyes
of the sparkle that made one think Of
sunlight on dancing waters to have re-
duced her to that somberness of aspect
considered the fitting thing for such
occasions. OF course they were on their
way to the Hail.
Seeing they were going to stop, Miss
Malvina opened her front gate and adj
vanced as far as the horse block, talk
ing as she went.
Good morning to you both. My, but
don't the sun shine Just too bright to-
day! was on the lookout for somebody
to tell me-something,' she concluded
vaguely.
I'VE are on our way to the. Hall
now said Olivia, utilizing the halt to
fling her yellow name back over her
shoulders Reuben, stupid old thing,
broke papa's buggy last night. and SO
l had to bring him over" She leaned
back, laughing, to give Miss Malvina a
better view of her companions Poor
darling! The phaeton does not fit him
very well, does it?"
II stopped" said the lawyer, with
unsmiling dignity, to ask if by chance
you discovered any papers near your
gate this morning."
''Papers?"
Eyes, in long official envelope, I'M
addressed. thought they might have
fallen out of my bag last night when
it struck the ground"
Miss Malvina gazed speculatively
over an area Of several rods of leaf
strewn earth. THE bag certainly was
open, for distinctly remember clasp
Ing it as picked it up, but if any pa
pers fell out didn't see them then,
and the hard wind that blew last night
would have carried them away by this
time"
Mr.. Matthews had got out of the
phaetOn and was going slowly over
the ground with his head bent. He
stirred the leaf heap with his umbrella
as he searched.
sit is possible that did not bring
them away from Broxton Hall, but
barely possible"
A sow with large family of new
born pigs was contentedly reposing on
the autumn leaves that filled the near
est fence corner. The lawyer prodded
her mercilessly with the ferrule of his
umbrella. She got up with an indig-
nant grunt and waddled sullenly
across the road, followed by her
squealing progeny. But nothing came
of her ejectment. There. was only an
innocent pile Of autumn leaves pressed
into compact mass under her bulky
body
On all occasions Miss Olivia Mat
! thews' patience was easily exhausted
| 1t gave way with explosive sudden
1 ness
| "Oh, papa come. on! You will find
those stupid papers in Mr.. Broxton's
study. just where you left them. /
am sure of it, ,
Perhaps so. my dear. 1t is posi-
BILE, but by no means sure. am COM
ing. One moment longer, if you please,
my dear"
A hollow stump near by suggested
a possible lurking place. He walked
briskly toward it. Ollie was getting
impatient. That spurred his steps. He
was Ollie's abject slave. He came
back to the phaeton empty handed.
81 do hope" said Miss Malvina, in
discreetly anxious, that it is nothing
of importance to Tom Broxton that is
lost"
The lawyer was climbing back into
the phaeton. He carefully adjusted his
superfluous length to its requirements
| and drew the gay lap robe over his
long legs before noticing this imperti
nent hope" He looked stonily al
Miss Malvina over Ollie's golden head
| to say coldly: Your anxiety is natural