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


she likes; if she isn't, it won't matter"
There was presently no doubt about
her being in love with him. She was
frank in most things, was Miss Porter.
+ There was but one matter in which she
could bring herself to dissemble, and
only then because Calverley impressed
the great necessity for it upon her.
He explained that though he loved her
to madness and must marry her, there
were sometimes reasons which Amer
leans could not understand why it was
best for Englishmen who were friends
of the prince, and SO very well connect
ed as he was, to keep their marriages
secret for time.
The girl from the French convent
might have seen through that. But
Miss Porter believed it. Anyway, the
notion of an elopement rather appealed
to her Californian love of the pictur-
esque. Upon the day set she went over
across the bay with a light heart and
made her way to the sequestered spot
to the church. He was not there. She
waited, but he did not come.
At sunset she recrossed the bay
alone, a sadder but not yet wiser girl.
Such was her judgment and knowledge
of the world that she thought Calverley
must have met with some horrible &C.
cident.
A note which she found at the house
explained otherwise. 1t was all about
circumstances over which he had no
control. and sudden financial reverses,
and how he should always love-her and
cherish her memory. Miss Porter be-
lieved it. And her heart was broken
really broken. She even went SO far
as to be desperately i'll for six weeks.
AT the end of which time she came
forth again, pale, subdued and wilted,
but with mistaken faith in Calverley.
The faith remained mistaken
through long months of silence, ST.
lence so profound that she thought it
must be Of the grave, and decided that
he had probably killed himself. But
one day that happened which filled her
constant heart with hope once more.
ST say" man said to her, casually,
II saw your friend, ClaytonJCalverley,
down south the other day"
Miss Porter turned white, after the
most approved fashion of the shilling
shocker, and clutched at her throat.
The man very naturally wondered what
the deuce he had gotten into, anyway,
and explained, in answer to her hoarse
arfr hot no I,l ~,
burg on business and had met the Brit
Usher in tho street.
Miss Porter asked if he lived there.
Give it up. I didn't speak to him
and he didn't see me. Only he doesn't
go by the name of Clayton-Calverley
down there. They call him Myers"
Now, she was young woman who
had always done exactly as she pleased
without asking anyone's leave-fre-
quently for the excellent reason that
there was no one about OF whom to ask
it. Such was atpresent the case. Judge
Porter was away, to be gone indefinite
". So she packed her own bag and
bought her own ticket, and took that
nights express for the south, and in
due time the stage set her down in the
town of Rapdsburg, where her appear
ance-although she was gowned with
what had seemed shabby simplicity in
San Francisco caused considerable
excitement and some little levity.
The hotel man was very civil, how
ever, when she asked where she could
find man named Myers. He took her
out into the street and pointed out a
small, implanted house some distance
away. THAT there's his shack" he
told her, with distinct note Of in
quiry in his voice, which she chose to
ignore; "but he's on day shift, and he
won't come up until six O'Clock"
So she went to her room and threw
herself on the bunk and waited until
six o'clock. 1t began to be borne in
upon her that she had done decidedly
bold thing even for her, and the way
out of it was not altogether apparent.
But then Calverley would show her
that; and at six o'clock she went in
search OF him.
Il was very much Of shack, indeed,
his place of abode. Her soul yearned
toward him, that she should have lived
in luxury all these months, the while
his fortunes had been so low as this.
1t was also very untidy woman who
opened the shaky door in answer to her
not too confident knock; an untidy
woman and wearyIooking, but pretty
withai, and young. And the two chill
dren who chung to her skirt were pref
ty, also. There was third child 1t
was sitting on Calverley's knee before
red-covered supper table, and Calver-
ley was feeding it something. He sat
with the spoon poised, and blank look
in his eyes.
"A terrible misgiving took hold Of Miss
Porter. With most women it would
have been a certainty. "Giles!" she
walled, losing all presence Of mind.
But he kept his. 1t was not the first
trying situation he had lived through,
though it was, perhaps, the most so.
he rose from his chair and spilled the
child. His voice rose above its injured