Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1901-02-21

the table and was looking with deep
interest into the speakers face.
''It sounds like an Elizabethan ro-
nance, or chapter from Don Caesar
de Bazan.' 1 am approaching par"
And then he added gravely: "You
have not forgotten that my mother
and yours were somehow cousins,
and"
81 have not. Nor have forgotten
that friends name and honor are
sacred whether he is or is not of
Kindred blood. And I have not for
gotten that the woman herself--this
woman of whom ] speak confers an
honor with her blind trust There
has been my chief difficulty, Dick.
In these days it is hard to find O
man into whose hands you may place
a young woman and say to her: Trust
him Implicitly" Somers smiled
slightly.
'My dear fellow, don't you see that
it is you whom the woman will trust
in this instance, not me? am only
to vindicate you"
"Then you CONSENT"
"Why, of course! / have no ties to
hinder me; and 1 shall never marry
with any serious intentions. AS you
know, my life chance passed from me
when ! laid down my commission in
the army to become wanderer. |
am here to-day to sign for a small
share in some property of my grand
mothers, and tomorrow | shall be
off again. / do not think / will be
Inconvenience much by the fact that
shall leave bride in Richmond
whom l have never seen nor am apt
to see; and since it helps you and
your friend, why, 1 Gam positively
happy over the affair. Fact is, Frank,
l am about up to par in this matter
now"
''You make me happy, Dick. True
as steel always, but always-always-
I wish, old fellow, l might find the
missing note in your life"
Satisfy my ambition, Frank, and
you have found it. My people were
of the army and navy. You remem-
Der Somers in Tripoli, and-but this
Is idle. When that damnable villain
Holbin tempted me to embroil myself
with the authorities in an act of in
subordination the world was rose
ate-''
"Holbdn-R Raymond Holbin?"
why, yes. Had you forgotten the
circumstances? used to rage over
it enough in Paris, God knows. Pass
the matches, please" Brodnar passed
them and moved quickly TO the rear
of the speaker, lifting his right hand
in excitement, his features working
convulsively. ut did not help mat
tiers that they cashiered him for ras-
calty and pusillanimity, for they had
let me resign, and my application for
reinstatement lies Enacted upon still.
Frank, there is the open grave in my
life, and the missing note is silent
within it." He wheeled his chair
about and looked up into his friends
face. "You would help it if you could,
know; and bless you, my boy, for
your sympathy. What was it you
wanted me to do? Oh. yes, the mar
riage. Let us get back to that Am
to make a toilet? But of course
You will do as you are. 1t will be
in the dark. But, Dick, at this mo-
ment, for the first time, the frll ex-
| tent of your friendship dawns upon
me and L see the generous heart beat.
ing away so faithfully in my behalf
Dick, there was a woman in the af.
fair between you and Holbin; you
have never told me of her and
don't ask you now, but if there is q
sacrifice in this for you it is not toe
late"
Sacrifice? Lead on! / am in the
hands of my friends. I am not the
first to leap blindfolded into the sea
of matrimony nor shall be the last
Life is a cycle and fools beget fools
Besides, ! have in my religion some
of the fatalism of the east: That
which comes to us without our seeking
and seemeth right to do, is generally
the right thing to do. The falling
cocoanut that breaks the sleeping
robbers head feeds the starving pill
| grim"
'Well said And in this adventure
my friend, I take it that you arr
| the cocoanut. I am old-fashionet
enough to believe in God, and will
His help you may break a villains
head indeed"
"But I shall be satisfied if my owl
isn't broken. BY the way, my wifi,
should understand that if this ugly
rupture between the south and nortl
involves blows, she may hear of he
husband bearing arms against her"
"Fiddlesticks! There has beer
more blood shed in my back offic,
than you will see spilled between tn,
north and south. The people on tn,
streets and up yonder in the capito
are temporarily insane. 1t will ent
in wind-my name for oratory.
Cheers in the street below, followe,
by the discharge of cannon, shool
the windows. A boy rushed past
crying an extra.
'What does he say?" asked Somers
as Brodnar, who stood near the win
dow, lifted his face