Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1901-07-18

3
Blent. the son living and the mother
dead; that the son must dwell there
and the spirit of the mother be
about him she loved in the spot she
had graced? 1t was very rank 70
nance, indeed-no other word for it
And-wildest paradox-it all came
out of editing Josiah Cholderton'
Journal.
Before he had made any progress
in unraveling his skein of perplexi
ties. he saw jamie coming across the
lawn. She took the chair her fathe,
had left, and seemed to take her faith
er's mood with it; the same oppres
sive silence settled on her. Neeld
broke it this time.
You don't look very merry, Miss
jamie" he said, smiling at her. and
achieving plausible POPULARITY.
why should l, Mr.. Neeld?" She
glanced at him. 20, has father told
you anything?"
Yes, that you are engaged You
know how truly l desire your happi.
ness, my dear" With a pretty cour.
tesy the old man took her. hand and
kissed it, barring his gray, head the
while.
You're very, very kind Yes, I've
promised to marry Harry Tristram.
Not yet, you know. And it isn't to be
announced But I've promised"
He stole look at her, and then
another She did not look merry,
indeed. Neeld knew his ignorance of
feminine things, and made guesses
with proper diffidence, but he certain
ly fancied she had been crying-or
very near it-not SO long ago. Ye-
the daughter of William liver was
sensible, and not given to silly tears.
i think I've done right" she said,
as she had said when she wrote to
Nina. Everybody will be pleased.
Fathers very pleased" Suddenly she
put out her hand and took hold of
his, giving it tight grip. 20, Mr..
Neeld, I've made somebody so unhap-
py."
Il dare say, my dear, l dare say! l
was a young fellow once. | dare say.
And he says nothing about it. He
wished me joy-and he does wish me
joy, too. I've no right to talk to you,
to tell you, or anything. l don't be-
lieve people think girls ever mind
making men unhappy, but they do"
If they like the men," This sug-
gestion, at least, was not too difficult
for him.
Yes, when they like them, when
they're old friends. you know. only
spoke to him for moment. | only
just met him on the road. | don't
suppose | shall ever talk to him about
it, or about anything in particular,
again" She squeezed Neeld's hand
a second time, and then withdrew her
own.
This was unknown country again
for Mr.. Neeld; his sense of being lost
grew more acute. These were not
the sort of problems which had occu-
pied his life; but they seemed now to
him no less real, hardly less impor-
tant. 1t was only girl wondering if
she had done right. Yet he felt the
Importance of it.
You can't help the unhappiness, he
said. You must go to the man you
love, my dear
With little start, she turned and
looked at him for an instant. Then
she murmured in a perfunctory fash
ion:
Yes, | must make the best choice
l can, of course" She added after a
pause, but l wish"
Words or the inclination to speak
failed her again, and she relapsed
into silence
AS he sat there beside her. silent
too, his mind Travelled back to what
her father had said; and slowly he
began to understand. No doubt she
liked Harry. even as her father did.
No doubt she thought he would be a
good husband, as liver had thought
him a good fellow. But it became
plain to the searcher after truth that
not to her any more than to her faith
er was it nothing that Harry was iris
tram of Blent. Her phrases about
doing right, and making the right
choice included reference to that,
even if that were not their whole
meaning. She had mentioned her
fathers pleasure-eyerybo pleas
ure. That pleasure would be. found
largely in seeing her Lady Tristram.
What. then, would she have to say on
the question that so perpleNed Mr..
Neeld? Would she not echo Iyer's
accusation of fraud against Harry
Ir1stram and las consequence
against those who aided and abetted
MN? She too, would call out
Fraud! fraud" And he did not
blame her. He called himself fool
for having been led away by romance,
by unreasoning feeling
Meanwhile Duplay walked home,
the happier for having crossed his
rubicon. He had opened his cam
paign with all the success he could
have expected. Now it only remained
to bring Nina to reason. If she spoke
the case would be so strong as to de-
mand inquiry The relief in Duplay's
mind was so great that he could not
explain it, until he realized that his
mece's way Of treating him had so
stuck in his memory that he had been
prepared to be turned away from
lver's doors with contumely. Such an
idea seemed absurd now, and the ma
jor laughed.
Nina was strange. Duplay never
ceased to think that. They had part
ed on impossible terms; but now, as
soon as he appeared, she ran at him
with apparent pleasure and with the
eagerness. She asked moth
ing abur mis- expedition, either,
though she should easily have guessed
9Ybara ba bo1 bnan ard P1,