Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1902-04-15

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hard at work upon my flowers, a
pipe IN my mouth and my favorite
old soft felt hat upon my head
Crime and criminals were alike for
gotten; I no longer lived in Gingy
part of the town, and what was bet
ter than all l had
do you know I feel almost in
clined to offer you the proverbial
penny" said Miss Kitwater's voice
behind me. at the drawing-room
door. rs it permissible to ask what
you were thinking about?"
am not of course prepared to
swear it, but I honestly believe. for
the first time for many years, L
blushed.
81 was thinking how very pleasant
country life must be-" l said, max
ing the first excuse that came to me.
81 almost wish that l could lead
one"
Then why don't you? Surely it
would not be so very difficult?"
81 am rather afraid it would" I
answered. "And yet l don't know
why it should be-"
Perhaps Mrs. Fairfax would not
care about it," she continued, as we
returned to the drawing-room to-
gether.
Good gracious!" remarked.
There is no Mrs. Fairfax. I am the
most confirmed of old bachelors.
wonder you could not see that. Is
not the word crustiness written
plainly upon my forehead?"
81 am afraid / cannot see it," she
answered. II am not quite certain
who it was. but I fancy it was my
uncle who informed me that you
were married"
1T was very kind of him." said.
But it certainly is not the case I
fear my wife would have rather a
lonely time of it if it were. [ am
obliged to be away from home SO
much, you see, and for SO long at a
time"
Yours must be indeed strange
profession, Mr.. Fairfax, if 1 may say
So she continued. "Some time ago
/ came across an account, in a maya
zine, of your life, and the many IA
nous cases in which you had taken
part"
"Ah! I remember the wretched
thing" l said. 81 am sorry that you
should ever have seen it,
"And why should you be sorry?"
Because it is a silly thing, and I
have always regretted allowing the
man to publish it. He certainly
called upon me and asked me lot of
questions, after which he went away
and wrote that article Ever since
then / have felt like conceited ass,
who tried to make himself out more
clever than he really was
II don't think you would do that"
she said. "But, if you will let me
say so, yours must be very trying
life, and also an extremely dangerous
one. l am afraid you must look upon
human nature from very strange
point of view!"
Not more strange probably than
you do" I answered.
''But you are continually seeing
the saddest side of it. To you all the
miseries that life of crime entails
are visible. The greater part of
your time is spent among desperate
men who are without hope, and to
whom even their own shadows are a
constant menace. I wonder that you
still manage to retain your kind
heart"
But how do you know that my
heart is kind?" inquired.
''If for no other reason, simply be-
cause you have taken up my uncle's
case" she answered. do you think
when he was so rude to you just
now, that l could not see that you
pitied him, and for that reason you
forebore to take advantage of your
power? I know you have kind
heart"
''And you find it difficult to as
simulate that kind heart with the re-
morseless detective of Public Life?'
81 find it difficult to recognize in
you the man who, on certain
notable occasion, went into thieves
den in Chicago unaccompanied, and
after terrible struggle in which you
nearly lost your life succeeded in ef-
fecting the arrest Of q notorious
murderer"
At that moment the gong in the
hall sounded for lunch, and I was
by no means sorry for the Interrupt
ton. We found Kitwater and Codd
awaiting our coming in the dining
room, and we thereupon sat down to
the meal. When we left the room
again, we sat in the garden and
smoked, and later in the afternoon
my hostess conducted me over her
estate, showed me her wineries, in
troduced me to her two sleek Jer-
seys, who had their home in the
meadow I had seen from the win
dow; to her poultry, pigs and the
pigeons who came futtering about
her, confident that they would come
to no harm. Meanwhile her uncle
had resumed his restless pacing up
and down the path on which had
first seen him, Cosld had returned to
his archaeological studies, and I was
alone with Miss Ktwater. We were