Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1905-10-07
CHAPTER l, Continued.

ed interested. Sam Hardy came out Of
his ticket Office. The stage driver, a
sharp looking boy Of about fourteen,
with disagreeable air of cheap smart
ness sticking out all over him, left his
seat In the shadow of Mr.. Batcheldors
manly form, tossed cigarette stump
away and loafed over to the vicinity
Of the depot wagon, which was back
ed up against the platform. Captain
Fri knocked the ashes from his pipe
and put that service stained veteran
coming in at last.
II this had been an August evening
instead of Sep~:nber one both train
and platform would have been crowd
ed. But the butterfly summer maiden
had fitted, and, as is his wont, the
summer man had fitted after her, so
the passengers who alighted from the
two coaches that, with the freight car,
made up the Orham branch train were
few In number and homely In flavor.
There was slim, not to say gawky,
Individual with chin beard and rub
Der boots, whom the committee hailed
~ Andy and welcomed to it's bosom.
There were two young men, drummers
evidently, who nodded to Hardy and
seemed very much at home. Also,
there was another young man, smooth
shaver and square shouldered, who
deposited suit case on the platform
and looked about him with the air of
hnjv10 IA -. i,,1a
The drummers got into the stage.
The young man with the suit case
picked up the latter and walked to-
ward the same vehicle. He accosted
the sharp boy, who had lighted an
other cigarette.
"Can you direct me to the cable sta
tonT he asked.
''Sure thingr' said the youth, and
there was no Cape Cod twist to his
accent. "Git aboard"
II didn't intend to ride" said the
stranger.
what was you goin' to do? Walk7
Eyes. II it's not far
The boy grinned, and the members of
the committee, who had been staring
with all their might, grinned also. The
young mans mention Of tiihe cable sta
lion seemed to have caused consider
able excitement.
"Oh, it amt too far!'' said the stage
driver. Then he added, "say, you're
the new electrician, amt you?"
The young man hesitated for a mo-
ment Then he said, YES" and sug-
Rested, II asked the way
1.-TWO blocks to the right. That's the
main road. Keep on that for four
blocks, then turn to the left, and if
you keep on straight ahead you'll get
to the station"
l''Blocksl" The stranger smiled. IT
think you must be from New York"
do your" inquired the youthful
prodigy, climbing to the wagon seat
"Don't forget to keep straight ahead
after you turn off the main road. Git
dap! So long, fellersw
The square shouldered young man
looked after the equipage with an odd
expression Of countenance Then he
shrugged his shoulders, picked up the
suit case and walked off the platform
into the darkness.
A little later Captain Fri, with
dozen new, clean smelling cranberry
barrels in the wagon behind him, drove
slowly down the depot road" 1t was
clear night, but there was no moon,
and Orham was almost at it's darkest,
which is very dark indeed. The depot
road please bear in mind that there
are no streets in Orham) was full of
ruts, and although Daniel knew his
way and did his best to follow it the
cranberry barrels ratified and shook in
lively fashion. There are few homes
near the station, and the dwellers in
them consciously refrain from showing
lights except in the ends of the build
ings furthest from the front. Stran-
gers are inclined to wonder at this. but
when they become better acquainted
with the town and its people they come
to know that front gates and parlors
are, by the majority of the inhabitants,
restricted in their use to occasions such
as funeral or possibly wedding.
It is from the hill by the Methodist
church that the visitor to Orham gets
his best view Of the village. 1t is all
about him and, for the most part, be-
low him. At night the tiny red speck
In the distance that goes and comes
again is the fashlight at Setuckit point
and the twinkle on the horizon to the
south is the beacon of the lightship on
Sand Hill shoal.
1t may be that the young man with
the square shoulders and the suit case
had paused at the turn of the road by
the church to listen to the song Of the
sea. At any rate, he was there, and
when Captain Fri steered Daniel and
the cranberry barrels around the cor
ner and into the main road he stepped
out and hailed.
beg your pardon" he said. I'm
afraid I'm mixed in my directions. The
stage driver told me the way to the
cable station, but I've forgotten wheth-
er he said to turn to the right when l
reached here or to the left"