Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1905-07-06

the aged benchers draws from his
pocket a tiny phial and deliberately
drains it. I'm torn between pity and
horror at the suicide, and journal
lists satisfied instinct for copy" but
1t proved to be only harmless tonic
Change At Noon.
Twelve o'clock is signal for gen.
eral change. The lady opposite, who
sat with her back to the dear old
building, staring straight at the partic.
ularly ugly corner of Fifth and Walnut
now hops UP with broad smile. Her
gentleman is punctual to the stroke.
A party of tourists come, to the door
of independence hall, looking south
ward, indefatigably swapping kodaks.
Typewriter girls stream by,hurrying
toward the region Of quick lunch
Chose with admirers loiter) A fringe
Of errand boys sprawls luxuriously on
the grassy plot facing Sixth street,
where sheds once stood to shelter dep
utations of Indians waiting their turn
in the court house. An old man drops
TN orange peel, then in burst Of civic
virtue repents and neatly puts it in
can No. 6.
I ask my neighbor why SO few people
eat picnic lunches In this quiet spot.
He thinks because the ice water foun-
tain (terrible now with fresh paint)
has not yet opened for the season.
In the last fifteen minutes I've seen
Italians, Greeks, negroes, two Hindoos,
Chinaman, specialized, short step
ping Japanese, and two ancient Jews
rag pickers, bearded and bent under
th DIV hirrdorc nra r,tuht haua r,oood
for Pagan Of evil memory, the other as
a beautiful, tragic prophet
A child in the most lavish stage OF
whooping cough is led slowly to and
from by complacent, wide aproned
"dago" mother. A nice, friendly child
but no one responds to it's advances.
The police officer at the door under
the clock is relieved of duty. Groups
Of people already coming back from
lunch, stop for a minut's chat under 8
blooming horse chestnut. All the ger
aniums are set out, and the tulip bee
| demolished to make place for foliage
plants.
My neightbor prepares to leave
ask after. the preacher that usually
haunts the arcade at this hour ant
finds much necessity for shouting 6
term in theological geography which
discreet newspapers edit to HILL
The neighbor Is an obliging and con
scientious guide. He stops to inform
me in detail that the preacher has just
left town on two weeks vacation.
A Lethareic Audience.
AS make note Of this, with refiec
tions on the intermittent nature OF
spiritual zeal. gentleman takes the
bench opposite and opens library
bound novel. l am very anxious tc
know what he is reading. There Is
no apropos to this. I merely put II
here in case Of his glancing over to
days Press, because he seemed DO
litely curious to know what could
find to write about. You see, he had
turned his back to the delightful line
of dull-red brick congress hall to the
northwest, dirty and dilapidated now
with some brute's name scrawled In
pencil across q door-its begrimed
windows contrasting sadly with the
Quaker cleanliness of independence
hall, and with the air of financial we'll
being which marks the Philosophical,
society building to the east. Facine
south, where there Is nothing to see
he shortly closed his eyes--in thought
At this minute the preacher (whc
looks like an enterprising business
mani took his stand by the arcade and
harangued a small and highly lethar,
gic audience. When he asked who
wanted to be saved. only one hand