Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1906-08-04
THE oTTUMwA COURIER


lean countess, a famous dramatist, and
his musical wife, Warburton's late
commanding colonel, Mrs. Chadwick,
Count Karloff, one Of the notable grand
opera prima-donnas who would not
sing in opera till February, cabinet
officer and his wife, Col. Annesley and
| his daughter You will note the cosmo-
politan character of these distin-
guished persons. Perhaps in no other
city in America could they be brought
together at an informal dinner such as
this one was. There was no question
of precedence or any such nonsense.
Everybody knew everybody else, with
one exception Col. Raleigh was COM
parative stranger. But he was like
able old fellow, full of stories of the
wild, free west, an excellent listener
besides, who always stopped a goodly
distance on the right side of what Is
known in polite circles as the bores
dead-line. Warburton held for him q
deep affection, martinez though he was,
for he was singularly just and merci-
full.
They had either drunk the cocktail
or had set 1t aside untouched, and had
emptied the oyster shells, when the
ordeal of the soup began. Very few of
those seated gave any attention to my
butler. The first thing he did was to
drop the silver ladle. Only the girl
saw this mishap. She laughed; and
! Dol {xrl, lol +11j 1,se
story in an exceptionally taking man
ner. My butler quietly procured another
ladle, and proceeded coolly enough.
must confess, however, that his cool
ness was the result of physical eff
fort. The soup quivered and trem-
he felt the heat of the liquid bn his
thumb. This moment his face was
pale, that moment it was red But,
as I remarked, few observed him,
Why should they? Everybody had
something to say to everybody else;
and butler was only machine any
way Yet, three persons occasionally
looked in his direction: his late colonel,
Mrs. Chadwick and the girl; each from
different angle Of vision. There was
a scowl on the colonel's face, puzzle
ment on Mrs. Chadwick's and I don't
know what the girls represented, not
having been there with my discerning
eyes.
Once the American countess raised
her lorgnette and murmured: What
handsome butler!"
Karloff, who sat next to her, twisted
his mustache and shrugged. He had
seen handsome peasants before. They
did not interest him. He glanced across
the table at the girl, and was much an
neyed that she, too, was gazing at the
butler, who had successfully completed
the distribution Of the soup and who
now stood with folded arms by the
sideboard. (How l should have liked
to see himD
When the butler took away the soup.
plates, Col. Raleigh turned to his host.
George, where the deuce did you
pick UP that butler?"
Annesley looked vaguely across the
table at his old comrade. He had been
far away in thought He had eaten
nothing.
"What?' he asked.
81 asked you where the deuce you
got that butler of yours"
ooh, Betty found him somewhere.
Our own butler is away on vacation
had not noticed him. Why?"
well, if he doesn't look like a
1 g 1~,,
without recollection of faces"
IAN orderly of yours. lieutenant
did you say?" asked Betty, with smol-
dering fires in her eyes.
eyes"
THAT is strange" she unused.
Eyes; very strange. He was dare.
devil if there ever was one"
"Ah!"
Eyes; best bump Of location in the
regiment, and the steadiest nerve,"-
dropping his voice.
The girl leaned on her lovely arm:
and observed him interestedly
"a whole company got lost in {
snowstorm. You know that on the
prairie a snowstorm means that only
a compass can tell you where you are
and there wasn't one in the troop
a bad piece of carelessness on the cap
tain's part Well. this cub said he't
find the way back, and the captain
wisely let him take the boys in hand.
go on" said the girl.
Interested, eh?"
81 am a soldiers daughter and love
the recital of brave deeds"
well, he did 1t. -Four hours late
they were thawed out in the barracks
kitchen. Another hour and not one o
them would have lived to tell the tale
The whisky they poured into m
cub"
did he drink" she interrupted
Drink? Why the next day he wa
going to lick the men who had poured
the stuff down his throat. A todd.
? once in while, that was all he eve