Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1906-08-14

The Girl: karloff? Mercy, no. He
Is handsome and fascinating ard rich
but could not love him. 1t would be
easier to love-to love my groom out
side
(They both smile.)
The Woman (grave once nore):
That is all I wished to know dear.
karloff is not worthy of YOU
The Girl (sitting very erect): do
not understand. Is he not honorable?
q The Woman (hesitatingly): l have
known him for seven years; L have
always found him honorable.
The Girl: Why, then, should he not
be worthy of me?
The Woman Qightly): Is any man?
The Girl: You are parrying my
question. If I am to be your daughter,
there must be no fencing
/. The Woman( rising and going over
to the portrait AGAIN.: There are some
things that mother may not tell
even to her daughter
The Girl (determinedly): Grace,
you have said too much or too little.
do not love Karloff. l never could
\ love him; but like him, and liking
him, feel called upon to defend him.
The Woman (surprised into showing
her dismay): You defend him? You!
The Girl: And why not? That is
what l wish to know; why not?
The Woman: My dear, you do not
love him. That is all I wished to
know. Karloff is brilliant, handsome
man, gentleman: his sense of honor,
such as 1t is, would do credit to many
another man: but behind all this
there is a power which makes him
4 helpless, makes him a puppet, and
robs him Of certain worthy impulses.
s. l have read somewhere that corpora
lions have no souls; neither have gov
ernments. Ask me nothing more,
Betty, for I shall answer no more
questions.
The Girl: don't think you are
4 treating me fairly.
The Woman: At this moment
would willingly share with you half
Of all possess in the world
a, The Girl: But. all this mystery!
The Woman: AS J. have said, some
Ply you will understand. Treat Kar-
loft as you have always treated him,
politely and pleasantly. And beg of
you never to repeat our conversation.
!, The Girl Ito whom illumination sud-
q denly comes; rises quickly and goes
q over to the woman; takes her by the
shoulders, and the two stare into each
8 others eyes, the one searchingly, the
other fearfully): Grace!
The Woman: am poor, foolish
woman Betty, for all my worldliness
and wisdom; but | love you (softly),
"A and that is why | appear weak before
you. The blind envy those who see,
the deaf those who hear; what one
does not want another can not have.
Karloff loves you, but you do not
love him.
(The girl kisses the woman gravely
on the cheek, and without word,
makes her departure)
The Woman Gas she hears the car
riage roll away: Poor girl! Poor,
happy, unconscious, motherless child!
4 If only l had the power to stay the
blow! Who can it be, then,
that she loves?
The Girl lin her carriage: Poor
ing! She adores karloff, and never
spected it! | shall begin to hate
III How well women read each other!
James had never parted with his
rose and his handkerchief They were
always with him, no matter what liv-
cry he wore. After luncheon, Will
liam said that Miss Annesley desired
to see him in the study So James
spruced up and duly presented himself
at the study door.
''You sent for me, Miss?'-his hat
q in his hand his attitude deferential
and attentive.
She was engaged upon some fancy
work, the name of which no man
knows, and if he were told, could not
possibly remember for longer than ten
minutes. She laid this on the read
ing-table, stood up and brushed the
u threads from her little two-by-four
cambria apron
James, on Monday night I dropped
rose on the lawn. (F1ndS thread on
b her sleeye.) In the morning when |
looked for it (brushes the apron
AGAIN., it was gone. Did you find it??''
She made little ball of the stray
Cling threads and dropped it into the
waste basket. A woman who has the
support OF beauty can always force a
man to lower his gaze. James looked
at his boots His heart gave one great
bound toward his throat. then sank
what seemed to be fathoms deep in
lis breast. This was a thunderbolt
out of heaven itself Had she seen
him. then? For a space he was tempted
to utter falsehood; but there was
that in her eyes which warned him
of the uselessness of such an expedient
Yet, to give up that rose would be like
giving up some part of his being. She
rnnoofaJ tho VS., "a