Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1907-10-24

and that the sooner I gave up think
| ing about you the better should be-"
How did he know what was go
| ing to happen?"
ASK me another and don't pay the
bill He's been as queer as white
rabbits since yesterday-didn' go to
work this morning, but sat all day
over letter he's received I shall
| be frightened of father just now I
do really believe he's getting a bit
| balmy on the trumpet"
| Still talking about the man who
stole the furnace?"
Why, there you've got it, We're
! going to buckingham Palace in a
donkey cart and pretty quick about
1t. You'll be ashamed of such fine
people, Alb-father says so. SO I'm
not to speak to you to begin with
not till the dresses come home from
| Covent Garden and the horses are
paving the ground for her ladyship.
That's the chorus all day-lots of fun
when the bricks come home and
father with watchchain as big as
! Moses. He knew you were going 10
| get the sack and he warned me
against 1t. we can't afford to as
sociate with those people nowadays
| don't yer know-'so mind what
you're adding, my child And I'm
| minding 1t all day. was just mind
ing 1t when you came In, Alb. Don't
you see her ladyship is taking NUT
ton chops? Couldn't descend 20
nothing less, my dear-not on such a
day as this-blimme."
Lois, patter, acquired in the
streets, invariably approached the
purely vulgar when she was either
angry or annoyed-for at other times
her nationality saved her from many
of its penalties. Alban quite under
stood that something beyond ordinary
must have passed between father and
daughter today; but this was neither
the time nor the place to discuss it,
"We'Il meet outside the Paw to-
night and have good talk, Lois'
he said! "everybody's listening here.
Be there at nine sharp. Who knows,
it may be the last time we shall ever
meet in London"
You're not going away, Alb?"
A look OF terror had come into the
pretty eyes; the frail figure of the
girl trembled as she asked the ques-
tion
Cant say, Lois-how do know
Suppose l went as sailor"
Lois laughed louder than before.
"You-a blueboy Wouldn't you
knock the man down that did it-oh,
can't see him"
| The idea amused her immensely
and she dwelt upon it even In the
street outside. Her Alb as Captain
Jack-or should it be the cabin boy.
And, of course, he would bring her a
parrot from the Brazils and perhaps a
monkey"
can I'll keep light in the winder
for fear you should be shipwrecked
In High street, Alb, and won't we go
hornpiping together. Oh, you silly
boy; oh, you dear old Captain Jack
whatever put a sailorman into your
nind?"
"The water" said AIban, as stolidly
lit leads to somewhere, Lois. This
is the road to nowhere-good God,
how tired am of it,
And of those who go with you,
Alb"
Il am ashamed of myself because
VI IuSH, LOIS.
You silly boy, Alb-are they
ashamed, Alb? oh, no, no-people
who love are never ashamed"
He did not contest the point with
her, nor might she llnger. Bells were
ringing everywhere, syrens were cal.
ling the people to work. 1t was a
new thing for Alban Kennedy to be
strolling the streets with his hands In
his pockets when the clock struck
one. And yet there he was become a
loafer in an instant, just one of the
many thousand who stare up idly at
the sky or gaze upon the windows of
the shops they may not patronize, or
| drift on helpless as though a dark
stream Of life had caught them AMI
nevermore would set them on dry
land again. Alban realized all this,
and yet the full measure of his
disaster was not wholly understood
/ 1t was so recent, the consequences
| yet unfelt, the future, after all. preg.
nant with the possibilities of change
I He knew not at all what he should
| DO, and yet determined that the
shame Of which he had spoken Shout
never overtake him.
And So determined he stro]led as
far as Aldgate Station-and there he
met the stranger.
CHAPTER VI.
| The Stranger.
There is great deal of fine
philantropic work done east of Aid
/ gate Station by numbers Of self
sacrificing young men just down from
the universities. So, when a slim par
son touched Alban upon the arm and
begged for a word with him, he con
cluded Immediately that he had at
tracted the notice Of one Of these AMI
become the objective of his charity.
II beg Your pardon he said a little
stihly The idea of STOPPING to such
/ assistance had long been revolving tt
him. He was within an ace of break
ing away from the fellow altogether
''Your name is Alban Kennedy,
think? Will you permit me to have
few words with you?"
Alban looked the parscn up an
don. aud the survey did something tt
satisfy him. He found himself face
T..