Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1907-11-26
THE IRON LORD
BY s. r. CROCKETT,
copy,,sh, 1907 by s. R. Crockett, Al Right. Reserved

dragged from her home and put in an
asylum-on the poor side?
What are the circumstances"
says Mr.. Bridge sharply. And the re-
porters' pencils could not get over the
paper quick enough. Before that they
had all been asleep What name?
What name did she say?' they whisp-
cred, overlooking one another's notes,
as eager as terriers at rat-hole.
"Then Miss Vida Romer states her
full name, also yours, and-what mat
tered most of all in Thorsby-mine.
The court officials, across whose
hawse have had to come several
times in the way Of business, sat up
like so many cockroaches. They
thought they mad pinched me now for
a certainty.
"'Ah, Doctor Thomas Romer,' says
the magistrate in melted-butter
voice, and the well-known local ply
sician, DR.. Tweedle!-Surely there
cannot be anything irregular-two Of
ficials of the municipality and both
Justices of the peace. Gle had a
sheer in his voice, l am surely Are
you certain that your mother is per-
fectly sane, Miss-ah-Romer?'
0AAS
your daughter. she is weak and shy
with strangers, but was always good
and happy with me when they left us
alone. We were So happy in our little
house at Wood Green, and she never
went out even when was away at
school, That is, when she promised
not. But, at any rate, my mother has
money Of her own, and ought not to
be on the poor side of public asy-
lum. That is a piece Of petty suite.
She has two hundred a year Of her
own. and I know her solicitors ad-
dress. There 1t is. she ought GER
tainly to be represented
"And II she didn't write the address
down on a sheet OF paper and hand it
up to the magistrate as cool as an
old hand. He glanced at 1t. so they
tell me- and scratched his head with
the butt of quill.
"'You may go home, Miss Romer,'
he said. Be assured that I will look
into this.
"And sure enough, had the mayor,
the magistrate and the chairman of
the watch committee all after me that
same day. 1t was your business or
mine. Jacob--and had to let yours
go by the board. Had to. can tell
you!-For they were as keen as must
ard after my scalp The mayor has q
nephew about ripe for my shoes, and
the town clerk has had his knife in me
for long time had to give way all
| along the line. / even showed your
instructions. There was, of course,
no question about the mental state of
the patient-at least, on the occasion
when Tweedle and l saw her. We got
clear of the poor side, on the plea that
1t was "a simple mistake So / just
managed to scrape out of it, but this
is the last time I shall NEEDLE with
your domestic hornets nest. If you
want to be rid of your wife get law.
yer. Jacob-a fellow who is paid for
doing your dirty jobs, and carry it
Off under cover of professional duty
and looking to his clients interests.
But it is altogether too warm for
your brother Tom with such niece
as Miss Vida in the same town. l
wish you joy of her, my friend. One
of my competitors here. young fell
low. Hubert Salveson, who recently
! married very much beneath him, has
been interesting himself quite I'M
necessarily in the business Miss
Vida called him in to see her mother,
and he took the affair up-for the sake
OF any spare kudos, suppose. His
father is man of property and in
fluence in Thorsby, SO my advice to