Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1907-12-14
CHAPTER XVIII.
The Battle EnQaqes,

CHAPTER XVIII
The Battle Engages.
1t would have rewarded giver
more exigeant than Billy, joint foster
father and lighthouseman, to have
seen the face which Vida turned upon
them. She stood awhile in the door
way Of the little parlor, stunned at
first, then orienting her ideas out of
a kind of vague inability to. think
what had come to her, but never quite
taking her eyes off of the beautiful
little cottage" piano which was now
her own.
Slowly she understood. Dick could
not have bought It, She know the
extent of Dicks resources. Mr.. Nor
ris we'll, he dare not. 1t must be
Billy. It was Billy, her foolish old
Billy. She saw the guilty complaisant
happy look on his face The very
width Of his Irish grin gave him
away.
ooh! Billy she said. And suddenly.
with hands still at her side and stand
ing there in the doorway, she began
to cry. The tears ran down her
cheeks as Billy Bryan rose at once
to go to her Was anything amiss?
Was what he had dreamed Of for
years on his lonely lighthouse, dream
ed of goggle-eyed under the weighty
glare of the electrics, pondered upon
by the hour in his bunk when the
waves made the Skery tower rock like
tall tree in the wind was 1t all
to go wrong? If SO. he would reckon
with that young man in the music
shop who helped him so cheerfully to
choose it.
What is it thin. darlin'?" he STAN
mered, his ruddy face little pale.
"Is anything wrong with that there
music box? If so, can get 1t
changed. There were other sorts; one
that We just picked up In the sheets
with the music on them all ready
pricked out and turn a handle. But
my young salpeen, with his ears tack
ed to his collar top. laughed and said
that he guessed you wouldn't want
that kind. 1t came cheaper, too, for
all the convenience. But II he has
worked off dead bird on Billy Bryan.
Billy will pack this old case stlaignt
back to the shop yes, that young
man had better be on the high road
for Aurtraly when Billy gets there
himself"
'"Oh, no." cried Vida; ait is lovely;
it is too - too good! But = but =
you are too thoughtful for me = too
kind. I never do anything"
Not bit, not bit, honey: sit ye
down on the corkscrcw seat with the
bottom on the top, and just make the
y ;,chlnc:y wa -. "nr- In way.
Ttat'll pay for all"
Ry this time Wi, hid come for
ward holding her breath. lest with the
smallest noise on her part the whole
would vanish away like dream II
know it isn't one" she said softly, as
if to herself, "but it is just like a
dream And it's Broadwood! A real
BroadWood!"
"Yuss.' said tn enow relieved Bill
ly, mo narrow wood for me. got it
as broad as l could afford in the
stand up kind The lying down sort
would have stuck out at the front
door, and part way down to Kirktown.
Besides. there would have been no
place for visitors. except perhaps un.
derneath. Well now. just think O. old
Dick there and that young giant out
of travelling menagerie playing
house under Billys piano. That would
make a cat laugh, let alone poor old
ligh'usman that never sees but the
scarts and the sea fowl to laugh at
This is a good time, Billy, me bhoy
Ye never saw better"
And Vida, happily turning over the
music, sat down and softly beneath
her fingers came the first notes OF
Greig's Midsummer Night on the
Nord Ford" The men sat entranced
She played with the instinct of melody
her head thrown back and her body
swaying slightly: SO well, indeed. that
Billy. still suspicious. bent and looked
beneath.
"Faix. l was thinkin' that little gen
tleman in the pretty ringlets was
passed off on me the machinery
pianno after all! -
But The Wearing of the Green
and kitty Of Coleraine" brought the
tears running in warm spate down hi:
Irish cheeks. Billy was speedily reas
sured that he had not been deceived
| And that. SO far as the "Broadwood
was concerned, his money was wei
spent He went to bed that night feel
, ing that however good it might be t.
dream of youth and beauty, to the tril
, and purr of well-oiled machinery III
! In the Skerry light, Dick. his mate
| had the best OF it with Vida Away
/ before his eyes, bringing music out o
the new piano in the little cottag
near the Glebe End of the great Corn
, House properties
After Vida had been induced t