Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1907-10-22

Straight art of the coffee shawp,
s'help me blind"
Ship come IMP"
1.-TWO tharsand next Toosday-
same as usual"
A lanky hawker lying full length
upon sack his pipe glowing in the
darkness, exchanged these pleasant
ries with Alban at the entrance.
There were fires by here and there in
these depths and the smoke was Of
ten suffccating The huddled groups
declared all grades of ill-fortune and
of crime; from that of the "pauper
parson" to the hoariest house-break-
err resting" for season. Adams
little set SO far as he had a set
at all consisted of the sometime cur
ate of Fashionable West End church
known to the company as the Arch
bishop of Bloomsbury; the Lady
Sarah, blooming. red-cheeked girl
who sold flowers in Regent Street,
"the Panorama" an old showman's
son who had not sixpenny piece in
his pocket. but whose schemes were
invariably about to bring him in
two thousand next Tuesday morn
ing;" and Betty" a pretty fair-hair-
ed lad, thrown on the streets God
knows how or by what callous act Of
Indifferent parentage. Regularly as
the clock struck, this quartet would
gather in tiny chapel Of the cellar
and sleep about a fire kindled in a
CRATE which might have baked meats
for the Tudors They spoke of the
events of the day with moderation
and wise philosophy. 1t would be diff
ferent tomorrow. Such was ever
their text.
my lord the Duke is late. Does
aught of fortune keep your nobility?"
The ex-parson made way for Alban,
grandiloquently offering a niche upon
the bare floor and view of the rem
dening embers. The boy "Betty"
was already asleep, while the Lady
Sarah and the Panorama" divided a
fourpenny pie most faithfully be-
tween them. A reeking atmosphere
of spirit (but not of water) testified
to the general conviviality. A hum of
conversation was borne in upon them
| from the greater cellar-at odd times
rough oath of protest or the mad
complainings. of drunkard. For the
most part however, the night pro
missed to be uneventful Alban had
never seen the Lady Sarah more gra-
cious and as for "the Panorama" he
had no doubt whatever that his for
tune was made.
"My contract for Americas going
through and shall be out there with
a show in month"; this wild youth
said-and added patronizingly when
| come back. it will be dinner up
stairs, old chaps-and some of the
best. Do you suppose that 1 could
forget you? I would as soon forget
my fathers grave"
They heard him with respect--no
one differing from him.
II shall certainly be pleased to &C
cept your kind invitation" said the
Archbishop. "that is, should circum-
stance-and Providence-enable me
to redeem the waistcoat, without
which-eh-hem-I understand ilo
visitors would be admitted to those
noble precincts"
The Lady Sarah expressed her opin-
ion even more decidedly.
Don't e talk" she said pleasantly
cant you ear the thick 'uns rat
tim in his mouse-trap. Poor little
man and i'm a horplin Stun me
mother if amt goin' ter Jays ter
merrer ter buy mournin' in honor Of
him"
81 presume" continued the Arch
bishop, that we shall all be admit
ted to this entertainment as it were
that is-as the colloquial express
sion goes-on the nod. 1t will be
enough to mention that we are the
proprietor's friends"
"You shall have season-ticket for
life, Archbishop. Just you tell me
where you want a church built and
| I'll see that it's done. OF course
don't mind your chaff-1'm dead In
earnest and the money will be there. y
i "A real contract this timer" Alban
suggested kindly.
"a real contract saw Phillips
about it today and he knows man
who is Pierpont Morgan's cousin. We
are to open In New York in Septen
Der and be in San Francisco the fol
lowing week"
Rather a long journey, isn't it, old
chap"
| ooh, they do those things out there
I'm told you play Hamlet one night
tIuu oIuCllO DIX uUulS dllSI dIuS
which is really the next night be
cause Of the long distance and the
differences in the ATTITUDES. Ask tbs
Archbishop. expect he hasn't for
gotten all his geography"
"a Cambridge man." said the Arch
bishop loftily, "despises geography
Heat, light, electricity the pure an
the impure Observation-Disclosures are
his proper study ! rise superior tt
the occasion and tell you that Sar
Francisco is long way from New
York The paper in which wrapped
ham sandwich yesterday-the ad
vertisement of shipping company,
may inform you-brings that back to
my recollection. San Francisco is
the thickness of two slices of stale
bread from the seaport you mention
And believe there are Red Indians
in between"
The Lady Sarah murmured lightly
the refrain of the old song concern
ing houses which stood in that an
| h,,t oil