Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1907-09-24

God bless You, DEAR Laura mur.
INJURED. as she kissed her "God bless
you, and bless You again
CHAPTER XIX.
Paul Trafford stood at window If
that house which no changes have
been able to dissociate from the mem.
DRY Of La Paiva. 1t was the middle
of September and he was thinking idly
that the Increased stir in the Champs
ElYsees showed already that the dis.
persed froces of Paris were beginning
to concentrate again. From mountains
sea-shore, and chateanx; from Asia.
America and the antipodes of the
world. the great. beautiful city was
drawing new resources for the end
loss tragic comedy that makes UP her
| life. The curtain was rising on
season in which the events would be
as different as the fashions from
those of last year. What were they
to be? In every nerve OF Paris there
was that sense of awakening curiosity
| which Is simultaneous with the NOM
ent when the chest1uts put forth
few fresh, green leaves among the
brown, and here and there a flower.
The slanting autumn sunshine was
rich with the desire that Is mor,
earthly, more passionate, and more
essential to the heart than all the
hopes of spring. Youth, with It's care
less anticipations, had gone on its
holidays in June: middle.aee was COM
ing back. with its desperate longings,
in September There was to be some
thing new, something the eye had not
seen before. Was 1t possible that
there would be fulfilment for the de-
mands which had had none as yet?
When the Invisible Hand turned the
Kaleidoscope Of events. what would
the new combinations be?
1 Paul Trafford was wondering that
on his own account. What kind Of a
season was preparing for him now?
1t was just a year ago, here In this
very Travellers Club that Wiltshire
had preached the subject of his love
for Paula Trafford had entered on
the winter which he had thought to
make the happiest Of his victorious
career. And yet, in those very months
he had lost bis wife, and wrought
some indefinable change between his
daughter and himself.
Yes, there was change. There
could no longer be any doubt OF that.
But was 1t between them or In them?
Trafford was not used to close analy
sis Of character and admitted he did
not know. She puzzled him. She
seemed happy; she was often lively,
In her quiet way. Sc was tenderer
and sweeter with him than she had
j ever been, She had bore the rupture
with Winship SO easily that he had
been astonished., He, could only
4 think that the scene In June. with Its
4 brutal attack upon himself, her
i father. had Killed what she had taken
to be her love for the man. All that
had passed OFF satisfactorily And yet
there wes this subtle difference in her
this something which was just beyond
4 his power to explain. In spite of her
nea!ness. she seemed mysteriously
apart from him. 1t was as il there
was in the atmosphere about her some
spiritual element that put him Ill at
ease He wondered II he were not
i growing to be afraid of her as though
she We're no longer the daughter oi
his blood. but come ethereal visitant
from other spheres.
IF her sister Jennie were to come
back to me from the Lords own keep
ing" he sometimes said to himself
81 don't suppose should have a
stranger feeling Of unearthliness"
: There seemed to Trafford but one
means of bridging over the gulf that
had opened between the girl and com
mon life; that she should marry and
have children. It was impossible Their
, for his mind not to go back to VIII
shire. There was the man for her!
1t was a million mites that she hai
not felt SO herself. He would have
watched over her and worshipped her
He would have been to her all thai
Hector was to Andormache. There
were even times when Trafford in,
agined that Paula regretted having
, sent him away. FIe was afraid Il
hint at 1t, for fear of touching tot
rudeiy what might be the delicacy o.
an awakening sentiment. But the
fact was there that she spoke Of hin
, often. and always In strain of ten
derness Then. too, she had never
looked SO favorably on any other mar
with the exception Of this young Win
ship. for whom after ALL apparently
she had net cared
lord! II 1t could only be brough
about" he said to himself now. z
believe | should be ready then to de
i PdAItl III pSaCS.
, He was turning away from the win
dow to think Of his lunch. when III
was suddenly arrested by an ineiden
which seemed to him like an answer
, to prayer Wiltshire himself was en-
[ tering the club. There was nothing
: remarkable In the fact beyond whit
was passing In Trafford's mind Wilt
shire was member of the Travellers
and it was natural that he should b,
in Paris adjust that time of year Blu
Trafford could not see it SO. Ions
ago he would have called it one o
his lucky chai-ces. Now ! ; could enl,
. feel that Wiltshire had been sent
The two men shook hands with {
sincere effusion which meant more
than pleasure in each Others com
pany. Each was an actor in tn,
others drama and the interrupte;
play could begin again
+ This is luck Wiltshire exclaimed
! II thought you were in America. .
II meant to go. but didn't I fount
, that George could look after what wai
to be done as well as !. He's there