Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1908-08-04


She's a very smart lady. Perhaps
you know her?'
Her bright eyes pierced him. Once
again an irresistible impulse seized
him to speak out. Instead, he said
DULY: Il seem to recall the name. ;"
She's a good sort, but frightfully
extravagant. Still-at pinch. Mr..
Tisdale says we shall want a lot of
| money"
about how much?"
She considered
"a hundred pounds at the very
! least"
/ "You want hundred pounds at
once?"
Never wanted it so bodily before"
Let me give it to YOU
/ "You?"
/ He found himself flushing scarlet,
but fortunately his back was to the
lattice window, and the light was
atrocious, He realized instantly that
! he had behaved like a child. For the
moment he had forgotten everything,
except the fact that he was a very
rich man, and that charming girl
wanted a hundred pounds for wor-
thy object.
81 have it, lying idle. owe Hern-
shaw something. should like to
help. r."
| He broke off, conscious that she
was regarding him with certain
aloofness. The Mottisfont spoke, very
courteously, but coldly:
"You are most generous, most kind,
but this money must come from us.
Good bye"
| She slipped from the room; then,
as the door was closing it opened
again, and her head appeared. The
GOODNESS had gone out of her eyes
and mouth.
ct was delightful Of you to offer
to help, but we are rather proud down
here. All the same-thank you"
/ He was left with a vision of white
| teeth, radiant smile and blue eyes,
with brown elves dancing in their lu-
cid depths.
A few minutes later he went up
stairs to the room where Esme Bur-
CESS worked. The young man sat at
a table, in front Of typewriting ma
chine, half way between small fire
and a small window looking out upon
the Forest. On another table lay piles
of script and foolscap, and a number
of pamphlets dealing with rural de-
population, Free Trade and similar
subjects. A rough deal bookcase held
some works on political economy In
French, English and German. All bore
signs of use and abuse. Notes in pen.
ell defaced the fine, broad margins of
the French books, slips of paper
stuck out of the closely printed Ger
man volumes. Cheek by 1owl with
these were some nice editions of the
English poets.
Beside the inkpot stood a small
glass holding few prirnroses. Prim-
roses may be found in the Forest of
Us in January, but they have to be
sought diligently. Hugo knew that
Burgess and Jay Vennable had made
a long expedition to find them, and
that the spoil had been divided. Did
joys primroses shine out amongst
the litter of a busy woman's writing
! table, or were they already pressed
and put away, enshrined in some ia.
vorite book? Perhaps the thought
quickened his pulses they lay
upon her white breast!
Near the window, against the wall
was sofa, bearing marks of muddy
boots. Hugo could only guess that il
was used after the long tramps in the
Forest after golf, after hard morn
tng's work. No one, not even Sarah
Owbridge had ever caught the young
fellow upon 1t.
Halo, Charters"
"Hallo! Sorry to disturb you
There had been an appreciable in
terval between Hugo's knock on the
door and Burgess's Come in!"
"Not at all. Glad to see you Sit
down"
Hugo sat down on the sofa He re
membered that he had not heard the
click of the typewriter as he came
upstairs.
you look rather Jagged he said
l abruptly. To his surprise Burgess al
once exhibited little temper
"You didn't march upstairs to tel
me that, did you?" he said irritably
"Why shouldn't ! look tagged? A
man ought to look tagged when he's
! trying to solve problems. This bovine
expression, this look of contentment
{ which seems to be the inalienable
possession of the Jallands and the
Pundles and the Mottisfonts, always
exasperates me. I never see a fat
placid face that I don't want to hi
; it."
Take whack at mine," sale
, Hugo.
Burgess laughed, recovering in
5 stantly his good temper and gooc
, manners.
l "Your face is not placid, Charters
far from it. You can look like gra
ven image when you pleasant
can't, worse luck! inside you
feel as I do Last night when tolt
! you about this diphtheria, sort o
glowering light shone in your eyes
which might have twisted Sir Giles
!, heart into something like terror if HI
> had seen it."
> 81 doubt It,"
tive been simmering the whole
!, morning. Last night l couldn't sleel
' a wink. That polly little dear will
her curly poll. And If these inferno
sites had been pulled down."
: He began to talk excitedly, usinl
gestures moving his Inns Hugo han