Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1908-10-03

Hooked forward to a little merriment
in their dreary lives, and thought
nothing of the horrors that lay across
the railway line thirty miles away
/ from them
If hem killed. asked another,
he'd be chancry, he would, and
we'd never have a soul to look arter
us, till he was come to manhood
But belize the child's killed, too. "
Then cousin'd have the lot, some
Teller as don't know blade of grass
from blackberry-a clerk, mebbe."
But all further speculation as to the
destination of the Tankerlane estates
was brought to an end by the agent,
who came on to the steps of the sta
ton with genial look on his face,
and waved telegram bove his head.
Il have good news for YOU" he
cried out, as he faced the crowd. "Sir
William and Lady Tankerlane are
much shaken but unhurt. They can
not get here today, as Lady Tanker
lane cannot undertake the journey.
They both, however, send you their
best wishes for happy day The fete
| will take place, IS originally ar
ranged
A loud cheer broke from the crowd,
and it began to dispense. After all,
the presence of their lord and mas
ter was not Indispensable to their hap
piness. His absence would, on the
contrary, remove some of the stiff
! formality of the proceedings. The
beer would flow well enough without
| him, and the fireworks would blaze
and bang right merrily.
| But when the agent turned away
from the crowd, the smile died from
his face. And there were tears in
the eyes Of the station-master who
stood behind him.
"She's brick" said the agent
grutlly, "a regular brick. Go and
fetch Sam Vane, Will you"
And when the old farmer came, the
agent drew him aside and told him the
truth.
Your daughter is all right he
said gently, land Sir William has es-
capped with few bruises. But the
child is dead l had special instruc
tons to withhold this last piece of
news. Lady Tankerlane wishes the
people to enjoy themselves. They
morrow, and the funeral will take
place here
And all day long the people shouted
and ran races, and drank and ate ds
much as they could hold. and all day
! long the banners floated in the breeze
and the band played popular music
with cheerful inaccuracy.
| But thirty miles away, Laura Tan
karlane leant over the dead body CT
| her little child, and cried out to God
| to restore the life th;t He had given
and taken away And so bitter was
her sorrow that she did not even re-
member how she had sacrificed her
self for the sake of this little child,
and now all her sacrifice had been in
| vain.
CHAPTER XXI.
Two days after the railway accident
Laura and her husband returned to
! Tankerlane Court, and brought with
them the body of their child. Long
before they arrived the whole dis
trict was in possession of the news,
but the people did not know that the
| information had been concealed from
them. 1t was reported that the I'M
| fortunate victim had died some hours
| after the disaster.
! When the train reached the station
| it was dark and the platform was de-
serted, save for the station master,
porter, Mr. Dandy, the agent, and four
| stolid-looking men dressed in black
1t was drilling with rain, and the
water ran from the roof of the builu-
ing in tiny streams that sparkled in
the light of the oil lamps.
Dandy came forward to meet them,
hat in hand, murmured a few words 20
Sir William, and then led the four
sombre-visaged men to carriage,
where the guard and porter stood with
barred heads.
Then the men took out the tiny
lifted it with one hand-and they
was waiting outside The two par
ents followed, and not till they had
disappeared, did tho guard blow his
whistle. Then several of the passen.
gers, who had teen looking out of the
window, withdrew their heads, and
the train proceeded on it's way. The
porter turned out the lights, and then
went off to his supper.
SuCn was the homecoming OF the
Tankerlanes, rulers of all the land as
far as man might ride in a single
day, yet in their sorrow less to be en-
We'd than the poorest tenant on their
estate. For the grief &C the laborer is
short, and is lightened by the knowi-
edge that there is one less mouth to
feed. But the grief of these two was
hard silent and terrible They could
not even turn to one another for SYM
pathy. zach had to bear the burden
alone
They had spoken but little to each
other since they had first looked N
the dead body of their child, and only
the most commonplace remarks had
passed between them. And the sad
dtst thing Of all was that an event
which should have drawn them togeth-