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

IlS hdllOS.
Usually she read them out in the
garden, and when she was alone
She was we'll again, but very rest
less in these days. After that nervous
breakdown Mrs. Brenton endeavored
to treat her as kind Of invalid, but
she quickly abandoned this as a hope
less undertaking, and indeed the girl
very speedily picked up her color and
her strength. But she was changed:
her calm, determined, practical mood
was gone altogether.
There were many times when Mrs.
Brenton was puzzled and even trou-
bled by her manner. and nothing was
more difficult for her to understand
than the friendship which appeared
to have sprung up between Miss Gran
iger and Sir Samuel Broxbourne.
Sir Samuel was always turning up
at Yelverton at unexpected moments.
AS the Brentons had known him
sin he was boy he was outside the
category of guests; but though Mrs
Brenton was hospitality itself she re-
ally chafed little at his constant Wis
its. and if she only could have imagin-
ed that he was indirectly or directly
connected with what she in her plain
spoken way called Camilla's wicked
ness" he would have found himself
shut out of Yelverton in particularly
quick time.
AS it was, very little of what went
on in Broxbourne's world found its
way to Mrs. Brenton's ears, and she
was in happy ignorance of the fact
that when Camilla had broken her
traces in that startling fashion, Brox-
bourne had been as much an object
of curiosity to certain section of So
ciety as Rupert Haverford himself.
Nevertheless she gave him very lit
tie encouragement to come so often;
but Sir Samuel was, happily for him
self. thick-skinned
what do you find to talk about,
you two?" she asked Katherine on one
occasion, almost irritably; and the
girl had shrugged her shoulders.
81 listen" she said: and then, with
an effort she had added. "Sir Samuel
amuses the children. He is always In
venting some marvellous games"
Eyes" said Mrs. Brenton thought
fully; "but 1t is not bit like Sammy
Broxbourne to spend his time invent
ing games to amuse children
| Miss Granieers ewes had flashed
and she had laughed for moment
II expect he finds the country air re-
freshing after town.
SIS it possible" Mrs Brenton said
to her husband after this little con.
versation, is it possible that Sammy
has fallen in love with Katherine?"
Mr.. Brenton closed his book with
his finger in it to keep the place.
at does not seem improbable" he
said; and then he added, catherine
is very sweet girl
To which his wife retorted
edo you think don't know that
She is much too sweet for man like
Sammy"
In a vague sort of way this question
of Broxbourne seemed to divide Kath
crime and Mrs; Brenton. The Older
woman resented. not unnaturally, the
fact that the girl should not conf1de
in her.
"Of course, if he is in love, and he
wants to marry her. 1t might be fool
ish to do anything to prevent 1t
Though he is not very nice himself
he has verv nice position and hi:
people are kindest creatures in the
world 1t would be what the worlt
calls a wonderful marriage for Kath
crime suppose. But does he want tt
marry her? And would she have him.
Here Mrs. Brenton had to shrug he
shoulders hopeless1y. 81 should have
thought he would have been the las
man on earth to attract her"
And katherine was perfectly vel
aware of what was passing in the 9th
er woman's mind. 1t was one of tn
MANY little pricklv burdens which sh
carried in her heart in these days
If it could have been possible t
have shared this trouble with Agne
Brenton she would have done it GLAD
ly: but she knew that Camilla's disloy
atty had worked far deeper into tn
. heart of this woman. who had love-
her with the anxious love of a mothe
for so many years than even Agne
Brenton herself realized.
. Mrs Brenton had never set Cant
, la on pedestal: she had never pre-
, claimed her faultless but she had neve
ceased to find reasonable excuses 70
, all the mistakes that the younge
woman had made.
Her love had ALWAYS been tempel
ed by her JUDGMENT She had forgive
more in Camilla than she would hav
been able to forgive in other people
} but she could not easilv pardon tha
) act of BETRAYAL. that deliberate renu1
| citation Of right, of honor of duty.
Katehrine was by no means sur
l that If she We're to have laid befor
: Mrs. Brenton the facts which Sir San
5 mel had disclosed to her that sad an
5 STRANGE morning, she would have r.
Y ceived any suggestion of helm. On tn
g contrary. it seemed to her that C;
J. milla's old friend might have bee
more definitely estranged, as assure,
lv she would have been made NOR
e miserable were she to have listene
S TO that story of temptation and wea1
$ ness and dishonor
y katherine herself. though she pitie
S also condemned
: Undoubtedly the woman had bee
sorelv tried: she must have endured
!, ueritable torture at Broxbourne
hands. but surely CATHERINE argue
= now surely she owed the man WI
had loved her so wonderfully, too b
a debt of gratitude to have expose