Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1908-08-15

| SINGER w. |
/ TONE BROS, Des Rsoires. sowas
him, She was wearing simple even
ing dress of soft white silk, which, al
though well-cut, might have looked
shabby in stronger light. On her
right hand sparkled an old-fashioned
diamond ring that had belonged to
her mother. At rest and almost mo-
tionless in her low chair, she looked
intensely alive. Her vitality sparkled
like the good Brazilian stones in their
furnished silver setting. Then, as
Hugo's eyes met hers in a glance she
was unable to interpret, she showed
a deeper tinge of colour in her cheek,
and smiled. Hugo wanted to say: I'm
the man you would like to cut dead.
Cut me. kick me out of this house!
Let's have 1t over and done with"
Instead he laughed, smitten by the
topsy-turvydom of the situation. Some
thing in this laugh surprised and puz-
zled Joy, as well it might, for it broke
link between them.
"Why do you laugh?"
II was wondering what would hap
pen if you met this man.
81 may meet him. said Joy. "Mol-
lie Mottisfont knows him; she told
me So; she said he was charming;
and she added, remember, that after
he had married Mrs. Tempest the
world would forgive them both, be-
cause they were so pleasant and so
rich. If I do meet him"
"Well?"
She hesitated The parson had fall
len asleep, doing off, with his pleas
ant smile on his lips. Not wishing to
wake him, Joy answered in whisper:
81 suppose Mrs. Giles's drawingroom
is large enough to hold him and me for
a minute or two. should escape at
the first opportunity"
Next day she left Hernshaw. Hugo
told himself that If he had spoken
out, she would have lost muchneed-
ed holiday. Thus he salved con
science already more sensitive than
he would have cared to admit. For 1t
was plain to him that, unwittingly, he
had obtained her friendship under
false pretences. The glance of her eye,
the pressure of her hand when she
| babe him goodbye, we're eloquent of
something more than gratitude.
From the hour she left he missed
her horribly. The Forest of Us lost
it's subtle enchantment. The very
air became heavy and dank, as if a
blight had invaded it. An uncon-
querable depression attacked him. Not
being of a temperament which in
dulges itself with introspection and
self-analysis, he was unable TO assign
a true reason for this fit of the blues,
as he termed it, other than the in
/ dubitable fact that the wind was
keenly in the east. Two facts obsessed
I his intelligence and perceptive facul-
ties: Joy loved and was loved by Esme
] Burgess; and he had pledged himself
to return to Angela within definite
| time.
A letter from Joy, the first she had
written to him, did not clear the skies.
She was in whirl of gaiety, dancing,
play-going, dining out, and shopping.
She wrote, as she spoke, with a sim
pie directness of phrase which brought
here wildly to mind. At the end OF
the letter she mentioned Burgess.
"Esme is quite a celebrity, but not
a bit spoiled. He met me at Water
loo, and he has cancelled at least half
a-dozen engagements on my account.
/ He seems to be much stronger and
older, Perhaps I rather miss the
boy"
Hugo stared at the letter. frowning
and pulling at his moustache.. Bur
CESS, of course, must be suffering
from an inevitably swelled head. Joy
wouldn't admit as much, naturally
Perhaps she was disappointed. A mo,
ment later he was amazed at himself
for having experienced curious sense
of satisfaction. Later, he OWNED
that at this particular moment light
had been vouchsafed him, only, I'M
happily he shut his eyes to it. Joy, he
argued, accustomed to dominate he1
lover, was beginning to find out that
it was his turn to dominate her. 1r
world infinitely larger than Hern
shaw Magma, Burgess had been &C
claimed as a superior person!
For the rest of the day ne tried, moi
very successfully, to purge his mint
of an ever-increasing envy. The TWEEN
ty-four hours that followed were hui
initiating. Burgess forced upon hin
comparisons, which hitherto he hat
deliberately ignored. Hugo's oppor
tunities had been greater than those
of the son of an obscure journalist. A
last he saw them clearly, even as ;
captain might see the wreckage of |
gallant ship strewn upon some treach
, erous shore, knowing, with heartreno
ing conviction that irreprarable disas
; ter might have been avoided so easily
To her father, Joy wrote at create
length and with less reserve. Georg
Vennable handed the letter to Hug
at breakfast.
"Esme is wonderful Mollie, who