Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1908-07-23
p V,
Entered at stationer's Hall


CHAPTER v.
He woke next morning none the bet
ter for a bad night, disturbed by alb
surd dreams in which he had taken a
leading part as hog. constrained to
root ~assiduously or die: while a lady
with a face like Lady Hamilton's
and. If less gorgeously, far better
dressed than the Queen Of Sheba, look
ed on a%pplaudingly. Whenever he IN
earthed a truff1e she gobbled it.
At breakfast, Prixton's im%perturb-
able expression got on his nerves.
What did Pixton really think? Was
he capable of sustained thought? And
If he thought at all, could his thoughts
be translated into plain speech. AS a
boy Pixton had been rather voluble.
One had really to stop him when once
he tackled the engross1ng subject OF
ferrets. 1t might unloose his tongue
If he were addressed suddenly as
bill" Happy thought that!
well Bill, what are we going to
do now?"
Prixton nearly dropped the fresh
toast which he had just brought in.
For a moment he became a boy again,
a boys acuou grin glimmered up
on his shallow face.
5.I dunno, Master Guy. | s'pese, in
old days, we'd ha' tried another
bury (burrow).
Bravo, Bill! | thought l should
strike fire from YOUR flinty phiz. Try
another bury, eh?''
Yes, sir" Prixton had spent an
hour reading, in half a dozen papers,
the comments on the trial. Guys
.# 1ioht f0nn lo1 oo,ripH# him h oly to tho
warren at Saffron Charters. Now he
was in London again-the mute at a
beloved masters funeral. Guy look
ed at him and smiled. Well, well,
old Prixton was right. And words
were cheap, unless you employed a
X. G. to speak them; and something
infinitely greater than words bound
master and man together. He finished
a sorry meal in silence.
A pile Of letters lay on his plate.
Plenty of time to read them when he
had lighted a pipe. Time, indeed
stretched before him like a Siberian
steppe in September, brown, arid, IL
limitable-a desert between Nothing
and Nowhere. With an impatient
gesture he knocked owe the neat
pile so carefully arranged by the
impeccable Pixton. One envelope
challenged his attention. He recog
missed the handwriting, although he
had not seen it for two or three years
With a slight exclamation he picked
up the letter and tore it open. II
was from the Wayfarer who had
seemed to tilt a too fasti6ious nose
upon the preceding afternoon.
"Dear Guy" Git began),-"Did you
curse me for one of them 'unco guild
yesterday? Perhaps. | rather avoid
ed you, because | felt that you might
not wish to speak to anyone just al
! that moment. But it has been on my
mind ever since hat | was wrong
and that you would, or might, misin
terpret my silence. We used to be
great friends. And now, if | can hell
you in any way, let me do SO, because
Of those good old times. We nigh
nip off somewhere together.-Yours
ever Jim
Tobacco tasted sweeter after this
Guy read the letter three times, ant
then put it away in a dispatchbox
He felt strangely warmed and com
forted, but at the same time apathetic
Time was when he would have snatch
ed up a telegram-form, scrubbed OIL
s u w L " w bAS thtSi AlioSb I'M
OF the EARTH" and dispatched it. Nov
he sat in his chair, smoking and re
feoting that the uttermost ends Of tn
earth were a long way off. If it wer
possible, he would like to sit jus
where he was for a few years, Sc
nobody. do nothing take a rest-cure
He told Prixton that he was mot a
home" no matter who might cal
Pixtonss bland Very good, sir,
seemed to commend this resolution
He did not open the other letters, no
did he glance at the morning paper
An hour or two passed. Then Phi
ton appeared, rather fiustered.
Miss. Tempest, sir. She must Sc
you for five minutes. said you ha
an 'eadache, and was seeing NJ
body"
Guy went into the sitting room
Angela, sitting in the most comfor
able chair, nodded when Guy appea
ed.
81 ran in to thank you for til
cheque, and to tell you a bit
news. I've had a letter from job
He'll let me keep Poppet for the ne!
six months provided don't see you.
dashed off a note promising fat
fully all he asked"
"And you break that promise
ences