Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1908-01-09

like me - even enough to write to
me as Dear Miss JANET"
ooh. the sweet ANGEL" muttered
Vic Morris, grinding his mustaches
between his teeth SO hard that he bit
off an end - the one he was best
pleased with.
He became conscious that he had
lacked that suppleness OF pen and ex-
preston possessed by his correspond
ent. Yes, he had actually addressed
her as Dear Miss Janet" and what
was the matter with that? 1t was a
plain, respectable, respectful mode Of
addressing lady. But - confound
the girl, what did she mean by laugh
ing at him? He put down the letter,
turned to a file Of invoices bills of
lading and so forth, sighed deep
sigh, and picked up Janet Fowler's
letter again.
81 am fool" he said; perhaps it
is because | am out here all alone"
But even then the vision of Janet
Fowler yelling her sapphire eyes,
hypocritically, with the corner of her
morning apron. and reciting around
the corner of folded Madonna hands,
Weep for the Orphan. lone and lorn'
moved him to helpless laughter.
"Its no use getting wrathy with
that girl - or pretending to. A fell
low likes her letters. No mistake
about that. She tells you things, and
you never know when the whip is
going to crack about your own ears"
There was not much more of the let
ter. at any rate, and, involuntarily in
spite of the crack Of the whip, he
| mourned that there was so little.
How would she end it? He always
| thought of the endings of Janet's
letters. They were nice to think about
down in the mine or out on the great
open lodges of the mountain. whence
the big loaded sledges handed them
selves down from the heights to the
banks of the sluggish Nervion, some
| thousand feet below, as easily as a
monkey comes down rope.
This is how Janet of the plain face
and beautiful eyes concluded her let
ter to Mr.. Ludovic Morris. First
there was the crack Of the whip.
| 81 see - and hear - good deal
of the Healthy Family these days
tshe wrote) the Calmonts, mean. Elk
cepting Phil, who is busy digging his
way through to Miss Vida B. F. Ro-
mer, l declare l can't keep them off
our doorstep. l have to Shoe them
out of the hall = or set father on
them. to explain church history Then
only they will go. Church history and
hunger are to them the extreme pen
alties of the law But Aaron and Hur
are dabs at holding wool l taught
them"
Indeed" snorted Mr. Morris
fiercely, about all they are good for!"
But somehow the thought did not
comfort him. Then. after a pause, and
with an air Of disgust, which may
have been due to thee slang Or may
not, he added "Dabs, indeed! I'll
dab them!'
He had crushed the letter in his
hand. Somewhat too hastily. it ep-
! peared. for it cost him the trouble Of
smoothing it all out again.
The ends the thing. And he wanted
that.
He knew very. well that she was
teasing him. but sofehow that did not
! seem to help matters. He wondered
what a girl like Janet saw in thee Cal
! monts. Phil was we'll enough. There
were the makings of man abou:
Phil. But as for the rest = cloud of
! butterflies in a garden = fight OF
wild geese alighting with splash i'll
a lonely pond and then with squawk
ing. taking their way again the next
moment TO these and other things
less savory, did Vic Morris compare
the Calmonts
/ Janet ought to Enow better = and