Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1908-07-18

"- SE1Af LIN IL. (COIllIlu6u).
"Look here,' he said. You don't
understand. I'm not joking. If my
mother is here, she knows all you
don't"
"As head of the family, claim a
right to be told anything I ought to
know which l don't know
Guy exhibited the first signs of i'm
patience.
"There are certain things which
can't be told. You're right. I'm a
fool, more fool than knave, perhaps,
although that is not quite clear to me.
I've made a mess of my life-and !
know 1t; l mean I'm beginning to
know 1t. When l left the court room
this afternoon I thought the worst
was over. 1t isn't. And I've dona
you an injury; disgraced the name
which Is yours and" he looked ut
Cynthia, .hers. No man had ever
better chances. Well, I'm sorry; yon
must always believe that"
always said Cynthia; the tears
were in her eyes.
eff you're really sorry" said Ed
ward, 'come home with us, and begin
again"
Guy glanced from husband to wife.
The only home he had ever Known
belonged to them. The very word
caught at his heartstrings. Then he
said heavily:
81 am to choose between her. he
glanced at the photograph, "and you"
Eyes" said Edward. Between her
and-us."
"She is waiting for me now"
"You choose her."
Eyes"
Cynthia rose quickly and glided be-
tween the brothers. Edward was
about to explode; Illuminating inter
j~ections cracked on his lips. Cynthia
held up her finger, imposing silence;
then she turned to Guy, holding out
both her hands.
Guy, dear Guy, if you loved her, if
she loved you, l would say nothing,
not one word. But you don't love her,
do you?" He was silent. "And from
a mistaken idea Of honor you are 60
Ing to commit suicide. Oh, it amounts
to that"
"She needs me, muttered Guy. He
was very pale.
"Pooh!" said Edward. "she needs
your money, not you. That's the bru-
tai truth"
"If she needs my money it is hers
Edwards face was purple. He had
fred his last shot.
Come" he said sharply to his
wife. Lets get out of this; it makes
nae sick; no more wild goose chases
for me-
He hurried out of the room, NUT
tering and suffering with futile ex.
ASPIRATION. Cynthia still looked en-
t%reatingly at Guy.
THAT this should be the end!" she
sighed.
"You had better CO." said Guy
hoarsely. He held out his hand, look
ing down, unable to meet the distress
and sympathy in her kind eyes. Now,
when it seemed possible that they
might never meet again, a thousand
memories of her rushed into his mind.
He could see her plainly, vividly,
as she appeared when she came home
to Saffron Charters as a bride. Guy
was then a boy of seven. and a child
of imagination and sensibility. From
some foolish nursegirl he had absorb
ed a nightmare dread of this new sis
ter-in-law into whose hands, for good
OF i'll, he was about to be delivered.
- >ohSSiSSu hCi-lSJ I1SdNSH th-
plain why!-to be old, ugly, cruel;
something just short of a witch. At
the psychological moment, prinked
out in black velvet, with red silk
stockings and a point-lace collar,
placed by the butler in the center of
the great hall. his courage failed him.
He fed to his room, crawled under
the bed, and sobbed his heart out. And
Cynthia, a girl Of eighteen, hailed him
from his hiding place, and kissed away
his tears. And there and then they
had sworn friendship. After that, for
years, Cynthia had been the one
bright particular star in his heaven
One may hazard a shrewd guess that
Cynthia herself was something Of a
child, and only too willing to become
the sister and companion of an ex-
ceptionally fascinating boy. Edward
from the first assumed the role of the
heavy father. On Sunday mornings
he would summon them peremptorily:
Come, children, we shall be late!'
Later, when her own sons were born,
the maternal instinct asserted itself.
Guy as Etonian asked for advice; as
Oxonian he sometimes deigned to take
it. She was the conidante of his
innocent love-affairs, which began