Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1908-01-28

1 In his rather abrupt way. MY father
brought me up on travel books and
books Of adventure. He had SO long
ed to know other countries and other
people, but this was denied him.
If he had lived-!" He broke of
shaply Agnes Brenton looked at
him; he was frowning, and he was
staring into the fire; ne seemed to
have drifted far far away in his
thought from the light and warmth
and cosy charm of his actual surround
ings,
Suddenly he turned and looked at
her; his eyes were very bright.
! My father was a HERO he said
there was a note in his voice which
made Mrs. Brenton bite her lip nerv-
ously-"he was a doctor-a man who
worked all day and sometimes all
night, in that crowded, tragically
poor factory town where spent so
many years of my life. l worshipped
my father, Mrs. Brenton: he was an
enthusiast, a dreamer, a saint He
died in harness, sacrificed to the
poverty and misery of the people who
were his first thought. There was
fearful outbreak of fever and diph-
iberia. and he did superhuman work"
Haverford shrugged his shoulders; he
was trying to speak evenly. "Every
mans endurance has limit, and my
father paid the natural. the inevitable
penalty. That was great many
years ago. but he lives with me al
most as clearly as though he were
really in existence now! I have only
one reproach against his memory
the young man got up restlessly. His
cigar had gone out, he found box
OF matches. and lit 1t again. HE sent
me away to avoid the Infection he
said. in low voice. "and he died
before l could get to him! That was
hard! He could never have realised
how hard that was to me, or surely
he would not have done It,"
Mrs. Brenton's eyes were wet. 1t
was not alone his story, the strained
tones Of his voice that moved her;
the man himself appealed to her
sharply. and for the first time She
marvelled as she listened as she
looked at him now, how she could
have so misunderstood him. 1t had
become the fashion with most people
to call Rupert Haverford hard names,
to find him mean, selfish, and un-
| generous; Mrs. Brenton had never
gone so far as that. She had, in
truth. judged him leniently, recognis-
ing in his blunt fashion Of speaking.
in his straightforward manner, and
rather deliberate methods only the
natural influence of his former cir
cumstances; indeed, it had always
seemed to her remarkable that any
man who had toiled as Haverford
had done, whose life had been set for
so long in one narrow groove, should
have taken his new place so quietly
and have moved with such uncon-
scious dignity in the new world which
revolved about him today. He was
distinctly out Of the fashion, it was
true, In many ways, but he was never
uncouth, and though there was at
timee a North Country burr in his
voice, he spoke with refinement. In
physique he was refined too, and no
one could find fault with the clothes
he wore.
Mrs. Brenton had not gushed over
him, but she had always liked him.
Nevertheless, there had been mo-
ments when he had chilled her; mo-
ments in which the possibility Of
mingling Camilla Lancing's future
with his Ga scheme which she cherish
ed warmly had seemed almost pre-
posterous; when he had made her
both impatient and angery, and she
had almost longed to shake him out
of his grave. stolid ways and pract-
ical outlook.
Tonight all this was changed; he
was new man to her tonight; she
felt drawn to him very closely. She
tried to say something in answer to
his last speech but even as the words
trembled on her lips Haverford spoke
on in his usual quite way.
when l start on my travels
think I shall bequeath the care of my
motors to you. Mrs. Brenton. Though
you hate them, l know you are too
tender hearted to ill-treat them"
She laughed, falling in with his
change of mood.
II will take care of them if you will
promise to come back. You must
come back" she said /" and marry
and go into Parliament, and generally
settle down.
Eyes, l suppose shall marry some
day" Haverford answered. He had
passed away entirely from that touch
of emotion; indeed, his eyes twinkled.
Marriage is about the one occupation
which my change Of fortune has sug
gested to me from the very COM
mencement. But am not in hurry"
he added. do you know why like
you Mrs. Brenton?" he said all at
once
| She shook her head.
81 am only too glad to know that
you do like me, without wondering
why you do"
well, you appeal to me for many
reasons" said Rupert Haverford.
"but particularly because you are