Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1909-04-29

n NEXT TO TIE COURIER. %
= ssssssr
to stand between them and kindly
friendship?
There was little sleep for him that
night; and In the morning the first
thing he did was to pick up the wine
glass. 1t was all true. And then his
good resolutions melted and vanished.
He must have one more word with
| her. happen what might. So at ten
o'clock he called cab and drove
rapidly to the Sanford place. Snow
had fallen during the night, and
many of the steps were still spotless
white. Impossible! He leaned from
the cab and rubbed his eyes Abso-
lutely impossible! For what did he
see? Wooden shutters over all the
lower windows and the iron gates
closed before the doors! And not a
footprint anywhere. This was extra
ordinary. He jumped from the cab, ran
| it ten times with minute intervals.
And no one answered. Then he heard
a call from across the street. A man
stood in one of the areaways.
| Nobody home!" he shouted. Gone
to Egypt
But there was some one here last
night" Hillard shouted back
i Last night? Guess you've got the
wrong street and wrong house, young
man.
"But this is the Sanford placer"
Nothing else
81, was here last night
Dreaming. That house has been
empty since November. I happen to
be the caretaker'' se
Hillard went back to his cab, dazed
81 No one there last night? Come
. come; there was a mistake some
where. 1t was out Of the question that
he had been in another house. He
would soon find out whether or not he
had dined there the night before.
"a cable-ofice!" he cried to the
cabby. Hurry
Once there he telephoned down
: town and secured Sandford's cable ad.
} dress. Then he filled out blank
which cost him ten dollars Late that
night at the club he received his re
: ply. 1t was terse.
> You are crazy. House absolutely
). empty. Sanford.
CHAPTER VII.
!, Hillard made an inexcusab!y care,
r less shot 1t was under his hand 10
!, have turned an even forty on his
string. He grounded his cue and stood
= back from the table. That was the
, way everything seemed to go; at ten
. mis- at SQUASH, at fencing, at billiards
7 it was all the same The moment
:, victory was within his grasp his in.
. terest waned Only last night he had
a lost his title as the best fencer in the
: club; disqualified in the preliminaries,
= too, by tyro who would never cease
q to brag about the accident.
:. II say, Jack, what's the matter with
!, : you, anyhow asked Merrihew, out Of
patience "a boy could have made
that three.cushion, his hands tied be.
a hind him.
II sit was bad" Hillard agreed Per
v. haps | am not taking the interest IN
J. the game that I formerly took"
d 81 should say not You lost me fifty
J. last night. Corlis has no more right
:" to cross foils with you than l have;
and yet he goes in for the finals,
. while you are out of it. Where's your
"a eye? Where's your grip?'
q. Hillard chalked his cue silently.
Ia "And when I make proposition"
pursued Merrihew, ito ride to the
Catskills and back-sonething you
81 would have jumped at year ago ~
g you shake your head. Think of it:
s. Through unbroken roads, nights at
!, farm-houses. old feather beds, ice in
IL the wash-basin, liver and bacon for
breakfast, and off again! Snow or
le rain! BY George, you had bully time
IS last year; you swore it was the best
v. trim we ever took on the horses. Re-
~ member how we came back to town.
at hungry and hardy as Attic explorers?
~ Come on; everything it dull down
in town. Where's your spirit of adven-
e ture?"
n .Tm sure don't know where it is.
as Shall we finish the gamer"
le '.Not if you're going to throw it like
re this, declared Merrihew. He was
= proud of his friends prowess in
nc games of skill and strength, and he
10 10 was wroth to see him lose all interest
~ unaccountably.
nd sTen and string against your half
he a string" said Hillard, studying the
ak score. "rll bet bottle that I beat
d? you
he "Done.' said Merrihew. Being on
90 his mettle, he made clean score OF
lis twenty, five to go. II can see you pay
re ing for that check, Jack
in But the odds tingIed Hiliard's blood
ng He settled down to a brilliant play anf
,g, turned sixty-one in beautiful form
nd There were several shots which
nut caused Merrihew to gasp.
re eTo be Continually
(