Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1909-07-29

smoking,
mo, ma'am." He was injured Ia
nocence itself. cts on my coat,
ma am. Over at the club the gen.
tlemen--"
But Thomas did not finish The
pantry was suddenly filed with the
odor of smuggling cloth. Thomas gave
a clutch at his coat, whirled to the
sink, filled a tumbler with water and
poured it into his right pocket with
the celebrity of practice.
Thomas" I said, when he was
sheepishiy mopping the floor. "snolz-
ing Is filthy and injurious habit. If
you must smoke, you must; but don't
stick lighted pipe in your pocket
again. Your skins your own: you
can blister it If you like But this
house is not mine, and don't want
conflagration. Did you ever see this
cuff-lipk before?'
No, he never had, he said, but he
looked at it oddly.
IT picked it up in the hail. said
indifferently.
The old mans eyes were shrewd
under his bushy eyebrows.
There's strange goin's-on here,
Mis- Innes," he said, shaking his head.
"Somethins goin to happen, sure.
You amt took notice that the big
clock in the hall is stopped. ! reckon"
Nonsense said. Clocks have
to stop. don't they, II they're not
wound?'
TITS wound Up all right. and it
stopped at three o'clock last night, y,
he answered AoEemnly. ..More'n thar,
that there clock Amt stopped for fif
teen years, not since Mr.. Armstrong;
first wife died. And that amt ALL
no maam. Last three nights I slep'
in this place, after the eiectrics went
out | had Q token, MY oil lamp WIS
full of oil, but II KEEP goin' out, co
what ! would. Minute l shet my
eyes. out that lamp d go. There
amt no surer token of death. The
Bible seq, ct yer light shine! When
hand you can't see puts yer light
out. it means death, sure"
The old mans voice was full of con-
yiction. In spite of myself | had :,
chilly sensation in the small of my
back, and left him mumbling over
his dishes. Later on ! heard crash
from the pantry, and Liddy reported
that Beulah, who is coal black, had
darted in front of Thomas just as he
picked up a tray of dishes; that the
bad omen had been too much for him,
and he had dropped the tray.
The chug of the automobile as It'll
climbed the hill was the most welcome
sound | had heard for long time. and
with Gertrude and Halsey actually be
fore me, my troubles seemed over for
good. Gertrude stood smiling in the
hall, with her hat quite over one ear.
and her hair in every direction under
her pink veil. Gertrued is a very
pretty girl, no matter how her hat is
and | was not surprised when Hal
sey presented a good-looking young
man, who bowed at me and looked
at Trude-that is the ridiculous nick
name Gertrude brought back from
school.
II have brought guest. Aunt Roy,
Halsey said. II want you to adopt
him into your affections and your Sat
urday-to Monday list, Let me pre-
sent ,Tohn Bailey, only you must call
him Jack. In twelve hours he'll be
calling you Aunt; know him.
We shook hands, and got chance
to look ~ MIR. Bailey; he was a tall
felIor "-,s thirty. and he wore a
ston'' he. remember won
derin he seemed to have 4
good ard when he smiled his
teeth were above the average. One
never knows why certain men cling
to a messy upper lip that must get
into things, any more than one I'M
derstands some women building up
their hair on wire atrocities. Other
wise, he was very good to look at,
stalwart and tanned. with the direct
gaze that l like. am particular
about Mr.. Bailey, because he was
prominent figure in what happened
later.
Gertrude was tired with the trip and
went UP to bed very soon. ! made
up nv mind to tell them nothing until
the next day. and then to make as
light of our excitement as possible.
After all, what had I to tell? An In
auisitiye face peering In at window;
a crash in the night; scratch or two
on the stairs. and half cuff-button!
AS for Thomas and his forbodings
it was always my belief that negro
is one part thief one part pigment,
and the rest superstition.
1t was Saturday night, The two
men went to the billiard-room, and !
could hear them talking as went up
stairs 1t seemed that Halsey had
stopped at the Greenwood club for
gasolene and found Jack Bailey there.
with the Sunday golf crowd. Mr.. Bail
ey had not been hard to persuade
probably Gertrude knew why--and
they had carried him off triumphantly.
reused Liddy to get them something
to eat-Thomas was beyond reach in
the lodge-and paid no attention .
her evident terror Of the kitchen reg
ions. Then | went to bed. The men
were still in the billiard room when
finally dozed off, and the last thing
I remember was the howl of dog
in front Of the house. 1t walled a
crescendo of woe that trailed off hope
fully, only TO break ont afresh from a
new point of the compass
At three o'clock in the morning |
was rol1sed by a revolver shot. The