Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1909-01-09

/ respective homes. We'll send out
word to the boys that we'll have the
| fight tomorrow the invading army
will advance upon u.s. said Bert.
! you see, we've got to do our fighting
| on Saturday afternoon. It's too late
to have it in the evening after school"
| Yes, and We'll have to send our
challenge to the Smithfields tonight"
cried Sandy. "I'll go see Hank Smith
after supper Hes the captain of
the Smithfields and he'll notify his
regiment to be in readiness by tomor-
row afternoon"
In a room of poor tenement sat
an old woman, closely wrapped in a
! shawl that was almost threadbare.
Her palor and emaciation bespoke
long Hines sand sufferings. Her sur
rounding were pitiful to behold. Pow
erty--want-were depicted every
| where. AS the old woman sat beside
the little rusty stove. in which glow
| ed few bits Of soft coal, she kept
| turning her eyes in the direction of
! nickel clock on the rough wooden
| table in the corner.
| A tap came at the door and in re-
Spouse to the old woman's invitation
! to come in the door opened and a
slim, pale girl entered.
ooh. it's you, Maria," said the old
woman, smiling kindly. FRANKIE
| hasn't got back yet, and I'm very un
easy about him. What If" But a
lump in her throat choked her utter
ance.
"Well I just come in to say that
mas better and we can get on with
out the doctor. I'm sorry-or that Is
pas sorry. now that we sent poor
frankie for him. A doctor can't do
much good--except to take all the
money ones got. If frankie gets here
before the doctor comes will you ask
him to take this and go down to the
drug store and phone to the doctor
not to come. Well be thousand times
obliged to you, Mrs. Adams
well. Maria, you'd better let the
doctor come. since you've sent for
him. said the old lady. Besides.
can't allow Frankie to so out in this
storm again tonight. You'd better have
had him telephone at the start for the
doctor. 1t was too bad to send frankie
so far through the cold-and just to
save the S cents. frankie is all I've
got in the world--my dear dead
daughters son and I must be con-
siderate Of him. He's good boy:
earns enough to keep starvation and
| freezing from his old granny. But"
Cali right Mrs. Adams said the
girl, hastily. Then she withdrew, clos
| fno the door behind her
So the old woman sat alons watch
ing the clock and counting the min.
ntes, Halt an hour passed, then she
hear the doctors arrival in the rooms
| OF her neighbors down the hall She
hastily hobbled there to inquire Of
him if he had seen her grandson. The
doctor merely shook his head without
so much as looking at the anxious
grandmother who questioned him.
mo, l have not seen the bow" he
said. Gle left word with my Office al
tendant for me to come here directly
suppose he departed at once.
"And he left home an hour ago.
said the old grandmother: eve
watched the clock. fear this storm
=" She hobbled out again and down
the hall to her own room. tits only u
1 !.
she nl,lrmured. "And l told him 10
stop at the butchers coming back
and to get bit OF meat for our break
fast. But he could have gone to the
doctors, stopped at the butchers and
reached home all inside Of forty min
utes. Well, I'll have to wait and
matt"
-
| And out in the night wandered
| frankie. He had started from the doc
tors house, turning down side
street where he thought he might find
a better refuge from the storm for -
! few blocks. He, meant to turn into
another street that would lead him di
rectly to the butchers shop. but, walk
ing so rapidly. head down, against tho
flying snow and sleet, he passed the
corner where he had intended to make
| the turn. At the next corner he invol-
unfairly turned, going on and on, hard
| ly lifting his face from his coat ex-
cept to glance sideways towards any
| lighted window he might chance to
pass, looking for the familiar window
of the butcher shop
After going on for some time and
failing to arrive at the place intended,
frankie stopped short and looked
around him. Surely he must have
turned in the wrong direction! The
street he was now In was strange to
him. There was nothing to do but to
retrace his steps. So he turned quick
ly about and went back over the way
he had just come But OH and on he
walked, and suddenly he found HIM
self on the outskirts of the town. And
the wind was blowing SO fiercely that
it almost lifted him from his feet. And
his coat was SO thin that the cold
pierced to his very marrow. He be-
gan to feel numb, to fear that he could
no longer drag himself further with
out resting
Just then an object doomed up in
his way. He had lost the pavement in
the heavy snow and was wandering
about aimlessly, in vain trying to get
his bearings. The object proved 70
be Fort Burton, and frankie stumbled
against the outer wall Then he came
close to the little door that led Into
the "opi GERS aDsrfrant ubich had