Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1909-09-04

| entered Charity hospital, / had heard
a sad and pitiful narrative, and had
seen a woman slip into the uncon-
seriousness that is only step from
death
Briefly, then, the housekeeper's
story was this:
She was almost forty years old, and
had been the sister-mother of a large
family OF children. One by one they
had died, and been buried beside their
in little town in the middle
west. There was only one sister left,
the baby, Lucy. On her the older girl
had larished all the love of an Inn
pulsive and emotional nature. When
Anne, the elder, was thirty-two and
Lucy was nineteen, a young man had
come to the town. He was going east
after spending the summer at a cele.
brated ranch in Wyoming-one OF
those places where wealthy men send
worthless and dissipated sons, for a.
season OF temperance, fresh air and
hunting The sisters. of course, knew
nothing of this. and the young mans
ardor rather carried them away. In
word, seven years before, Lucy Has.
Wen had married young man whose
Anne Haswell had married carpen.
ter in her native town, and was
widow. For three months everything
went fairly well. Aubrey took his
bride to Chicago. where they lived AT
hotel Perhaps the very lnso-
phistication that had charmed him in
Valley Mill Jared on him in the city.
He had been far from model husband
even for three months, and when he
disappeared Anne was almost thank
full. 1t was different with the young
wife, however. She dropped and fret
ted, and on the birth of her baby boy.
she had died. Anne took the child,
and named him Lucicn.
Anne had had no children of her
own, and on I.ucien she had lavished
all her aborted maternal instinct On
one thing she WAS determined. how
ever; that was that Aubrey Wallace
should educate his boy. 1t was a part
of her devotion to the child that she
should be ambitious for him: he must
have every opportunity. And so she
came east. She drifted around, doing
plain sewing and keeping home
somewhere always for the boy. Finally,
however, she realized that her only
training had been domestic. and she
put the boy in all Episcopalian home,
and secured the position Of house
keeper 10 the Armstrong;. There she
found Lucien's father, this time under
his own name. 1t was Arnold Arm
strong.
gathered that there was no par
ticular enmity at that time in Anne's
mind She told hirp OF the boy, and
threatened exposure if he did not pro-
vide for him. Indeed. for time, he
did so. Then he realized that Lucien
was the ruling passion in this lonely
woman's life. He found out where
the child was hidden, and threatened
to take him away. Anne was frantic.
The positions became reversed. Where
Arnold had given money for Luciens
support, as the years went on he fore
ed money from Anne Watson instead
until she was always penniless. The
lower Arvold sank in the scale, the
heavier his demands became. With
| the rupture between him and his
family, things were worse. Anne took
| the child from the home and hid him
| in farmhouse near Casanova, on the
Claysburg road There she went some
times to see the boy. and there he had
taken fever The people were Ger
mans. and he called the farmers wife
Grossmutter He had grown into o
| beautiful boy, and he was all Anne
| had to live for
| The Armstrong; left Tor California,
and Arnold's prosecutions began anew.
He was furious over the child's dis
appearance and she was afraid he
would do her some hurt. She left the
big house and went down to the lodge.
! When l had rented Sunnyside, how
ever, She had thought the prosecutions
would stop. She mad applied for the
position of housekeeper, and secured
| it.
| That had been on Saturday. That
| night Louise arrived unexpectedly.
/ Thomas sent for Mrs. Watson and
then went for Arnold Armstrong at the
| Greenwood club I Anne had been fond
| of Louise-she reminded her of Lucy.
She did not know what the trouble
was, but Louise had been in a state
Of terrible excitement. Mrs. Watson
tried to hide from Arnold, but he was
ugly. He left The, lodge and went up
| to the house about two.thirty, was a
mitted at the east entrance and came
out again very soon. Something had
| occurred. she didn't know what; but
very soon Mr.. Innes and another
gentleman left, using the car.
Thomas and she had got Louise
quiet. and little before three. Mrs
] Watson started up 10 the house
! Thomas had key to the east entry
and gave it to her.
On the way across the lawn she
was confronted by Arnold, who fol-
some reason was determined TO gel
into her house. He had a golf sticl
in his hand, that he had picked ur
somewhere, and on her refusal he hat
struck her with it. One hand hac
been badly cut, and it was that, poison
ing having set it. which was killing
her. She broke away In frenzy O.
rage and fear, and got into the house
while Gertrude and Jack Bailey were
at the front door. She went upstairs
hardly knowing what she was doing
/ Gertrude's door was open, and Hal
sey's revolver lay there on the bed
She picked 1t up and turning rar
4 part way Gown the circular staircase
She shipped down quietly and opened
/ Tho dfnr. he was inside before ghe