Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1909-08-10

hammered the knocker on the door.
Thomas opened the door himself
Thomas, fully crossed and in his custo-
mary health. had the blanket over
my arm.
81 brought the blanket, Thomas"
| said; Il am sorry you are so ill.,
The old man stood staring at me
under other circumstances would have
been ludricous.
What! Not ILL.," Halsey said from
the step. Thomas, I'm afraid you've
been malingering"
Thomas seemed to have heen debat
ing something with himself. Now he
the door gently behind him.
Il reckon you bettah come in, Mis-
Innes," he said, speaking cautiously.
Its got so l dunno what to do. and
it's boun' to come out some time er
ruther."
He threw the door open then, and !
stepped inside, Halsey close behind.
In the sitting-room the old negro turn
ed with quiet dignity to Halsey.
"You bettah sit down, sah," he said.
"It's place for woman, sah."
Things were not turning out the
way Halsey expected. He sat down on
the comfortable, with his hands thrust
in his pockets, and watched me as |
followed Thomas up the narrow stairs.
At the top a woman was standing and
a second glance showed me 1t was Ro-
sic. She shrank back a little, but /
said nothing. And then Thomas mo-
toned to partly open door, and Il
went in.
The lodge boosted three bedrooms
upstairs, all comfortably furnished.
In this one, the largest and ARREST, a
night lamp was burning, and by it's
light / could make out a plain white
metal bed. A girl was asleep Thereon
in half stupor, for she muttered
something now and then. Rosie had
taken her courage in her hands, and
coming in, had turned up the light.
| 1t was only then that I knew. Fever
flushed, i'll as she was, recognized
Louise Armstrong.
I stood gazing down at her in stu
por of amazement. Louise here, hiding
at the lodge, i'll and alone! Rosie came
up'to the BED and smoothed the white
counterpart.
| Il am afraid she is worse tonight"
she ventured at last. put my hand on
the sick girls forehead. 1t was burning
with fever, and l turned to where
Thomas fingered in the hallway.
"Will you tell me what you mean,
Thomas Johnson. by not telling me
this before?' / demanded Indignantly.
Thomas quailed.
Mis- Louise wouldn' let me-" he
said earnestly. 81 wanted to. She ought
to a had doctor the night she came,
but she wouldn hear to it. Is she--is
she very bad, Mis- Innes?"
Bad enough" l said coldly. Send
Mr.. lines up"
Halsey came up the stairs slowly,
looking rather interested and inclined
to be amused. For moment he could
not see anything distinctly in the dark
ened room; he stopped, glanced at
Rosie and at me. and then his eyes
fell on the restless head on tue pillow
| think he felt who 1t was before he
really saw her; he crossed the room
in couple Of strides and bent over
the bed.
"Louise!" he said softly; but she
did not reply, and her eyes showed nc
recognition. Halsey was young. and
illness was new to him. He straight
ened himself slowly, still watching
her, and caught my arm.
"Shes dying, Aunt Ray!" he sale
huskily. Dying! Why, she doesn,
know me-"
"Fudge!" l snapped, being apt t.
grow irritable when my sympathie.
are aroused. She's doing nothing o
the sort,-and don't pinch my arm. l
4 you want something to do, go ant
, choke Thomas"
But at that moment Louise aroused
;. from her stupor to cough, and at thu
, end of the paroxysm, as Rosie laid he
y back, exhausted, she knew us. Tha
was all Halsey wanted; to him con
seriousness was recovery. He droppet
on his knees beside the bed, and trie,
to tell her that she was all right, AM
9 we would bring her around in q hurry
g and how beautiful she looied-only t
r break down utterly and have to stor
q And at that came to my senses, an
y put him out.
- "This instant!" ordered, as ne he.
u itated. "And send Rosie here
: He did not go far. He sat on the to
- = step of the stairs, only leaving to tell
= phone for a doctor, and getting in e.
erybodys way in his eagerness
y. fetch and carry. got him away finall
- by sending him to fix up car as
~ sort of ambulance, in case the doctc
- would allow the sick girl to be move
~ He sent Gertrude down to the lode
loaded with all manner of impossib
Ut things, including an armful of Turks
w towels and box of mustard plaster
and as the two girls had known eae
n, other somewhat before, Louise brigh
" ened perceptibly when she saw her.
y. When the doctor came from Engl
" wood-the Casanova doctor, Doct
y. Walker, being away--had started f
VI Sunnyside, and I had got Thomas
VI stop trying to explain what he did n
nc understand himself had long ia
w with the old man, and this is what
~ learned.
IN Ito be Continued.)