Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1909-10-19

that he did not heed. II indeed he
heard, Ardmore'B promise to keep an
eye out for the lost governor. Like
most other people the secretary of the
Bronx Loan and Trust company did
not understand Ardmore, but Thomas
Ardmore, having long ago found him
self ill-iudged by the careless world,
lived by standards Of his own, and
these would have meant nothing what
ever to Billings.
Ardmores effects had been brought
down and were already piled on a car
riage at the door. In his pocket was
his passage to New Orleans and a
gtate-room ticket At the cashiers
desk Miss Dangerfeld paid her bill,
just ahead Of him.
"If any kilograms come for my
father please forward them to
Raleigh" said the girl The manager
came out personally to show her to
her carriage, and having shut the door
upon her, he wished Ardmore, who
stood discreetly by, a safe journey.
"Off for New Orleans, are you, Mr.
Ardmore?" asked the manager court
eously.
no" said Ardmore, I'm going to
Raleigh to look at the tall buildings"
whereat the manager returned to his
duties, gravely shaking his head.
At the station Ardmore caught sight
of Miss Dangerfield, attended by two
porters, hurrying toward the Tar Heel
Express. He bought a ticket TO Raleigh
and secured the last available berth
from the conductor on the platform at
the moment of departure.
Ardmore did not like to be hurried,
and this sudden change of plans had
been almost too much for him, but he
was consoled by the reflection that
after all these years of. waiting for
Just such an adventure he had proved
himself equal to an emergency that
required quick thought and swift ac-
ton. He had not only found the girl
with the playful eye, but he had learn
ed her identity without. as it Were,
turning over his hand. Not even Girls
void who was the greatest man he
knew-Griswold with his acute legal
tests of wit with lawyers of highest
repute-not even Griswold, Ardmore
f1attered himself, could have managed
better.
The state-room door stood open and
from his seat at the farthest end of
the car Ardmore caught fleeting
glimpse of Miss Dangerfield as she
threw off her jacket and hat; then
she summoned the porter gave him
her tickets. babe him smiling good
night and the door closed upon her.
The broad grin on the porter's face
grin of delight as though he had
spoken with some exalted deity-filled
Ardmore with bitterest envy.
He went back to smoke and plan his
future movements For the first time
in his life he faced tomorrow with
eager anticipations, resolved that
nothing should thwart his high re-
solves, though these, to be sure. were
somewhat hazy. Then, from feeling
of great satisfaction, his spirit reacted
and he regretted that he had been de-
prived of the JOY of prolonged search.
II he could only have followed her
until, at the last moment, when about
to give up forever and accept the fru-
gal consultations of memory, he met
her somewhere face to face! These re-
Elections led him to wonder whether
he might not have been mistaken
about the wink after all. Griswold,
with his wider knowledge of the world
had secuted the idea. Very likely II
one of those blue eyes had actually
winked at him it had been out of mere
playfulness, and he would never in
the world refer to it when they met.
Billings had applied the term peppery
to her. and he felt that he should al
ways hate Billings for this; Billings
was only a financial automaton any
how, who bought at the lowest and
sold at the highest, and bored one
very often with strangely-wo rded pa
pers which one was never expected to
understand. He did not know why Bill
lines was so anxious to find Miss Dan
gerfield's father, but as between man
of Billings purely commercial in
stincts and the governor of great
state like North Carolina Ardmore re-
solved to stand by the Dangerfields to
the end of the chapter. He was proud
to remember his estate at Ardsley,
which was in Governor Dangerfield's
jurisdiction, and had been visited by
the game warden, the state forester,
and various other members OF the gov
ernor's official household. though Ard
more could not remember their names.
He had never in his life visited
Raleigh, but far down some dim vista
of memory he saw Sir Walter cover
ing a mud-puddle with his cloak for
Queen Elizabeth. 1t was a picture OF
this moving incident in an old history
that rose before him, as he tried vain
" to recall Just how it was that Sir
Walter had lost his head. He wonder
ed whether Miss Dangerfield's name
was Elizabeth, though he hoped not.
as the name suggested a town in New
Jersey where his motor had once
broken down on rainy evening when
he was carrying Grlswold to Princeton
to deliver lecture.
Ardmore smoked many pipes and
did not turn in until after midnight.
The car was hot and stuffy and he
slept badly. At some hour of the morn,
ing, being again awake and restless,
he fished his dressing-gown and slip.
pers out of his bag and went out on
the rear platform. His was the last
car. and he found campstool and
crouched down upon it in a corner of
4 - = 4.