Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1910-08-27


flinging himself into one Of her easy
chairs, relieved his mind Of the days
occurrences.
Marsh is building those traps pure
ly out Of spite." she declared indig-
nantly, when he had finished. HE
doesn't need any more flsh--he has
plenty of traps farther up the river"
ITO be sure! i looks as If we might
have to depend upon the gill-netters.
1--WE will know before long. II the
fish strike in where George expects,
Marsh will be out pretty penny"
And If they don't strike In where
George expects. we will be out all the
expense Of building that trap"
Exactly! It's Fascinating business,
isn't it? It's business in which the
unexpected is always happening. But
the stakes are high and know you
will succeed"
Boyd smiled at her comforting as
surance; her belief in him was always
stimulating.
| "By-the-way," she continued, "have
you heard the historic story about the
pink salmon?"
He shook his head.
"Well there was a certain shreWd
old cannery-man in Washington State
| whose catch consisted almost wholly
Of pink fish, AS you know, that variety
does not bring as high a price as the
red salmon, like these. Well, finding
that he could not sell his catch, owing to
the popular prejudice about color, this
man printed lot Of striking can-la-
bells, which read. Best Grade Pink
| Salmon, Warranted Not to Turn Red
in the Can. They tell me it worked
like charm"
mo wonder" Boyd laughed, begin
ming to feel the tension Of his nerves
relax at the restfulness Of her influ.
ence. AS usual, he fell at once into the
mood she desired for him. He saw that
her brows were furrowed and her rosy
| lips drawn into an unconscious pout as
she said, more to herself than him:
81 wish were a man. I'd like to en-
gage in a business Of this sort, some
thing that would require ingenuity and
daring. I'd like to handle big affairs. :
ut seems to me that you are In a
business Of that sort. You are one ut
u.s."
ooh, but you and George are doing
it ALL"
| mere 10 yOuI COppOA-AuAAS' ~"
surely handled that very cleverly.'
Cherry's expression altered, and she
shot quick glance at him as he went
on:
Glow is it coming along, by-the D
way? haven't heard you mention 1t
lately?'
very we'll, I believe. The men were
down the other day, and told me 1t
was big thing"
"I'm delighted. How does 1t seem,
to be rich?"
There was the slightest hint of con-
straint in the girls voice as she
stared out at the slowly gathering
twilight, murmuring:
| I'll hardly know. Rich! That has
always been my-dream, and yet" 4
THE wonderful feature about
dreams" he took advantage Of her
pause to say, sis that they come true" "
''Not all of them-not the real, won
derful dreams" she returned.
ooh, yes! My dream is coming true
and so is yours"
81 have given up hoping for that, "
she said, without turning.
"But you shouldn't give up. Remem-
Der that all the great things ever &C
complished were only dreams at first,
and the greater the omplishments.
the more impossible they seemed to
begin with"
| Something in the girls attitude and
in her silence made him feel that his
words rang hollow and commonplace.
While they had talked, an unaccus-
toned excitement had been mounting
to his brain and it held him now in a
kind of delicious embarrassment. 1t
was as If both had been suddenly en-
folded in new and mysterious under
standing, without the need of speech.
He did not tell himself that Cherry
loved him; but he reused to fresh
perception Of her beauty, and felt
himself privileged in her nearness. At
the same time he was seized with tho
old. half-resentful curiosity to learn
| her history What wealth Of romance
lay shodowed in her eyes, what tragic
story was concealed by her consistent
silence. he could only guess: fol, she
was a woman who spoke rarely of her
self and lived wholly In the present.
Her very reticence inspired conf
| dence, and Boyd felt sure that here
was girl to whom one might confess
the inmost secrets of wretched soul
and rest secure in the knowledge that
his confession would be inviolate as If
locked in the heart Of the mountains.
He knew her for a steadfast friend,
and he felt that she was beautiful, not
only in face and form, but In all those
little indescribable mannerisms which
stamp the Individual. And this girl
was here alone with him, SO close that
by stretching out his arms lie might
erfolG her She allowed him to come
and go at will; her intimacy with him
! was almost like that Of an unspoiled
toy-yet different, so different that he
th.illed-at the thought, and the blood
rc:;nded up iato his throat.
It may have been The unusual arlor
Of his gaze that warmed her cheeks
end brought her eyes back from the
world outside. Al any rae. she turned,
flashing him startled glance that
caused his pulse to leap anew. Her
eyes widened and fash spread slowly
upwards to her hair then her lids