Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1910-02-19
note to Mrs. Waid at half past seven
Not Observation-Disclosures ~

note to Mrs. Waid at half past seven.
Not before-understand?
Then, as the man slipped noiselessly
out of the ROOM Waid donned his coat
and hat and went stolidly down the
front steps to the wintery street
Ruth Waid, standing at the head Of
the stairs. had heard those brief in
structions to Edward. No sooner had
the front door closed behind her hus-
band than she summoned Edward TO
her
"Mr Waid left note for me?" she
asked. Somehow she felt some vague
premonition that trouble impended
at was to be delivered at half-past
seven, 'am," said the imperturbable
Edward.
Bring it to me now" she com
manded.
| Alone in her room above the stairs
she read it, gasped and read it again.
Then she called for the carriage and
her wraps.
Ten minutes later she was bowling
along the cheerless streets, covered
now with fine, powdery snow which
was sitting down, toward the station.
Arrived there, she sent back the
carriage, looked up on the time table
the schedule of western trains and
took up her vigil at the gates half
hour before the departure of each and
waited there until the gates were clos
ed as the train started.
1t was not until nine o'clock that
she saw her husband coming through
| the wide center arch to the train shed.
She hurried away from the gate, and
from distance watched him show
his ticket, pass through the gate and
down the platform. Then she, too,
passed down the platform and board
ed one Of the ordinary coaches.
The train pulled out into the cold
night The city was behind, and in
the white open country, where lights
were growing more and more infre'
| ouent the train was gathering speed.
Robert Waid sat stolidly in his sec
ton Of one of the sleepers, his face
close to the frosty window pane
watching the white landscape slip
past.
Ruth had read his note by this time,
he reflected. She had probably wept
over it perfunctorily, and then called
UP Hastings, the attorney, to see what
provision had been made for her. He
smiled to himself as he fancied her re-
lief when she found it SO ample.
| Some one had sat down beside him
| without so much as asking leave.
Waid turned, stared in unbelief, and
then sat up very straight.
| Ruth" he cried.
| Silently, her hand was slipped into
his own, lust as it had been wont to do
| in those old, old days-the days of the
first struggles, when they had sat to-
gether in the shadows of evening,
building air castles together and
dreaming great dreams.
| "Where are you going?' he STAN
mered at length, namely.
| where are you going?" she asked
very quietly.
| me? don't know West some
where. I'm going to start over.
She smiled and her fingers tighten
ed about his own.
Then that Is where am going.
J West somewhere, to start all over
with you"
you can't" he said almost harshly.
| st means"
| Don't I know what it means?" she
asked. Work, work, fight and strug-
gle, just as it was in those glorious
days before And in the evenings wen
dream our dreams and build our air
castles all over again. Oh, Robert,
you silly, silly boy, you thought it was
what we got that | cared for; but you
were wrong. 1t was the struggle that
was the real fun-the fight against
odds, close together, OH SO very close
together in those days, Bob, dear, you
and T.
In the back of the car two grinning
porters watched a couple in certain
section and nudged each other delight
eddy.
lone o. dem we're spoony middle
aged honeymoons," said the first.
| .'Uh-huh,t assented Number Two,
"Oughter fall fer good fat tips, de ole
hoy had"