Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1910-05-21

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again drank. His eyes grew watery but his man
ner became more stately.
Now. Pat, me BY, ten your old father all about
Ut" be demanded. finally. In tones OF paternal
couragement "Tis yr father knows there's
something doun. All. me ~. me BY, may ye niver
know the insidjusness Of sons tngratchude II
VI frfn's 30 back ye It's wan ting. but y'r son.
yr very flesh and blood the sthrain OF ut's trrble
An see what we've come to, Pat, me by. Why did
yet not FOLEY some manly calling like y'r fathher1
In the old country the o'Quins were the flower Of
the nobility Farr be ut fr wan who's fallun on
evil days to boast. but the blood OF kings nows in
yr veins IT'S noble We arr Ills noble VI father
is"
law. roll your hoop. father" said young Pat
FIJI give yer me wad Il must. but q can't waste
no time here listening to such foolish noise
dat Noble. sure! You're as noble as Robbit EN-
NIT minute and yoo'd swat sick baby the next.
Old Pat, with sudden upward heave OF his body
reached across the table He cuffed his son much
as an eDasperated mother-bear might Gun mis-
chievons cubson. Young Pat shot out OF his chair.
brought. up against the wall and made neat pile
OF himself in corner. The violence seemed to -.
Euage the irritation Of old Pats spirit He gazed at
his with expression that Appropriated good
nature. 'tNow. Pat, me BY, tell us all about It"
Young Pat picked himself up and skunk into chair.
When he spoke again It was evident that he had
decided to lay his cards on the table
There was. old Pat had guessed. something
DOING something more important than Young Pat
had ever undertaken before. These were the facts:
The house stood in lonely suburb woman
lived there with child and maid She had lot
of money on the place. also silver. Its me own
business how know" said young Pat They would
have to be getting at It: the husband would come
back in week. The house well protected.
young Pat did not know how he could break in. He;
had scraped acquaintance with the maid. had
thought for while he was going to have his way
with her But muffin doing there-the girls stuck.
the kid" There was nothing to 1t but that pal
must conceal himself somewhere in the house to let
young Pat in. Was his father willing to do that7
For q moment the old man, partly sobered by the
proposition. demurred. But young Pat, as az the idea
Of his fathers collaboration gained with considers
ton, urged 1t on him. rang for more drinks and
urged again. He drew plan Of the house clos
It In the back hall the natural hiding placeit
was big ventilated. seldom used and filed with
hind. They would go out there late in the after
noon. He would introduce his father to Margaret,
the maid. Old Pat would take his leave after
bit But in reality he would go no further than the
arbor. Young Pat in the meantime would go with
Margaret into the cellar, where he regularly chop
ped wood tor her. While he kept her there, talk
Ing old Pat was to slip back though the kitchen
to the back hall and hide himself in the closet.
After dark young Pat would cut the telephone
wires; there would be nothing to fear in case the
two women were alarmed. There were sheds over
an excavation the vacant lots next door, Young
Pat would wait there until his father opened the
door and gave the signal It looked feasible. In
the end the old man agreed.
The crackle Of an open fire, the solemn tick OF
tall clock the occasional chirp Of two little gray
BIRDS the spasmod1c rustic Of small black kitten
personally conducting himself In tour through the
wastebasket-the big room was full Of sound. and
yet 1t had tense air Of quiet. Points OF cheer
dotted its bleak squareness everywhere And yet
a perceptibe cloud OF melancholy hung over the
room The quiet seemed to concentrate in the still
figure OF q child lying on couch. The melancholy
seemed to emanate from the woman who stood at
the window looking anxiousy out
Outside the long, cold twilight was dying. A
sunset had cut its way under the horizon line But
it did not deceive Alicia Prendergast She had
been studying the weather all day. She knew that
she might expect bad night, with rain and perhaps
with fierce winds that shook and pommeled the pro
testing old house. 1t only for its effect the
child that she comprehended bad weather. She turn
ed to Molly. whom she had studied with fierce
intentness all day. Her slim body barely lifted the
covers from their own level She looked up at her
mother under line Of heavy eyelashes which cut
the gray lines of her big eyes exactly in hail. then
falling YEARLY, made blank OF her pale face. Now
she was perfectly quiet
Dr.. Myrick insisted that there was nothing sert