Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1910-05-19
THE SILENT WITNESS.
BY TEMPLE BAILEY.
Copyright, 1910. by Associated lite

airy Press.
No one knew just where the white
kitten belonged. The chances were
that she came from one OF the low
gray cottages along the line of the
beach. She could generally be found
on sandy hillocks at the remote end
of the peninsula, where she dug sunny
nests for herself and basled lazily
watching the sandpipers between
half-closed eyes. There were traces
of distinguished ancestors In the
length of her hair. the business or
her tail and the blueness of her eyes.
Now and then she drifted down close
to the waters edge and played with
the foam, of which she seemed al
most a part, with her snowy fur and
her light movements.
There were two persons who came
often to that end of the peninsula
and who played with the white kit
ten The girl who came wore white
gowns so that when the kitten lay
on her lap they seemed merged one
into the other.
"She is beauty" the girl said one
day in late summer. 81 am going to
steal her and take her home with
me, Richard"
The man laughed lazily. IF you
find out to whom she belongs, I'll
buy her for you and save the sin of
stealing"
The kitten blinked and yawned.
She had always lived by the sea and
she loved It, She did not know that,
over her head, they were planning to
carry her to the city where she would
tn, fha xuin1
After that they talked sweet moth
disagreed. The loud voices startled
the kitten and she sprang from her
resting place and flew down the
sands. But they did not notice her.
The girls face was as white as her
dress. II can't give all of my time
to you, Richard" she said, mot until
after our engagement is announced"
"Then announce it," he demanded.
"Why is it necessary to keep 1T
secret, Elizabeth"
II have told you and told you" she
stated, ."that until mother returns
from abroad and ratifies 1t must
not let the world know"
IT am SO afraid of losing YOU he
said, that perhaps I am unreason-
able. But you danced so often with
Radcliff last night that my heart
was heavy as watched you"
ooh, Radcliffe" She threw out
her hands in gesture of scorn. "As
lif any woman would look at him
twice when you are around, Rich
ard"
His face cleared at that and they
began their walk back toward the
hotel, talking peacefully as they
went. The white kitten trailed along
the beach, and, at length, rushing on
ahead of them, she landed on ledge
followed out by the waves. There
was hole in the ledge where bird
had made nest. Elizabeth stopped
and examined it. 'It's like a little
mail box" she said. Some day ]
am going to leave letter for you
here, Richard"
every day I shall look for it, he
declared ardently.
After that the kitten stood guard
often over letters which came to the
strange hiding place. Some of the
letters were in pale gray envelopes
and addressed in a feminine hand,
others were big and square with a
masculine scrawl. One day strange
man left a letter and when Elizabeth
opened it she gasped, How did he
know"
what is it," Richard demanded.
"How did Radcliff know that we
mailed our letters here?"
"You must have told him, Rich
ard said "You have been with him
often enough lately"
ooh, jealousy"
Her eyes blazed. "Will you never
understand that he is only an old
friend? Why I have known him
from boy"
"Why should he write you letters? 2
cts just some foolishness" She
tore open the envelope and gasped.
What does he say?" her lover de-
manded.
But she would not tell him, and.
jealousy getting the better Of him he
insisted that she should. The quar-
rel that followed made the white kit
ten cringe and then fly down the
beach toward the gray cottages. Late
that night, however, she scuttled
back to the ledge. It was moonlight.
The waves seemed crested with silver.
The white kitten stretched her snowy
length along the edge, half closing the
opening to the mail box. The man who
came later moved her gently. When
he had gone there peeped from the
hole the edge Of a white envelope.
The spring breeze blowing from the
ocean beat against the bit of paper,
and the cracking made the white
kitten sit up and take notice. She
patted the paper with her paw. 1t
gave a little and came half out from
the hiding place. Helped by the kit
tens eager paw and by the wind, 1T
lay luttering on the ledge. Then the
wind took it again, down the. beach.
Once it went sailing over the tops or
the waves, like some strange bird,
only to be brought back for the kit
tens plaything.
The next morning the kitten was
again on the ledge when the girl
came. She was alone and when she
had looked and found no letter she
sat down on the sands and cried
Presently a man came along the
i.