Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1910-06-11
! THE EVENING STORY
BY FORCE OF CHEEK.
Hu a<neAnNA AlfeAA rIau
by GaWrenCe N1reu Gay
Copyright 1910 by Associated Literal

Copyright lSlU Uy ASSOCldISU LlI6Idly
Press.
Col. Alexander burlington, Of the
suburban village of Granville, was a
terror. He had been4retired on half
pay, and he blamed the United States
for not retaining him ten years
longer AS the postmaster was tbs
only representative Of the United
States at hand, the colonel made it q
practice to go to the Office once q
day ard tell him what he thought OF
his old government.
The colonel was terror to such OF
his neighbors as kept a dog or
chickens. He was terror to the
mayor and aldermen Of the village.
He would stand at his gate and shake
his fist at speeding autoists; he
would thunder at tramp in way
to make the poor fellow wish he had
persisted in the California earth
quake; he would insist on telling war
stories to callers, and If they did not
SILVER he had no further use for
them
People used to whisper that they
felt pity for the colonel's wife, and
more than pity for his daughter, Miss
Mamie, and yet, queerly enough,
those were the only two people for
miles around who were not afraid OF
him. He clustered around home,
and almost daily threatened to dis
charge the cook, and to lead riot
against the United States and many
others things, but neither wife nor
daughter called on the neighbors to
protect them. The daughter simply
said nothing, while the wife stood 1t
as long as possible and then mildly
observed:
Alexander, If you keep on storm
ing around and talking 50 loud you
will end by driving the cat from the
house. and she is one Of the best
mousers we ever had"
Therefore, the only fault to he
found with the colonel and his bluff
was the fact that he made young
men afraid Of him, and in so doing
he kept them away from the house.
There were half dozen who would
have liked to call on Miss Mamie. In
deed, there were q dozen who did call,
but only once. When the colonel got
through with them they were glad to
find themselves out doors and still
living. Many and many a time the
daughter wondered to herself If there
was not young man somewhere in
this world who had the nerve to stand
up to her father, but the months pass
ed away. and he came not.
The aforesaid young man was on
the trail, however. His name was
Kenneth Aldrich. He was medical
graduate He opened an Office in
Granville. He did it without con-
sulting the colonel. He did 1t with
out caring two cents whether the
colonel was at the battle Of Bull Run
or Waterloo.
One day, at the postof1ce. mutual
acquaintance introduced Miss Mamie
Burlington and Dr.. Kenneth Aldrich.
When they separated he said to him.
self that there was the girl he was
going to make his wife, and she
wondered II he we're the one to quiet
her fathers roars.
(. It was less than month after the
Introduction, and the doctor had had
opportunities to lift his hat and bow
to the young lady several times, when
Col. Alexander Burlington went
down to the postoface one day to tell
the postmaster that this republic
could not possibly endure for another
five years. The postmaster said he
didn't care whether 1t could or
couldn't and the colonel said he
would have him removed for q tory,
and then started for home. On the