Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1910-10-08
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H& ASToRYoF; MISERY
ANN RyLUCLAQ CHAMBERLAIN
ENAlIN> AuMor9f THE COAST OF CHANCE
|EX5k1uSi Copyright
Auhorof 1.-THE COAST OF CHANCE
Copyright. 1909. Tho Boobs-Mss1tl csnpssy

about 1t from the moment l had seen
him. hated to think Of the. questions
l would have to answer; yet i would
have to face them sometime, and 1t
was better to get it over at once.
When l reached the sitting room
was decidedly dashed at sight Of Es-
trella sMendez's red pelisse behind
Haliles blue hat. ribbons Two Of them
We're a little too much for me, and
was all ready for fight when Halle
bounced upon me- She is such an i'm
posing person, wears SO many tucks
and ruffles in her clothes, such bows
on her hats, and can spread her skirts
about and rustic so, that | always feel
like the merest child beside her.
"You poor little Ellie,' she began,
''how pale you look still! am afraid
frightened you to death yesterday
murmured something about being
much upset.
"Yes, your father said you we're not
at all well. He gave me such a scold-
ing for. bouncing out on you like that!'
She laughed her deep throaty chuckle.
But supposed Of course you had
heard, it happened so close to YOU.
Didn't you even hear the shot?"
must have gaped at her. Could 1t
be she didn't know that had seen It?
Didn't know what had been through
recalled confusedly the warning of
the chief of police and father not to
was what they meant; this was the
meaning of the carriage: the alley and
the back door of the prison! all my
part in the business had been kept, Sc
cret. wondered what in the world
Halle could have thought of my be-
havior last night, but was greatly re-
lieved to think Of the fusillade Of ques-
ton had escaped. managed to get
out something about fathers having
heard shot.
"Of course / know that" Halle said,
pulling me down on the sofa beside
her. She was too full of her subject to
notice how oddly must have looked.
Its all in the paper, how they found
him-Mr. Rood, l mean"
''It's here, Estrella said, sitting
down on the other side of me and un-
folding the crumpled sheet she had
been carrying rolled up in her hand
She and Halle held it stretched out
in front Of me.
The sight of Johnny Montgomery
name staring at me from the page,
made n1ytheart beat a little But when
l began reading down the column
couldn't seem to make sense out Of it.
The only thing that stood out in the
tumble was a name nearly at the bot
tom Of the sheet, Carlotta Valencia. 1t
gave me a queer little stir OF feeling,
merely seeing that name under his.
Keeping my finger on it, who Is
that?" I asked.
ooh, don't you know" Halle de.
manded, looking surprised, but de.
lighted at the chance of giving more
woman. Estrella crossed her arms on
her waist, and drew herself up, exactly
as her mother does when she thinks
some one is beneath her. "You see, :"
Halle went on, explaining little more
to me, "she was-well, a sort Of friend
|of Mr.. Foods. and the paper says she
feels dreadfully about him!" Estrella
shifted -.
"But," cried, "you said last night
that the shooting had been over her."
Eyes, / know!' Halle leaned for
ward impressively and seized hand of
each Of us. ITS perfectly at
least it's what my father said when
the news came. He said, That con-
founded Valencia woman is at the bot
tom of this, depend upon It, But your
father was very angry that had spo-
ken of it, so of course I'm telling you
this in strictest confidence The paper =
Halle went on, we both listening with
open ears. doesn't say the Spanish
woman had anything to do with the
shooting. So you see, no one does know
exactly what it's about It's really the
most mysterious thing! They found
Mr. Rood lying there quite dead" she
breathlessly, "and they went
to Johnny Montgomery's house, but he
wasn't there. Then some one told Mr..
Dingley they had seen a man run down
Washington street. SO they followed
that trail. and finally they got him in
"a house down on the water front, in a
bad part of the city. Ny father said it
would have made things better for him
if he had given himself up quietly but
he barricaded the house, and almost es-
capped out of the back window They
had a dreadful fight before they got
him even then. He is so strong, father
says, that he Just threw the men right
and left as if he had been a mailman"
Halle is wonderful when she is tel
ling news She never says unkind
things about anybody, and she is al
ways 50 excited over what has hap
pened when she makes it sound like a
romance. But now was too anxious to
enjoy it. / felt l had to ask one ques-
ton more, though every word that
came out of my mouth was possible
slip or lie "But If they found Mr.. Rood
in the street with nobody near him.
what makes them think it was Mr..
Montgomery who shot him?"
THAT is the very queerest part of
it," Halle declared, nodding until her.
green feathers nodded again, "but he
was suspected Immediately. What they
say is" she lowered her voice i'm
pressively-"that some one saw him
do it,
l fairly covered in my chair. But
he can't have meant to kill him. /
urged. why, his family was one of the
best in the city Just think, Halle, your
mother knew his mother we'll, and he
used to play with Estrella's brothers"
Il L