Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1911-06-01

pending on to hlep him had not
60 hunting them-he had promised
to meet high parsonage exactly at
10 o'clock there at the foot Of the hill.
Spying Alaster's straw hat upon top
of the rise, he mistook her for a
curious country lad, and shouted:
Say, there! Want to earn quar-
tier? You can-if your legs are long
and light"
Make 1t half and I'll talk to
you'll" Alaster called back She sensed
instantly his mistake and spoke as
gruffly as she could.
In answer Mallows swore at her for
la greedy clodhopper, but ended by
promising the half, II she would but
run to the village, a mile off, and
hurry up those men idling there.
With delicious thrill of adventure,
Alaster came out of hiding, ran past
him, nodding gayly as she did so,a and
sped on to the goal And thus she
came plump under the eyes of the
high rersonage-the financier who
was back of the new railway enter
prise He stared at her-he had seen
nothing anywhere to watch the deer
lift of her throat, the pantherine
grace of her easy stride. She would
not have checked for him, but that
he refined, in, almost in front OF her,
asking:
els this the nearest way to Drew
[ett's--.the spring there, mean?'
keep on! You can't miss 1t I'M
less you shut both eyes," Alaster
isaid, the last word over her shoulder
as she shot past. =
The high parsonage whispered
softly. When he came upon MalloWs
he had an odd smile lowering In his
eyes. Mallows also was bit off key.
After second the two, the.' were
most excellent chums, understood,
and both laughed.
"Hit you, too, square between the
eyes," Mallows said.
The other nodded After breath,
he said irrelevantly: "It's not so
much her good looks-I can find a
dozen prettier girls In days ride
but something = something catches
you in the breath, when you see her.
What is it," Az
Remember the Dryads? We read
about them in our Greek days, NAL
lows said, lifting his eyes to the SKY
line. Then suddenly Gould you pos
sibly imagine her fashionable with
a corset on body and soul?'
lowering, the financier, shook his
head Mallows turned from him
men were coming, almost on the run,
urged by some invisible monitor. He
smiled. She need not hope thus to
escape him-he would see that she
got her pay, also the best apology he
could frame for his laundering. Then
he was suddenly aware that she
passed by-that she smiled at him,
that she moved with the foot of At
lanta. AS she climbed the hill, one
of the village fellows said, shaking
his head:
"Be dinged If it didn't plum skeer
me ter see Lassy Drewett stompin'
her foot at the bunch OF US, and
fairly drivin' us to work. Why !.
don't hardly believe she was ever on
the place before-not by her lone
SELF
lowering smiled as he listened.
Mallows looked glum. Hhere was no
dryad. rather an enchanted princess,
guarded by ancient dragons-he was
already aware of the aunts. They
might, if they chose, make lot OF
trouble for the new road-its right OF
way must cross corner Of their
land, not very big, but strategically
most important. The countryside
had hidden the road builders beware
Of the sisters. They were prone to
suspicion-of strangers, because they
didn't know them. of friends because
they did. lowering might handle
them-Mallows rested his hope upon
the payment of the debt. He over
heard further gossip that possessed
him yet more clearly Of the situation.
Presently lowering went toward
the wide, weather-gray house, whist
ling, evidently thoughtful, yet alert.
Mallows made a feint Of discomfort
with his survey. Wait! l want to
look over the country from that hill
top he said, OF handedly to his
helpers.
AS they sat down at ease, he half
ran up the hill. There was clump
of trees at op-elsewhere it lay bare.
He had notion that he should find
the clump tenanted. So he was not
in the least taken aback, when Alas.
ter said airily:
IT don't want my money-but you
have to pay ito Mrs. Damn, at the
postoffice She has nothing but lean
dog, and big, fat, no-account hus-
band. The money is for her, and the
dog-to buy 1t bone, and her some
well, stockings saw she had on
rage" ye