Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1911-10-12

smooth, the one who knew ME and
him want my comrade, Jes Floyd"
| The naked strength of pain, the
fierce outcry of savage bereavement
left the atmosphere swept to primi.
tive clarity, free Of all small things.
The girl drew herself erect, even her
lips colorless in her absolute pallor
i but Ter eyes meet ~ him on his own
ground of desperate honesty. and
.aised her hands 70 he. head
Stanton saw her lace sleeves fall
back and a zigzag scar start into
view on her slender left arm. Like
bands of silk ribbon che unwOund tho
lheavy braids Of hair and flung them
aside, letting mass Of short. bsyish
bronze curls tumble about her fore
head
There was no mistake possible, ever
again. He did not know that he spoke,
yet his cry reached the street below.
Floyd! Floyd"
81 am Floyd"
you"
II am Jessica."
The room reeled giddily. his vision
blurred. And as his composure went
down in chaos her courage rose up to
aid his need.
you're goin' to take it hard" com.
passionated her earnest voice. I've
been dom wrong to you, while Il
thought was only hurtin' myself. I'm
sorry"
The lisp, the soft excitement-born
accent so Dient with memories OF
splendid peril and comrade risk, fell
on unready ears.
Cod" breathed Stanton, and sank
into chair, dropping his face upon
his arm as it rested on the little tea
table.
you've got to bear It: there's only
me. But that's the only way I've de-
ceived you, Stanton" The rustic Of
her dress came strangely with his
name in those clear tones. "All that
I told you of my life is true, except
Jes NY father had to have son,
an he made me one. At first, when
! I was little. it was for fun he called
me Jes when had my boy-clothes on,
an played there were two of us. But
when found that all the country
side, all the factory hands, every one
except my nurse believed Jes and
Jessica twins. we let it go on. It
made It easier for him in trainin' me
| to be his partner. For he said was
man-fit for that So Jes studied an
raced an worked with him all day;
in the evenin Jessica wore frocks and
frills We lived alone in the big
house; It was so easy. | used to
darken my skin bit; that was all.
You're not listenin'-you want time to
think it out"
He neither moved nor contradicted.
Time for readjustment he did need,
for realization of this and himself.
Standing, a slim. upright figure. she
gave it to him, waiting while the little
Swiss clock on the mantle chartered
| through many minutes.
/. when my father died." she re-
sumed, at last, after found out that
III wasn't goin' to die, too. / saw Jes
was able to earn his Twin while Jes-
sica was liable to starve.. had in
my blood to love that work, | suppose;
| told you once that the very smell of
exhaust gas drove me out Of myself
with speed-fever. Every racer knows
it, you know it, that feelin. So got
place in the Mercury factory; an
that way I met you. l don't know
how to make you understand"
He interrupted her ruthlessly al
most roughly, as he might once have
spoken to Floyd not looking up.
What of all that? You are you,
now. You've let me think you dead
for two months-you left me in hell"
mo, MOI" she denied in swift de-
Tense "Not that. l never guessed
that you could believe me dead; !
thought you must know me-Jessica-
How should know? You never
came near me. The Floyd knew
would have come the bitterness of
those desolate nights and days choked
speech.
There was pause. filed with some
strange significance beyond his fathon4-
ling.
II couldn't come" she deprecated,
| her low voice broken. you're maxim
this hard. When 1 was picked up
stunned, an taken to the hospital,
after we went off the bridge. they
found wasn't Jes. They talked of me
the newspapers printed stories about
Stanton's misunderstanding said,
they said you knew | was woman
when we went vest
| The movement that brought Stan
ton to his feet was galvanic. He IN
derstood, finally, in one binding flash
of full comprehension; understood the
doctor, the nurse. his fellow-drivers'
embarrassed reticence, and Miss Car
isle. Understood, too, that there had
been q suffering acute as his own.
And in the mans hot outrush of pro.
lection Jes and Jessica were fused
into one.
.They'll talk to me-" he grimly as
sured. "I'm not shut in hospital,
now Why didn't you send them to
me? You knew I'd come to YOU"
His sentence broke, as his eyes
Icaught and held hers; Floyd's eyes,
straight and true in spite of the girls
scarlet shame burning in either cheek.
Il knew, yes you are that kind. But
Ihow could l tell you would want to
come? How can + tell 1t now? You'd
see me through safely, anyhow. I'm
rememberin that you dismissed Floyd
, for one falsehood, an I've tricked you
, 1yC - q +