Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1911-08-08
EVENING STORY
ELIAS ENGAGEMENT.
BY John Osborne Field.
Copyright, 1911, by the Associated
Literary Press.)

"Well, bood-bye. Eliza, l hope you'll
have good time said pert little
Molly Dobson, Haunting her recently
acquired diamond solitaire ring in the
sunshine And l hope she, leased
that you'll come home engaged, too
to some nice city man. Write and tel
us all about it."
Molly laughed, as If the idea o.
Eliza's becoming engaged were huge
joke. Eliza's uncle, John Robinson
patted her shoulder with embarrass
ment and her Aunt Emma Robinson
tried to smile naturally. The station
master whistled with forced cheerful
ness. ....-
"That Molly Dobson's an awful mean
girl" he said to himself
A moment later Eliza jumped aboard
the train that was to take her to the
city. and before long the little group
of friends on the station was just a
blur in the distance.
Eliza was twenty-eight and she had
determined to 60 to the city for few
months of excitement. The comfort
able routine of her life at Dayville
where she had lived with her aunt and
uncle from babyhood, had began to
pail. Her days were never empty,
There were active hours spent out of
doors planting and pruning flowers
and vegetables and tending her chick.
ems and ducks; and other active hours
spent in the pleasant, sunny kitchen
over savory preserve kettles or the
weeks fragrant baking. There were
long placid evenings on the vine GOV.
cred piazza under the stars or beside
the glowing sitting-room stove, with
the doing Uncle John and chattering
Aunt Emma and purring Tabby for
companions. There were occasional
excursions picnics and carryall
drives and once in a while jaunt with
one of the young men of the village.
But Eliza knew that the years to come
would be. identical with the years that
has passed and she grew dis
contented.
1t was this perfectly comfortable
state of affairs but wholly uncomfort-
able state of mind that had induced
venture Of her life. She made her
voice an excuse; it was sweet, light
voice that led all the others in the
village choir. and although Eliza knew
that it was not worth cultivation, it
served as an excuse. She wrote for
circulars from singing masters en-
gagged room at an inexpensive but
comfortable boarding house in the city
and with her savings in her pocket,
started forth to see the world.
But until Molly Dobson's haunting
words were spoken Eliza had not
really considered matrimony as pos
sible elimination of her city visit.
Mol1y's words, however, put an idea
into her head. Why not pretend, after
a few weeks away from home, that
she was engaged? 1t would be fun to
write the letters describing the lucky
man, the things they did together and
their plans for the future Then, later,
Eliza thought. she could write to say
that the engagement was broken, and
could return home heart-free.
And il she thought / really had
been engaged thought Eliza, 81
shouldn't care how much that silly
little Molly did tease me. And it won't
exactly be lie. I'll pick out some
nice man at the boarding house and
pretend he's the one.'
With this justification for her pro
posed action, and with the excitement
of her plan flushing her tanned cheeks
and Frightening her soft brown eyes
Eliza walked into Mrs. Benson
Browns rather shabby boarding house
that same evening for dinner.
She looked furtively from one end
of the long crowded table to the other
to find the chosen man. Three or four
middle aged women who looked as il