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

"I'm going there myself" she salo
suddenly. Isn't this coincidence?
Easily that. Let me amend the
word and call 1t ,dispensation. But
are against you. You
ought to be going to lawn party-in
a dog-cart."
81 wonder where you ought to be
going" she unused. Probably to the
British museum to dig up lot OF
dead authors that everybody ought
to know about and nobody reads.
This was altogether too near the
truth "I didn't know you lived IN
Stamford" said you appeared last
Christmas in character of the daugh-
ter of Gotham. Wasn't there an ances-
tor Of yours who went to sea IN
bowl?"
Her smile faded as If light had
gone out in her. After pause she
answered rather YEARLY, We've only
been in Stamford few months. we
had always lived in town before"
We looked out of the window for
few moments in silence, while for
mulated hasty hypothesis of financial
reyerses which had driven the family
from their city home, and registered
resolution to avoid the uncomfortable
subject. Still, I reflected, the lower
shore of the Sound is not precisely
the resort of Impoverished pride. Had
I touched upon some personal sorro"
Of her own? She was not IN mourning.
Yet as she lay back in the green chair,
one hand listless in her lap, the other
twisting at the slender chain that ran
about her neck and lost itself in the
bosom of her gown, the fringe of her
eyelid clear against the soft shadows
Of her profile, imagined In her some
thing of the enchanted princess bound
by evil spells in some dark castle or
despair. And Immediately, with
surge of absurd valor, / saw myself
striding, sword in hand across the
drawbridge to blow the brazen horn
and do battle with the enchanter. The
next moment she routed my imagin-
alton by returning lightly to the sub
ject.
tits lovely place. I'm out of doors
the whole time, and I'm SO we'll l get
positively bored trying to work or
energy. I can't get tired enough to sit
still and improve my uneducated mind.
Ever so many nice people, too. BY the
way, whom do you know there?"
was on the defensive again. "Why
Il don't know anybody exactly there
but there are some friends OF mine
down at one of those beach-places in
the neighborhood-the Ainslies. Bog
was In my class"
/ She resumed the air Of the connois-
seur. why know them. I'm going
to visit Mrs. Ainslie myself over the
weekend. Do they know you're COM
ing?'
"I'm not going to them I said des-
parately,. "That is, I may while I'm
near, by. but haven't and definite
plans For once in my life I'm not
going to have any definite plans, but
lust start out and see what happens
to me- For six months I've been telling
things I care about to a lot of kids
that aren't old enough to care about
anything: and now I want adventures.
! went down to the station to take
the first train that came along, 60
wherever it took me and let things
happen"
"You might have gone to some ro-
mantle place" she suggested. Three
months would hardly be time enough
tried Russia or the Mediterranean"
That's just the point" returned
Romance and adventure don't depend
on time; they only depend on people.
If you're the kind Of person things
hanren to you can have adventures on
Fifth Avenue. If you're not. you might
walk through all the Arabian Nights
and only feel bored and uncomfortable.
It all depends upon turning out OF
your way to pick up surprises. You're
walking in the wood and you see some
thing that looks like a root Deeping
out from between the rods. Well. II
you're the right kind Of a person you'll
catch hold Of II and pull. 1t may be
only root: or it may be the tail Of a
dragon. And in that case you ought to
thank heaven for excitement, even II
you're scared to DEATH
Nv this time almost believed In my
own explanation But Miss Tabor did
not seem particularly impressed.
She put on the voice and manner Of
child Of ten. "You must be awfully
brave to like being afraid of things"
she lisped: then with sudden change
OF tone. "Mr Crosby, suppose only
for the sake Of argument-that you're
making this up as you 20 along and
that you did know perfectly we'll where
you were going, where do you think
Won would have gomez"
Then l gave up and explained. II
was going to Europe to study" said
"for no better reason than that had
nothing more interesting to do Then
nv train was late and I should have
missed my steamer anyway and-and
then you came along and thought
might Just as we'll make the most of
the situation Now can 60 down and
| tell the Ainslies they want to see me
and all will be well"
After some meditating she said.
"Are you as irresponsible as that about
everything"
~ don't see where all the irrespon-
sibility comes in protested. ut isn't
sacred and solemn duty to follow
out ones own plans. especially when
they were only made to fill up the
want of anything more worth while,
and have fallen through already. l
didn't care about going to Europe in
the first place; then I couldnt-at