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

act reasonably" retorted, lis that
they never give you the reason"
Instead of taking that for the flip
pancy 1t was, she thought about 1t for
some minutes; or else 1t reminded her
of something.
Besides" went on, this is an adj
venture, as far as 1t goes; little one.
If you like but still with all the ear
marks Of romance It was unexpected,
and it Ats into itself perfectly the
parts of the scene match like picture
puzzle and 1t, happened through
mixture of chance and the taking OF
chances. It's just that snatching AZ
casual excitement that makes things
happen to people"
Don't things enough happen to PEG.
Pile without their seeking them out?
she asked.
! 'Not to most people; and not nova
days, If they ever did. Do you remem-
Der Humpty Dumptys objection %
Alices face, that 1t was just lihe eeAef
faces-two eyes above. nose IN the
middle, mouth under? Well. that's the
only objection have to life; days ana
doings are too regular, too much &C.
cording to schedule. Why Is q train
less romantic than stagecoach! be-
cause it runs on time and on q track;
1t can't do anything but be late. But
the stage-coach dallies along through
the countryside, with inns and high
iwaymen, and pretty girls driving
geese to market, and all the chances /
of the open road. The horse of the
knight-errant was better still, and Tor
the same reason.
II don't think anything very much
has ever happened to you," she said
slowly
WELL" said I, I'm not pretending ia
be Ulysses; and you've reminded m@
of my tender age SO often that can
hardly forget it in your presence. But
/ have had few exciting moments
and want more. don't care whetheI
they are pleasant or not so long as !
come safe out of them somehow
They'll pay themselves with the gold
Of memory"
That's Just what mean," she re.
turned "You talk about things as II
the only question of Importance werA
whether they were exciting. One looks
at books that way, and pictures and
things that are not real. A moment
ago, you put highwaymen In the fame
class with inns and goose-girls. Do
you suppose any one that was actually
held up and robbed of his fortune
would think of the robber as merely
pleasant thrill?"
"I'd rather be robbed by q highway
man than by a railroad. anyway. AT
the worst, I'd have had q run for my
money"
She went on smiling: "And even
trains run of the track sometimes. Do
you think you would enjoy the mem.
ory OF railroad accident-even II
you weren't hurt yourself?"
Perhaps not. But there's another
disadvantage of the train. It's 30 Tegu-
lar and mechanical that II anything
does go wrong there Is an ugly
smash. It's the same way with modern
people. Most OF us live such an ordi-
nary habitual life that IL we get
thrown off the track we're likely to-
break up altogether"
! had struck the wrong note again.
The light went out of her face, az q
cloud-shadow darkens sunny Held,
and she looked away without answer
ing. Not to make my mistake worse
by taking notice of it. said, after
all. what should we do IL things al
ways went smoothly and there weren't
any adventures?"
She said quietly, eve might be nor
NAL and wholesome and comfortable, =
and continued looking out of the win.
dow and toying with her chain, while
/ cursed myself for tactlesss clod-
hopper without the sense to avoid a
danger sign Then found myself won
,, dering what this trouble could be that
nv the mere touch Of an accidental al
fusion could strike the joy out of \
creature SO naturally radiant. What
ever it was it had come upon her
4 within the last six months, or tho
chances Of our Christmas week had
been singtlarly free from reminders of
TT. Could there be possibly any con-
nection between it and that chain with
its hidden pendant? Or was It only by
| accident that her hand went to 1t In
her moments Of brooding? seemed
to have noticed the chain before. and
her habit of playing with 1t In idleness,
/ but could not be sure.
! She reused herself presently. and
the talk went on, though with an un.
dercurrent of discomfort. For my
part l was still repenting my clumsi.
ness; and she, suppose, felt annoyed
at having shown so palpably an emo
ton which she had not intended for
my eyes. So that, In spite of regret for
the approaching end Of the adventure.
was hardly sorry when our arrival
at Stamford supplemented speech
with action.
"Are you expecting any one to meet
your" asked, as the platform emptied
and left us standing alone.
(To Be Continued.)