Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1911-06-13
bRIAN HOOKER
ght, 1917. The Bobbs. Merrill Company

again made any allusion to the night
of alarm but it was as If both now
felt share in it. kind of blindfold
sympathy not altogether comfortless.
Once when we were making long
said suddenly: "You don't talk much
about yourself, Mr.. Crosby" .t5
Don't r." I answered. well don't
suppose that what I am or have been
in the world would be particularly in
teresting You were right the other
day, after all: nothing much has hap.
pened to me, or I shouldn't be so
hungry for adventures"
ooh, but you must have had some
adventure; everybody has"
I launched into tale of a green
parrot confiscated from an itinerant
vendor and sold at auction in candy
store. stopped suddenly. Was this her
way Of verifying her fathers opinion
OF me? She read my half-formed sus-
picion like flash.
Listen" she said with quick ser.
iousness. IF had, or could have, the
faintest belief in anything really bad
about you, don't you see that l
shouldn't be here? want you to he
member that"
Il ought to have known I replied.
I'm very sorry" .. ~.
With that she swung back into
gaiety, demanding the conclusion Of
the tale; but j was for the moment
too deeply touched to follow. We were
on our way home; and before US where
the path took little turn about tree
larger than it's neighbors, man
stepped into our sight. He was walking
fast, covering ground in long nervous
strides. He carried bit Of stick with
which he switched smartly at the
bushes along the path. For moment
we were both silent, then Lady caught
her breath in long sigh. 1t was the
man we had met at the gate. He saw
us then and took off his hat.
"Why, Walter" Lady cried; when
did you Gomez"
Gust now" he said, "just now.
Ainslie told me where to look for you.
Good fellow, Ainslie. Said you and Mr..
What s-his-name-beg pardon, I never
can remember names-said you had
gone for walk"
She flushed little Mr.. Crosby, let
me introduce DR.. Reid. His memory
never can catch up with him, but you
mustn't mind that Walter, Mr.. Crosby
was classmate Of Bob Ainslie's, you
know" .- .-a @s
80 he said; so he said" Doctor
Reid jerked out the words, frowning
and biting his foreinger. Excuse me,
Lady, but-hold on a second. Got to go
back next car, twelve-forty- five" He
looked at his watch. "Twelve-seven
now Beg your pardon, MINT
Crosby. Beg your pardon"
They spoke together for moment,
and we continued our walk uncom'
fortably. Miss Tabor seemed uneasy,
and l thought that Doctor Reid re-
strained himself to our slower pace as
II he resented having to wait and
thought i'll Of me for my very ex-
istence caught him frowning SIDE
long at me once or twice, and shoot
ing little anxious glances at Lady that
angered me unreasonably.
left them at the Ainslies' and went
on to hurried luncheon made taste
less by irritation. Who in Heavens
name was the man? A family physi-
clan would hardly go running about
the country in the daughters wake
for I could not doubt that it was she
that had brought him here. Why on
earth should he be rude to me? had
never met the man. What business had
he to behave as if he resented my be-
ing with her-of for that matter, to
resent anything she did? We had
planned game of tennis for the after
noon, and Doctor Reid, l reflected. with
savage satisfaction, could hardly be
expected to make third.
Bob met me at the door. Hello, old
man." he said, 1--WE have had a bitter
loss; Doctor Reid has carried Lady off
with him to his distant lair"
CHAPTER vi.
For a moment did not know which
feeling was apparent; surprise, anger,
or a new and abominable sensation
| that combined the sense OF personal
injury with an intolerable sense of
loss. Then saw in Bob's face the re-