Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1912-05-02

gravity that dimpled at the corners
of her mouth.
"A tired boy!" she said, specializing
ly. "A wonderful, worried, scared boy!
A boy who has been thinking too much
and eating too little-and, OH dear,
what scratched boy.'
II got that climbing out of Pull
man window last night" explained
Matt showing his wrists. 81 had to
break it with shoe that an old
gentleman kindly lent me, and got out
in hurry"
Chris eyes opened very wide.
What funny, strange, impetuous
boy" she exclaimed. Wasn't there
any door,
There were people banging that in,
yowling for my destruction" con-
tinued Matt tantalizingly. II don't
know what they wanted, I'm sure, but
they were going at it in the liveliest
way with an ak, and I chose the win
dow rather than wait and find out"
"That was prudent boy-but-but
where on earth did all this hap
penn" ~
I'm a private car, sidetracked near
the railway station"
But how did you happen to go
there"
THAT old gentleman took me there
the one who lent me his shoe. Paid
me fifty dollars for going, and rode
me there in an automobile"
But why?"
"I'm telling it all the wrong end
foremost went on Matt. "It's an ex-
traordinary story-Chris It's astound-
ing. I can't make head nor tail of it..
was actually offered hundred thou
sand dollars-think of it, Chris-pos-
itively a. hundred thousand dollars
right there in greenba cks to betray a
man I knew. Had it forced on meal
most stuffed in my pocket"
Her surprise, disbelief even, caused
him to draw forth the revolver in wit
ness.
TITS not joke, Chris" he said II
bought that this morning, and may be
mighty glad did so'
The momentary flash of steel was
thrilling in that quiet room and amid
such peaceful surroundings Chris
uttered little cry, breathing fast, and
gazing at him in amazement.
"You brighten me-" she gasped out.
Matt. I'm frightened. What does it all
mean? Tell mel"
"The trouble is I don't know my
SELF" he returned, as a tide of de-
pressing recollections swept over him.
81 am somehow blind cog in other
peoples business, and the thing that
hits me hardest is that they have
ruined me. I've lost everything, Chris,
everything I counted on to make q
dollars, as safe as though it was in
the bank. and it's gone, stolen-God
knows how, but they have got tt
robbed me, Chris, robbed me-" =
His voice was shaking; the realiza-
ton of his loss unnerving him; his
shoulders heaved. give been in hell,
Chris" he continued huskily. II don't
know which way to turn four thou
sand dollars isn't much, of course
but it meant you; IL hoped it
meant you, after what you had said;
believed it did, anyway-counted on
it. Yes, you and together, no matter
how poor, but with some sort of a
home of our own. And now it's gone,
and I haven't anything, and 1t means
good-by, Christi means good-by."
He bowed his head in shame, resus-
ing to be comforted, while she
whispered and whispered that she
loved him; that it would never be
good-by, never, Matt, never; that as
long as they had each other nothing
could hurt them; that he was a poor,
precious, foolish, silly, devoted boy
person without any sense at all. who
thought he could walk away from love
and leave it behind-like an umbrella.
just because he hadn't four thousand
dollars! AS though it made the least
difference what he had, her lover-boy
her darling, for he was strong and
splendid and brave and big, and If that
wasn't being rich, what was? And he
had her, hadn't he? And he wasn't to
think she was always helpless,
draggy thing, lying on a sofa in
dragon coat, eating calf's-foot jelly.
No, indeed, she wasn't-but able to
60 out and fight, too, and jump out of