Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1912-06-22

OuL luluT6 dS SIl0 WOuA0, dAO WouAu
stand ever ready to give her what aid
I could. thanked God, as had never
thanked him before, that he had made
me strong, with the courage and will
of a strong man. And resolving these
things, followed her along narrow
hall. and into a large front room,
where Ephraim Bond sat hunched and
waiting.
do not know why I should have
been surprised to see still another
man in the room, but somehow I had
expected to find Mr.. Bond waiting
alone to receive us. Perhaps he had
foreseen that would use such an op-
portunity to question him further. that
I would wish to know more than l had
been able to learn in my short inter-
view with his niece. At any rate. sit.
ting in the bow of the window at the
far side of the room was a young man
of about my own age, dressed in ILL
fitting clericals. Things moved swift
ly in the Bond household.
'Mr. Ellsworth" my employer said
briskly, "allow me to present Mr..
Stevens, who has most kindly con-
sented to officiate. Nancy, you re-
member told you Henry Stevens was
a distant relative of ours?"
Mr.. Bonds voice was softer than
ever; Nancy bowed her head In
silence; Mr.. Stevens smirked.
In fact. this young man smirked a
good deal too much thought. He was
a very thin. and a very blond young
man, with watery, wandering blue
eyes. His ears flared astonishingly,
and he picked continually at already
lacerated finger ends. His clerical col
lar formed a generous wall about a
scanty neck, whose enormous adams
apple" steadily appeared and dtsap-
peared behind its starchy white ram
part
Nancy, you will please call Jonas.
Mr.. Ellsworth and have little mat
ter Of business here; Mr.. Stevens will
excuse u.s."
Miss Bond left the room silently.
himself in the bow-window. and ]
crossed over to the table after
Ephraim Bond. Three papers lay upon
1t. The first was marriage license
made out in blank and duly signed
and sealed; the second seemed much
longer, and the third was evidently a
ueeu OF property.
Mr. Bond indicated them to me with
wave of his hand, and seating myself
deliberately, took up the license.
"How could you got this in blank"
I asked.
Mr.. Bond smiled. II have some ac-
quaintance at the bureau. 1t Is quite
correct, or will be when you have
filled in your nameI You need not be
afraid Mr.. Ellsworth"
II am not afraid" and I smiled, too.
1t would be easy to take another,
reflected. In fact, it would not be hard.
and would certainly be very much
safer quietly to repeat this whole we'd
ding before some county clerk. when
we had left Bond and his emaciated
protege behind us in that gloomy
house. filled in my name carelessly
and handed the license across tho
table to Mr.. Bond.
The next paper read at length. It
! was release and an agreement; re-
leasing Ephraim Bond from any
, further payments to me, and binding
me to the terms he had told me Of in
the Lexington avenue stable, or rather
1t was an elaborate expression OF
those terms.
"This should have been made IN
duplicate" observed coldly, for was
anxious that he should still believe
that I was driving callous bargains
with him.
He frowned. There is absolutely no
reason for that, Ellsworth" he
answered. "This binds you to keep
faith with me. As far as ! am con-
cerned, cease to exist for you as soon
as you receive your payment; owe
you nothing in the future"
This, Of course, knew was nom
sense, but had, thank God, long
ceased to care for the things which
had led me first to answer his adver-
tisement. I had spoken to a woman
who had answered me in kindness.
While she kept faith could afford to
trust the rest Of the world. looked
up; Nancy was coming In at the door.
signed the paper with knew not
what stirring at my heart and taking
up the last document glanced hastily
over it. It was executed with all the
proper signatures and seals, and gave
me life interest in certain stocks and
bonds: but it had lost its first i'm
portance, and crammed 1t into an In
side pocket
Mr.. Bond stood up, as did I, and the
minister came forward to the middle
Of the room. prayer.book in hand.
Nancy Bond came and stood beside
me- She was very pale, but 1t seemed
to me that now she was less afraid.
A wedding ceremony Is a short
thing after all. It surprised me that
, such contract could be bound 50
quickly: and to my unconscious sur
prise. we both gave our responses
clearly, repeating them after Mr..
Stevens in tones much steadier than
his own For a minister he seemed q
very clumsily fearful one.
/ When the time came for the giving
of the ring, Mr. Bond took one from
his pocket, bright new one, evident
! ly newly bought But shook my head
at him, and taking from my own
pocket little soft leather case, put
t ring Of my own upon my wife's finger.
| 1t had been the other woman's ring,
my mother's; since her death my dear