Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1912-06-29
,Me IVAN IN fhe~
BROWN DERBY
~,
Wells HASTINGS
e9o Author Of GEO
The Professors Mystery
Copyright, SILLY BobbsnerA q
CHAPTER VIII Continued,

in caps did not seem to me very en-
thralling subject ooh, you must
have been mistaken said l.; there is
nobody about here that l know. 1t
must have been some other Ellsworth
that he was looking for"
well" drawled the clerk, he asked
for Mason Ellsworth as plain as paint.
Wanted to know If had heard either
Of you or Of q young lady named Nancy
Bond Said he was the agent for some
monograph or other, and his firm had
asked him to look you up" He eyed
me for moment shrewdly. II did
not take much stock in that agent
business, though" he said; somehow
you can tell an agent when you see
one"
Mason Ellsworth, Nancy Bond?"
Who in the world could be looking for
us? Who in the world in this
out-of-the-way place? No one
but Nancys uncle could, it SEEM
ed to me, know where we we're;
and yet this was evidently not Ep-
hraim Bond. I had come very bravely
upon my errand, but now felt vague
ly afraid, and my fear was the greater
simply because 1t was vague. OF a
sudden, remembered the man in the
brown derby hat, and felt that | was
five long miles and over away from
Nancy Thank you," said to the
clerk and walked out Of the Office as
quietly as could. It was agony to
keep my measured step through the
almost empty streets of the quiet, in
quisitive little town. Once out Of it,
started running and ran until |
could run no more. So went along
those Ave miles that had seemed so
short, running when l could, walking
when | could run no more; fear grow
ing in my heart with every tortured,
painting stride No vehicle of any kind
passed me, and hated the physical
disability and lack of training that kept
me from running every step Of the
way. But at last came in sight OF
home.
There 1t lay across the rolling fields,
peaceful and secure Smoke was curl
ing lazily from the great central chin.
ney and the gray expanse Of shingled
roof was blotched irregularly with
color, where pigeons summed them
selves in the glow of the late after
noon. How foolish had been! Here,
II anywhere In the world, was secur1-
ty itself. had tasted of melodrama,
to be sure, but, thank God / had left 1t
behind me in the city where anything
may happen; here was only peace and
quiet and the poignant happiness Of
ultimate tranquility. I laughed at the
thoughts that had stirred me and made
up my mind that they should not trou.
Bile Nancy too. was hot and tired
and dusty, and I stopped in the road
to make some Disgusting repairs to my
DISAGREEMENT. I was busting my shoes
with my handkerchief, when there
came rattle of wheels and a shout,
and had only time to leap to the
roadside, when a horse and buggy
rounded the abrupt turn OF the road
and dashed past me at runaway gal
lop in the direction had Just come.
turned to look after it; the buggy
top was up and lurching drunkenly to
the mad galloping Of the horse. If I
had not heard the shout should have
thought the runaway was dr1verless,
and then to my amazement I could see
far of the thin flicker Of flashing
whip, as the buggy disappeared In
cloud Of dust.
After all, I was tired and nervous;
even this sudden chance awoke my
fears again. l vaulted the white
washed rail fence and started running
across the fields, laundering through
bits of bog, tearing 1mpattently
through briers, and once or twice al
most falling on the deceptive, uneven
ground.
made the veranda steps In rush;
the front door was open and l paused
q second, gasping In the hall. Nancy"
I called, Nancy" and stood sickly
afraid. Though my voice echoed hol-
lowly through the house and knew,
even as I called, that was all alone
there. that Nancy was gone, neverthe-
less, ran up to her room, only to find
It empty, and then started searching
the rest Of the house with an abandon
ment OF terror which has since made
me heartily ashamed. Empty room
after empty room Knocked and men
aced me. A bit of embroidery lay on
the dining-room table, and I snatched
it UP, as If, somehow, 1t might help
me find her. I threw open the back
door and called, and ran out OF the
house and through the orchard, call
ing, Nancy, Nancy" to the empty
world Then, as when once or twice
in NV life have had to fight, grew
CT a sudden quiet, collected and cold.
and went back to make more meth
odical search of the house. It was
barely possible, reflected, that she
had made an excursion to one of the
neighbours places, taking her "helper
with her as a guide. Then, before
making the rounds Of the neighbor-
hood, | determined to look our own
house over thoroughly; for, unless in
deed she had gone somewhere with
Nancy. could not account for the dis
appearance Of the woman l had en-
ployed.
7 was not t. seek her long. however.
for rs raentered the Kitchen, I heard
a sound which | must have heard be-
fcre, save for thei extremity of my
0aaic. the drumming of fists on the
inside Of cca-et door. The door had
been locked and bolted from the out
side. and my heart sank within me as
/ undid the lock. for knew now that
-o11 uyn n