Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1912-03-14


request?' concluded. at
"a woman doesn't have to have a
reason he answered-flippantly, 1t
seemed to me.
"You don't understand" cried
Louise is not the ordinary Eighty girl
She has the finest, best balanced mind
of any woman ever knew. She never
acts on impulse"
Davis looked at me with that ex-
asperating smile of his.
been married as long as have, when
you know women as we'll as do, you
will realize the folly of trying to find
reasons for the things women do.
Their minds are not governed by rea-
son, but by impulse. Every sane wom-
an knew that the hobble skirt was an
absurdity, yet when fashion decided in
favor of the hobble skirt 1t was worn.
doubt very much If Miss Parrish her
self could tell you why she asked you
to discontinue your investigation,
Probably she acted on impulse. BY
this time she undoubtedly is just as
eager as she ever was for you to go
on +
what would you adviser"
20 Ol, Sdlu LAWS AoSoAASesAAJs
as he lighted another cigarette.
For moment was almost shaken
in my determination to do nothing
more until I had seen Louise. 1t
seemed as if Davis might be right
Perhaps she had acted only on I'M
pulse. Perhaps her love for me mad
made her feel that the investigation
might lead me into danger. But re-
considered. She had given me her
love and trust and confidence. She
surely was entitled to full confidence
from me- I could not honorably con-
tinue the investigation without first
seeing her.
II am going to town on the first
train" I said decisively. II shall 40
nothing more until have seen her"
'"And l shall go on with the investi-
CATION" said Davis with that exasper-
ating smile Of his. ...
Impatiently I turned and left him.
I choked down a cup Of coffee and
hurried to the station. The journey
seemed miles and miles long. though
the train made few stops. AS soon as
the ferry landed me In New York l
sprang into a taxi and ordered the
driver to take me at once to the Far
IRISH house Not until We had turned
into their street did realize that 1t
was still too early for me to try to see
Louise, even on such an urgent mis-
sion as mine. A few doors away from
the house stopped the chauffeur and
babe him drive up the avenue to the
entrance of Central park.
I dismissed him thnre and strolled
aimlessly into the park. would wait
until 10 O'Clock before tried to see
Louise. Still bordering the situation,
strolled along one Of the park walks
and flung myself on q bench by the
little lake where the swan boats are.
There was no one about at that early
hour and I was glad Of it. l wanted
to be alone and think. -#,
How long sat there do not know.
was so deep In thought that there
was neither sight in my eyes nor hear
ing in my ears. Yet the eyes will not
be denied their rights. A feeling
came over me that some part of my
brain was trying to tell me something.
lit came more and more forcefully. MY
eyes were seeing something which
they were trying to compel me to no
tice. +E"
What was it?
l pulled myself together with start
and looked about me.
With an exclamation of horror l
sprang from the bench and gazcd into
the lake just in front of me. Float
ing on the surface, not fifty feet from
where I had been sitting, was the
body Of woman.
"Otner suicides, other suicides
Davis remark of two days before kept
jigging through my brain. Other sui
cides! Katharine, hlser, the woman
at Ardway-his prophecy had been
right-and was this another In the
terrible chain?
ran like mailman toward the park
entrance, where remembered | had
passed a policeman. It was a relief
that I found him still there.
There's a woman-drowned-in the
.ake!' I gasped, pointing over my
shoulder. ..-4 - s5t
He ran back to the lake with me and
together we waded out into the shall
low water where the body lay. In my
horror at the unexpected sight l had
not stopped to note her appearance,
nor could l have told whether she was
young or old, dark or fair.
i
|interest-w1th a feeling of SORROW, of
understanding. The deed of Katharine
Parrish had brought me to closer
sympathy with unfortunate persons
influenced to seek death. AS I saw
that this poor girl was young and fair
sadly wondered what tragedy had
driven her to drowning.
Never shall l forget the impression
the picture Of this suicide made on
me! She lay on her back, with long
blonde tresses of well-kept hair float.
ing out on either side of her shapely
head. Her eyes were closed, but her
shapely brows and long dark lashes
made her face comely even in death.
Her clothing, I observed, was well.
made, and though wet and soiled as
it was by the water, it still gave the
impression of neatness.
We grasped the body gently by the
arms and drew it in to the bank, where
we lifted it to the park bench on which
l had been sitting.
II wonder if there is anything about
her to identify her by?" said the po-