Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1912-02-06

| IN
things to Mentone, which OF
course, shall never see again. No
no! i can not 60 back there have
known the misery OF suspense long
enough" She lowered her head to the
rail.
He came quite near to her. His arms
went out toward her. only to drop
down. He must wait. It was very hard.
But nothing prevented his putting
forth hand to press hers reassur-
ingly, and saying: Don't do that For
tune 1t makes my heart ache to see
a woman cry"
| II am not crying" came in muffled
tones. Il am only sad, and tired, tired. y
Everything will come out all right
in the end" he encouraged. "Of course
you are tired. What woman wouldn't
be, having gone through. what you
have Here; let's sit in the steamer
chairs till the lbugle blows for dinner.
I'm a bit tagged out myself. .'s
! They lay back in the chairs, and
10 longer cared to talk. The lights
twinkled, but fainter and fainter, till
at last only the pale line between the
sky and the sea remained. She
turned her head and looked sharply
at him. He was sound asleep. poor
boy!" she murmured softly. " How
careworn!", There was something
grotesque in the mask of desert tan
and shaven skin How patient he had
been through it all; and how kind and
gentle to her! She remembered Of re.
marking how young and fresh he
seemed in comparison to the men she
II Nd hnl ND
leave him, to go into the world and
given to her a brother like this! But
brother he never could be, no, not
even in the pleasant sense Of adoption.
! She did not want pity To think
of his getting those things for her in
! Damascus! - Pity suggested
that she was weak and helpless,
whereas she knew that she was both
patient and strong. What did
she want? She glanced UP and down
the deck. 1t was totally. deserted save
for them. Then, "clad in the beauty OF
thousand stars" she leaned over and
down and brushed his hand with her
lips. ,s ~ -. IS. ,
= And George slept on. Only the blare
of the bugle brought him back to num-
affairs. He was hungry, and he
announced the fact with gusto. They
would dine well that night. The cap
tain placed Fortune at his right and
George at his left, and preached, a
bottle Of fine old Johannisberger. And
the three of them had coffee in the
smoke-room. If the other passengers
had any curiosity, they did not mani:
fest it openly. ~ Il
Upon finding that they had no real
need of staying over in Naples, the
captain urged that they take the re-
turn voyage with him. He saw more
than either OF the young people. with
those Teutonic eyes Of his. George
promised to let him know within a
dozen hours of the sailing. Certainly
Fortune would decide one way or the
other within that time. /
Both had seen the VesuvianA bay
many times, with never-failing love
and interest. They sailed across the
bay in the bright clearness of the
morning. 5f 49, 80. s.-~
"Youe are going back with me"
George announced in tone which In
ferred that nothing more was to be
said upon the subject. But, for all his
confidence, there was a great and |
heavy fear upon his heart as he asked |
for mail at the little Enclosure at
Cooks in the Calleria Vittoria. There |
was a cable; nothing more.
"NOw, Fortune
Have I ever given you permission |
to call me by that nsme?"
"Whv |
Have Il"
"No." 49,. 80 o..
Then I give you that permission
now"
What do you frighten man like
that for?"" he cried. What was 60
ing to say - =,
Fortune" {,
What I was going to say, Fortune, |
was this: here is the cable from |
Mortimer I'm not going to open 1t
till after dinner tonight Well 60 up !
to the Bertolini to dine. You'll stay |
there for the night, while put up at |
the Bristol, which Is only little ways !
up the Corso. I'm not going to ask |
you a question till coffee Then well |
thrash out the subject till there isn't !
a grain left"
She made no protest. Secretly she
was pleased to be bullied like this. 1t |
pTOfcQ Iidl IuCS0 oval AAAAS
peoples there was one interested In |
her welfare. But she knew in her heart |
what she was going to say when the |
proper time came. She did not wish !
to spoil his dinner She was also 60
ing to put her courage to its supreme |
test: borrow hundred pounds. and |
bravely promise to pay him back. II
she failed to pay it, it would be be-
cause she was dead. For she could |
not survive comparison between her
self and her mother. Here in Naples i
she might find something, an oppor-
tunity. She spoke French and Italian
fluently; and in this crowded season |
Of the year it would not be difficult to
find situation as maid or COM !!
panion. So long as she could earn a
little honestly. she was not afraid. She
was desperately resolved. 81.
Such dinner! Long would she re-
member it; and longer still, how little
either Of them ate of it! She knew
enough about these things to appre-
ciate it. 1t must have cost pretty |