Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1912-04-27


| other Choose, choOse!'
| But his revulsion was as swift as his
act. He let her go, stricken at her
pallor, her gasp of pain-appalled, and
iincoherently remorseful He smooth
ed her dress with his big hands; he
was brute, a crazy brute, he quaver'
ed convulsively; he saw her through
a blur, trembling, obstinately avertins
her eyes, and giving them little dabs
with her handkerchief. AS she re-
covered he waited for his sentence
his doom. He had transgressed the
last law, and might he thankful If she
even spoke to him again. Perhaps she
would turn away without word, and
that would be the end.
! When she did speak it was not to
annihilate him at all. 1t was all her
! own fault, she said TREMENDOUSLY smil,
ing. That's what always happened
when you goaded elemental people
great. big, rough, elemental people
, They grabbed you in their great. big,
rough. elemental way and shook the
! curl out of your hair, wanting you to
choose. AS though anybody could
choose while being shaken like a rat!
And what was she to choose, any
how? Would he please to tell her
like an ordinary, grown-up, unelemen'
tai person."
I Matt was more abashed than If the
heavens had opened with thunder
! bolts. He had expected thunderbolts,
and in a sort of way had braced him.
self to receive them; but he had no
! armor/ against these teasing shafts.
| He colored to the ears, and was acute
| ly embarrassed, wincing at every allus-
| ion to his outrageous conduct. She
seemed to enjoy making him vince
found a wicked zest in It, Everything
he said was gently ridiculed. That
he should be in love with her was ap-
parently the most ridiculous thing OF
ALL She referred to his word
! CHOOSE" and tangled up all his blurt-
! ing explanations.
men are all egoists," she said
cruelty, "and the contempt you have
for us is really disheartening TO
you, we're all little ninnies, without
the least will of our own-just laid
out on the sideboard like prizes at q
bridge party. It has never daWned
on YOU that I have any courage, any
Observation-Disclosures, has 1t?'
Matt vehemently protested that she
had both-lots of both-till he was
abruptly cut short.
"No, no." she said. "To you, I'm
Just charming little drawing room
ornament, sparkling in the freight
lust dear little noodle that you'd like
| to put in a crate and take home with
you-and you're horribly miserable
because you can't and somebody else
, may-noodle having no voice IN the
matter at all, only rather hoping that
the crate will be padded with pink
silk-that being the limit of her poor
little noodle Intelligence. The last
! thing to occur to you Is that I'm 9
woman with a head Of my own and
heart of my own, able to take my
place at a mans side, and work and
fight with him.
She stopped, flushing and overcome.
THAT'S what meant when said you
mustn't co. she added piteously
Cant you seer"
Matt was less backward than stun
ned. He must have misunderstood !;
he could not believe 1t. It was only
when her hands went to her face and
her head bowed in an extremity OF
shame that comprehension really fash
ed on him. He pulled away her hands,
incredulous still, yet mad with JOY
pulled them away and kissed her on
the lips, her burning, averted lips
again and again and again, Unsuitable
of her young beauty, and infamed by
resistance that was no resistance at
all, but the painting, shaking and al
most terrified surrender Of a woman
to the man she loved.
"I hold you to it." he whispered. Il
hold you to every word you said.
love you, and you love me, and moth
ing on earth shall ever separate u.s."
Then. obeying her stiled entreaty, he
released her. and the pair gaZed AT
each other in the deepening dusk, aw-
ed, struck to silence, and somehow at
one with the trees, the sky, and all ma
ture of which they, too, were one,
and at whose altar they vowed them
selves to each other and received the
benson of the stars.
Matt would have clasped her again
in his arms, but she gently resisted.
He was to 20, she said. Had he not
taken enough already? Was she not
so spent that to take more would kill
her? Besides, she wished to be alone
to nestle to her heart the sweetest
moment Of her life, without even that
great big him to disturb her. He
was such a disturber! He would kiss
her again and she would lose all the
others-those precious first ones that
would always be the dearest. No, he
was to co. Please, he was to go.
Please, it was a favor.
He perceived that she was in earn
est, and something told him, moreover
that she was with difficulty holding
back her tears-those tears which 1t
would be sacrilege for him to Snare.
So, manfully, and with quickening
perception, he made no further demur,
but turned and left her, looking back
once to wave his hand, and to take
one last look. ....-.
But she loved him. That was all his
dizzy head could hold. She loved
him. Christine Marshall loved him
She was willing to strip herself OF
everything to follow him the wide
world over. Yes, men were egoists-
blind, stupid egoists, measuring WON
| l,, hot Z M