Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1912-07-13

9( !|||AN
which she triumphantly swathed her
head
"Just like Dick Turpin," she whis-
pered parenthetically behind it. Nov
you walk little ahead and drop in
| the tickets and act as if you'd never
seen me-"
Her scheme seemed reasonable
enough, and certainly 1t was impera-
tive that we give the slip to the Rev
erend Mr.. Stevens. So, when our
tickets had been dropped into the box,
started forward, carelessly and
alone, to the middle of the platform,
leaving Mrs. Lathrop to stand where
we had entered near its farther end
| I glanced at Stevens and saw that he
was watching me, but, of course, let
no CLINT of recognition show in my
own face. When the train came in
waited moment, then made for the
nearest doorway; but had not waited
quite long enough, and an absent
midend, belated passenger or SO
! blocked the way. Over my shoulder I
! saw Mr. Stevens close behind me.
turned, therefore, as If had changed
my mind, and then, with a sudden
dash ran past Mrs. Lathrop toward
the waiting door in the first car of
the train. AS l ran could hear him
running behind me, and, passing Mrs.
Lathrop, heard her say All right"
The thing al happened In a flash.
squeezed myself in past the door that
the guard was already commencing to
shut and stood for second, squeezed
in the opening, loking back over the
platform. The Reverend Stevens was
lying flat on his face, as If he had
been struck by one of his own familiar
weapons. and Mrs. Lathrop was abso-
lutely nowhere to be seen.
| The guard jerked me through the
dor angrily and slammed it after me,
and in another moment the train be-
gan to move. And puzzling about the
strange disappearance of Mrs. Lathrop
walked back into the car, to find her
sitting calmly, divesting herself of her
swathing disguise"
How on earth" whispered, drop
ping into the seat beside her, " did you
manage to do that?"
Mrs. Lathrop folded her veil and put
1t back In her pocket, In an amused
triumph she made but little effort to
conceal.
You owe me new umbrella, Mr.
Ellsworth" she said II broke mine
sticking 1t between those long legs.
You could hear him rattle as he came
down. Scripture tells us, Mr. Ellsworth
that an eye for an eye is wicked and
by-gone rule; but don't know that
1t says anything anywhere about rib
for rib, SO that can't feel very
sorry about breaking my umbrella It's
lucky that I managed to squeeze into
that rear door though. for If he ever
had been able to get up again. guess
he would have had me arrested, and
you would have had to go on to Win
ford all alone. would have got my
picture in the paper, too, a thing which
never yet has happened to any of our
family
From my wakeful upper berth that
night. once or twice heard an audible
and reminiscent chucke from that
middle-aged adventures below me.
soothing chuckle that, l think. was
largely responsible for a mental re-
Taxation which brought sleep to me:
an uneasy sleep. to be sure, but one
from which awoke refreshed, to find
Mrs. Lathrop already up and waiting
for me as we drew into Syracuse.
| We breakfasted in the station, and
had an uneventful three hours trip to
Winford. Winford, like many other lit
tie towns in upper New York state.
looked as II 1t had been picked up
whole by some careful hurricane, and,
being torn from it's New England
roots, had been gently dropped upon
its present site. There was the same
long village street that split on two
sides of three-arched. common green.
The houses were white or yellow, com
modious and comfortable, set apart
with broad elbow room and ap-
preached by little, box bordered walks.
Big rambling houses they were, whose
low attached kitchens led into still
lower, but still attached, wood-sheds,
which gave in turn upon barns almost
as large as the houses themselves,
and furnished snug and covered ways
between the two-footed and the four
footed worlds ways that must have
been grateful enough on bowling biz
zard nights. And behind them we
could see the powered beauty of heller
SHELTER gardens, commencing already
to bloom with the sweet, old-fashioned.
familiar flowers that gladdened dead
and bygone eyes in the days when
America was American.
Pretty, isn't TT" said Mrs. Lathrop.
Pretty and quiet and peaceful. I feel
sometimes as If I would like nothing
better than to live in a town like this
for always and then know perfectly
well that couldn't. don't know what
1t is. perhaps 1t is too peaceful; sort
Of like a cemetery"
| ], drew long breath Of the sweet
air, that bore family the indescribable
smell of box and the family cloying,
,1nearthly fragrance Of lilies of the
valley.
Il know what you mean I said IT
think It is because we have lived so
! long away that we feel uncomfortable
ouco Intimate md 1,phoadod