Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1912-07-25
the poor fellow in one Of those dark

of rose and beryl were flung from the
expectant eastern horizon to the zen
it'll, across the heavens pale amethyst,
broadening and merging, until all the
east glowed In gDld-shot glory q
tender, ineffable wonder in coming
dawn.
We must, think, have looked q
strange group In the magic light OF
that May morning. Mrs. Lathrop, al
though she had set herself somewhat
to rights. had something Of the impu-
dent, registering air lent by ruffled
plumage, and her usual stay-at-home
pallor was stained by the flush OF
triumphant excitement. The dark
face Of the little maid wore two high
spots of color, and her great eyes
looked tired and feverish, while her
primness, like that of Mrs. Lathrop's
seemed rumpled and tumbled out OF
reality. Ephraim Bond, shrinking half
behind them, looked smaller than my
Of man, q flayed soul cringing be-
fore the beauty of the day. And I
knew myself to look no more normal
than the rest. My clothes were torn
and dirty; my face smutched and
streaked with cobwebs. my left hand
halt covered by torn glove, my right
hideous In unaccustomed nakedness.
OF us all Nancy alone seemed neither
garish nor out Of place, but stood with
the dawn's glory In her eyes, as fresh
and fair and lovely as some new
awakened flower, seeming herself the
very embodiment of the soft fires Of
dawn, as if morning itself yearned to-
ward her and In very ecstacy spread
the earth as a carpet for her feet.
She must have felt my look; for
slowly and confidently she turned her
eyes to mine, bride eyes, that barred
for me the tender eternal mystery OF
the soul within, held my own for an
infinite instant, and again were softly
yelled, deep mirrors of the Joy Of sun
rise. From some nearby meadow q
thrush burst suddenly into song, q
cascading, liquid trill of rapturous mel
ody. Nancy smiled with 1t and
stretched out her hand to me. and
without spoken word we turned our
backs upon the nightmare of the ivied
building, and took the road toward the
village. Somewhere behind us the 9th
ers Enthusiastically l had forgotten
them For while we still went on In
silence, walking hand in hand, as two
children might. The sun now was
fairly risen, and on all sides Of us
dew-laden grass and leaf flashed and
sparkled. Song sparrows leaped to
hedge tops at our coming, fluttered
and poised moment, warbled
snatches Of their morning roundelays
and fluttered on to some new vantage
point Nancy sighed contentedly.
II was not afraid" she said. mot at
all afraid, except for you, for knew
that you would come and that every
thing would be all right. But oh, Mas
on dear, I am glad that it IL over. It
was the waiting, think, that was the
hardest"
do you care" asked, ito go home
again? Home, mean, where first
took you, or does the place frighten
you now?"
: Nancy shook her head II hoped
you would want to go there, Mason,
because of SO many things; good
things, that were so much bigger than
the bad"
From somewhere ahead of us I
heard faint throbbing, muffled pull
sation of sound that grew steadily
louder. Nancy looked up at me In
quiringly. We both stopped and lis
half mile away, appeared an auto
mobile, little, sweeping thing that
came down the road at gathering
speed, breaking the quiet with an In
creasing roar, and growing and loom
ing as 1t drew near like some red, in
sane monster, taking senseless, pre-
prandial rush across country. It's red
paint flashed and glittered, and long
trail Of dust stretched behind 1t over
the road.
We stood aside to let it pass, but it
slowed down and stopped, painting In
the road before us. A rather grimy
young fellow in dusty, corded livery
sat at the wheel, and beside him lit
tie man in goggles, swaddled in an
enormous ulster, whose collar nearly
reached the cloth cap which he had
pulled down over his eyes. The little
man beckoned me with gauntleted
hand, and l stepped across to the car,
thinking that he wanted to ask some
question about the road.
"Ill trouble you, Mr.. Ellsworth" he
said, Ito act quite as If you had ex-
pected me, as II you had-a-employed
me, in fact, to come and pick you up
on this fine May morning. Is that
Nancy Bond there? My goggles are
somewhat dusty"
How on earth, Mr. Ogilby," said |.
did you manage to get here?"
I'll tell you about it some other
time,'' he said shortly. Got the let
ter you mailed day before yesterday.
Took train to Buffalo and hired this
car We can all go back in it. It's
much more private. Where's that
Mrs. Lathrop? BY the way, congra-
tulate you. Were you hurt?"
NO. said, "and I'll tell you all
about that some time. Mrs. Lathrop
should be right behind us somewhere.
I'm afraid I'd rather forgotten about
her."
That's her coming now, guess"
the chauffeur observed.
l looked back down the road. / had
not been conscious that Nancy and I
were walking fast, but either this had
been the case, or the others had
Jagged sorely; for, even yet, they were
soma distanco hohind. Mrs athrnn