Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1913-12-16

her favorite posture, her coppery hair
against her mothers knee, catching
strange reddish over-tones like molten
metal, from the shaded lamp. Mrs.
cambridge fingered her cane nervous.
ly. Then she dropped her hand on the
iris head.
"Now," she said, tell me all about
t."
CHAPTER XXI ,,.
The Anniversary. ra
The story was not long one,
though it omitted nothing: the morn.
ing fox-hunt and the Identification of
the new arrival at Damory Court as
the owner of yesterdays stalled mo-
tor; the afternoon raid on the jessa.
mine, the conversation with John
Valiant in the woods.
Mrs. cambridge, gazing into the
fire, listened without comment, but
more than once Shirley saw her hands
clasp thmselves together and thought,
too, that she seemed strangely pale.
The swift and tragic sequel to that
meeting was the hardest to tell, and
as she ended she put up her hand to
her shoulder, holding 1t hard. ut
was horrible!" she said. Yet now she
did not shudder. Strangely enough
the scene Of loathing which had been
surging over her at recurrent inter.
walls ever since that hour In the wood
had vanished utterly
She read the newspaper article
aloud and her mother listened with
an expression that puzzled her. When
she finished, both were silent for a
moment, then she asked, "You must
have known his father, dearest; didn't
|you"
eyes," said Mrs. cambridge after a
pause. T--knew his father"
Shirley said no more, and facing
each other in the candle-glow, across
the spotless damask, they talked, as
with common consent, of other things.
She thought she had never seen her
mother more brilliant. An odd ex.
citenent was flooding her cheek with
red and she chatted and laughed as
she, had not done for years. Even
Ranston rolled hts eyes in apprecia
ton, later conflding to Emmaline in
the kitchen that mis- Judith cert'n'y
clipper ez er squ'ry dis ev'n1n'.
Reck'n she be breckin' dat cane ovah
some O. ouah haids yit! What yo'
spos'n she say bout dem aryplanes
She 'clah she tickle tub def ter ride
in one-yas'm. Say ct SCUM lax er
thrash 'n-machine en- look lax er deb.
ble-flsh but she dom keer. When she
ride, she want tub zip-yas she did!
OATS jes' whut Mis- Judith say"
But after dinner the gaiety and eff.
|fervescence faded quickly and Mrs.
cambridge went early to her room.
She mounted the stair with her arm
thrown about Shirley's plant waist.
At the window, where the balustrade
turned, she paused to peer into the
night. The air outside was moist and
heavy with rose-scent.
"How alive they seem, Shirley" she
said, the roses. But the jessamine
deserves it's little hour" At her
door she kissed her, looking at her
with strange smile. "How curious,
she said, as If to herself. that 1t
should have happened. today"
The reading-lamp had been lighted
on her table. She drew slim gold
chain from the bosom Of her dress
and held to the light little locket'
brooch it carried. 1t was Of black
enamel, with tiny laurel-wresth OF
pearls on one side encircling a GEgle
diamond. The other side was OF
crystal and covered baby's russell
colored curl. In her fingers 1t opened
and disclosed miniature at which she
looked c71sely for moment.
As she snapped the halves shut, her
eye fell on the open page of book
that lay on the table In the circle of
radiance It was Lucille:
Alas! who shall number the drops OF
the rain? ~
Or give to the dead leaves their
greenness again?
Who shall seal up the caverns the
earthquake hath rent?
Who shall bring forth the winds
that within them are pent?
70 a voice who shall render an
image? or who
From the heats Of the noontide
shall gather the dew" "
Her eyes turned restlessly about
he room. It had been hers as girl,
OF Rosewood had been the old Gar
and homestead 1t seemed now all
at once to be full of calling memories
of her youth. She looked again at the
page and turned the leaf:
CHAPTER XXI (Continued).
Hush. That which is done
II regret not. I breathe no reproaches.
That's best
Which God sends. Twas His will; 1t
is mine. And the rest
OF that riddle will not look back to-
She closed the book hastily and
thrust it out of sight, beneath a
agazine.
How strange that it should have
been today" 1t had been on Shfr-
ley's lips to question, but the door had
closed, and she went slowly down,
stairs. She sat while thinking, but
at length grew restless and began to
walk to and fro across the floor, her
hands clasped behind her head so that
the cool air filed her flowing sleeves.
In the hall she could hear the leisurely
of the tall clock