Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1913-12-20

ing how many kinds he knows. He's
a walking herbarium."
Come and see NINE she said.
|"Roses are our speciality-we have to
live up to the Rosewood name. But
beyond the arbors, are beds and beds
of other flowers. See--by this big
tree are speedwell and delphinium.
The tree is blackwalnut. It's a
dreadful thing to have one as big as
that. When you want something that
costs lot Of money you go and look
at It and wonder which you want most.
that particular luxury or the tree. |
know a girl who had two In her yard
only a little bigger than this, and she
went to Europe on them. But so far
I've always voted for the tree"
Perhaps you've not been sufficient
ly tempted"
MAYBE" she assented, and in a bar
of light from a window, stopped over
glimmering patch to pull him sprig
Of bluebells. "The wildings are hard
to find" she said, 80 grow few
here. What ghostly tintings they
show in this half-light! My corn,
flowers aren't in bloom yet. Here are
wild violets. They are the single
ones, you know. the kind two children
play cock-ighting with" She picked
two of the blossoms and hooked their
heads together. See. both pull TIL
one ROSTERS head drops off, She
bent again and passed her hand loving.
| ly over a mass of starry blooms. "And
here are same bluet, the violet roost'
ers' little pale-blue hens. How does
rIor cnro m ~
"Famously. Uncle Jefferson has
shanghaied half-dozen negro garden
ers-from where can't imagine-and
he's having the time of his life hector
| ing over them. He refers to the upper
and lower terraces as 'up-and down
stairs I've got seeds, but it will be a
long time before they flower"
ooh, would you like some slips?'
she cried. COR, better still, can give
you the roses already rooted Mad
Charles and Marechal Neil and Cloth
of Gold and cabbage and ramblers
We have geraniums and fuchsias, too
and the coral honeysuckle. That
different from the wild one, you
know"
"You are too good! If you would
only advise me where to set them!
But I dare say you think me presum
ing"
She turned her full face to him
'Presuming!' You're furnishing me
now for the dreadful way l talked to
you about Damory Court-before
knew who you were. Oh, 1t was un
pardonable! And after the splendid
thing you had DONE read about IT
| that same evening-With your money
I mean"
mo, MOI" he protested. There
was nothing splendid about 1t. 1t was
only pride. You see the Corporation
was my fathers great idea-the THING
he created and put his soul 1nto-ano
it was laundering. know that wouic
have hurt him. One thing I've wanted
to say to you, ever since the day we
talked together-about the duel.
want to say that whatever lay behlnc
it, nv fathers whole life was darkenec
by that event Now that can pu
two and two together, l know that il
! was the cause of his, sadness
! "Ah, can believe that" she re
piled. .-,....
81 think he had only two interests
myself and the Corporation. So yor
see why I'd rather save that and be
beggar the rest Of my natural life
But I'm not beggar. Damory Court
alone is WORTH know it nova nun
dred times what I left"
| "But to give up your own Worlc
to let it all slip by, and to come tc
spot that to you must seem desper
ately dull
81 came here because the door Of
the old life was closed to me-
,"You closed it yourself" she an
swered quickly. ..-
MAYBE But for whatever reason
it was closed. And you call this dull
dull? Why, my life Seems never te
have had real interest before.
| I'm so glad you think that! YOU
are so utterly different from what
imagined you!"
II could never have imagined you,'
he said, never"
az must be terribly outre."
"You are SO many women in one
When I listened to your harp playing
I could hardly believe it was the same
you I saw galloping across the FIELDS
that morning. Now you are a diner
ent woman from both of those"
! AS she looked at him, her lips
curled corner-wise, her foot slipped or
the sheer edge of the turf. She sway
ed toward him and he caught her, feel
ing for sharp instant the adorable
nearness of her body. 1t ridged all nj:
skin with creeping delight. She re
covered her footing with an exclama
ton, and turned back somewhat
abruptly to the porch where she
seated herself on the step, drawing
her filmy skirt aside to make a place
for him. There was moment O.
silence which he broke.
"That exquisite serenade you were
playing! You know the words, O
course
They are more lovely, II possible
than the score. Do you care fol
poetry"
1--WE always loved it," he said. "Tvf
been reading some lately-a little old
fashioned book I found at Damory
Court. It's Lucille. Do you know it,
YES. It's my mothers favorite.'
He drew it from his pocket. "See
i've got it here It's marked, too
He opened it, to close it instantly
not, however, before she had put ou