Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1913-08-23
Evening Story.
"coTTAoE FOR RENT"
BY Molly Mac Master.

haps the tenth time during the last
hour that he had done the same
thing.
Tho girl, sitting clicking away It
a small typewriter on the other side
OF the hedge. seemed totally uncon-
scious of the pair Of masculine eyes
devou-ing her beauty, She smiled
to herself as her fingers flew across
the keys and her story progressed
rapidly.
When tho story was finished she,
too. sighed. After al. It was rather
sion, even though It was bringing
her splendid results from the world
OF fiction. For two months Lydia
Barry had not left her garden retreat
nor had she met Z soul In the village.
only to write-write the stories that
would make her name famous-and
Lydia was succeeding wonderfully.
Not SO successful wah Warburton.
Perhaps this was because he had won
his laurels year or 30 ago ana was
not worrying about present work. He
thought only of the girl In tho next
garden, the girl with the hair that
looked like new mown hay In the
moonlight. His brushes refused to
paint cattle and sheep and fimpid
pools when Lydia Barry sat in the
garden and wrote love stories.
Why had she taken the cottage next
his own and disturbed the work and
peace Of his habitIal summer retreat
And why had she, having come, re-.
I ed to enter the village society that
he. might meet her properly and fall
In love with her II he 20 desired?
Warburton sighed.
"She has no right" he insisted to
himself, and began another rough
outline Of Lydia's profile as she bent
over her writing.
A few more days of secret admira-
ton wore away and Warburton be-
came desperate. He must and would
devise some way Of becoming acquaint-
ed with his garden love. He sur
reptitiously enlarged the hole in the
hedge one dark night and smiled
triumphantly at his achievement.
During the day he smiled more
broadly, and In the afternoon took
an express train to the city. It was
a scant twenty miles, and Warbur-
ton returned with satisfaction light.
/ ing His entire personality.
Three days later Lydia was dis.
turbed in her writing. Her small
maid came to tell her that stran-
ger had come to look at the cottage.
Lydia indignantly arose and con-
fronted a young couple, who showed
her the advertisement that had at
tracted them. They had found It in
the morning paper.
! But It is a mistake" Lydia told
them, with a moderation Of her In
dignity MY cottage is not for rent
and never will be-. I am sorry the
newspaper has blundered.''
When the disappointed couple had
gonev casting backward glances OF
admiration at the vine-clad, cottage,
Lydia returned to her writing. Her
thought had been interrupted, how.
ever, and slight quicker OF wonder.
ment lay between her brows.
"A very curious mistake for a news
paper to make" she remarked to her.
self. She read again the advertise.
ment that the house-hunters had been
good enough to leave with her. "Cot.
tage for rent. Suitable for artist or
writer. The Arbor. Marcus Lane.
! Sea Cliff"
Lydia put down the slip Of paper
and returned to her work. The in
cident fingered In her mind but q
story began to grow out OF It,
"After ALL" she decided, everything
II more people come to look at my cot
| tage | may get good story from It.
1t at least breaks the monotony." In
her last thought Lydia admitted for
/ the first time to herself that she was
lonesome-very, very lonesome.
Other people did come-for 1t was
the spring renting season and Lydia
turned them all away with the same
answ>-. Then on the seventh day, he
came.
Lydias maid had gone to the village
/ and when the doorbell pealed loud and
! long so as to reach the far corner Of
[ the garden Lydia went to answer its
] summons.
| The color sprang swiftly into hel
cheeks and quickly hidden express
sion into her eyes. In her complete
surprise the girl opened the door and
Warburton went quickly inside. He
felt as II he would have lifted hel
aside had she failed to let him in.
Il have come to look at the cot
,,tage,' he told her and felt guilty-sc
guilty that Lydia cast a quizzical
! glance at him and bit her lip to keer
| from smiling. The whole situation
had come to her so suddenly that II
took her breath away.
Here was the guilty person who had
put that advertisement in the paper
and was trying vainly to conceal hie
embarrassment. Lydia smiled openly
!. and found that she could not summon
even suggestion Of anger. He looked
SO conscience stricken. so utterly boy
ish, standing there in his white fan
nels and wondering what to say next
Lydia decided to help him.
perhaps you would like to see the
garden first" she said, and led the
way. "since you have no doubt come
all the way from the city I will offel
you a cool lemonade or ice tea
which do you prefer"
There was scarcely hidden mocker,
lin Lydia's eyes and 1t brought a dull
ired to Warburton's cheeks. 9TH,