Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1913-11-06

copyright, 1912, by the Associated
Literary Press.)
The girl seemed splendidly oblivi-
GUS of her fellow travellers all day,
She had boarded the train at Denver
with very little but super-elegant
baggage, and alone. She had been
excited at first, but as the hours
passed her gaze became quieter,
more thoughtful. She leaned her
cloud of gold.brown hair back
against the seat and idly watched
the porter light up as dusk fell upon
them.
Down the aisle few seats and
facing her sat a youth with his hat
tipped back on his head He was
playing cards with Kansas farmer,
a travelling man from Chicago, and
an old German woman. A little old
lady, perfect In feature and every de-
tail of dress, still beautiful, was
amusedly watching them all. The
youth caught the travelling mans
glance for the thousandth time 1t
rested on the girl.
Easy to look at. isn't she7" quoth
the youth But she wouldn't stand
fol-. any freshness-from you, say!
he observed.
The man laughed with uneasy i'm
pudence ''If Kansas and I lick you
and the lady in this round, I'll show
YOU! I'll 20 over and make good
with that girl-my trick!"s And then
the little old lady slowly rose and
made her way to the girl, whose eyes
were feverishly bright. She smiled,
as anything alive to fineness must
smile, when the old lady took the seat
beside her-not like a protector, but
as one seeking company.
"You are alone, my dear?'
Quite quite alone!'
Then they talked, impersonally,
but with friendliness, as strange
women of the same world approach
each other, the older woman wistful
at the freshness of youth, the girl
wishing for the tranquility of age.
The Landscape was quite dark when
she spoke again.
II was going to California" she
said. And then, brusquely, did you
ever do anything you were-sorry
for? mean. any really big thing ?
Did you ever make decision because
be sorry and-scared after you had
time to Think" She hurled the
questions at the old lady, who &C
cepted them calmly. She had watched
for this chance, feeling something
was wrong.
yes, my dear child. You are a
stranger, so don't mind telling you.
Once, because I felt unseasy, got on
at station after 1 had been started
by nv father to q girls school.
reached his ONCE just in time to
save him from suicide from melon.
cholia over my mothers death, and
thinking my education was taking
ME also from him. / never left him
again--not even when l married"
Forgive me-but did you marry
the right MANI" The little old lady
laughed inside, and turned the worn
wedding ring on her finger. She
had known the troubled look was
because of man! It nearly always
is! She reached for the girls hand.
which frightened about hers, and
continued:
II went up the altar steps twice
once to realize at the, last moment
that it was to meet the wrong man
II was the terrible moment Of my
life. but held on to my courage.
whispered to him that I could not
&c with it, and then I mercifully
tainted. A year after, I married the
right man. He lived only two years
but I had the two years; all the rest
before and after, was only for that
and I have my SON.
"Then you would always follow
your
Always follow your heart. If you
let yourself be quiet, there will In
any great event be a still voice that
will chow you the right path to
! choose" The old lady waited.
The girl grew very pale.
"But If you-had promised your
father-when he was dying-to-
marry somebody, and you liked him
and respected him! And when II
was almost time for you to marry
him and you were all ready, and the
whole world knew about 1t, suppos
ling some one else came, and you
knew in one moment that he was the
right one? And you felt instantly
that he knew it, too? And the'
when you were taking the train We
10 the first mans mothers, where
all your wedding things were sent
on, what if the real one forgot him
self at the station and-showed YOU
his hearth" She was breathless and
white, but her voice was very low.
The old lady was silent.
| What would you do?" insisted the
young voice. "Can't you help me-
| / wish there would be a wreck"
THAT is very foolish. Better be
quiet and tell me about it. You know
lit is not right to marry where YOU
do not love. Nothing can make II
right to do wrong"
"My promise?
'tThe dead cannot live for the deal
ones they leave behind. Your father
would not hold you to it, nor require
such 4 sacrifice"
! But the man he cares for me, he
has built me- home"