Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1914-04-11

you've hit the nail on the head
replied Mr.. Peters admiringly. She
quick She's like lightning. Sh'
won't give me any time if she can hell
it. That's why I'd like to have won
derful speech all ready-somethint
that would hold her spellbound ant
tongue-tied until | finished 1t would
take literary classic to do that"
What you want" laughed Magee
sis a speech with the punch"
Exactly agreed Mr.. Peters. 81
guess I won't go over to Brooklyn the
study the lights along the big street
and brush elbows with the world bit
before reveal myself to her. Maybe
If I took in a few shows-but don't
think won't go to her. My mnd Is
made up. And I guess she'll be glad
to see me, TOO. In her way. I got to
fix it with her. though, to come back
to my postcard trade in the summers
I wonder what she'll say to that. May
be she could stay at the inn under an
assumed name while l was fiermiting
UP at the shack"
He laughed softly.
''Itd be funny wouldn't it." he said
Her sitting on the veranda watching
me sell postcards to the ladies, and
listening to the various stories of how
a lost love has blighted my life, and SO
forth Yes, it'd be real funny-only
Ellen never had much sense of humor.
! That was always her great trouble. If
you ever marry, Mr.. Magee, and I sup
pose you will, take my advice. Marry
| a sense of humor first, and a woman
incidental-like."
| Mr. Magee promised to bear this
counsel in mind, and went forward into
the smoking-car. Long rows Of red
plush seats. unoccupied save for the
mayor and Max, greeted his eye. He
strolled to where they sat, about half
way down the car, and lighted an
after-breakfast cigar.
Max slouched in the unresponsive
company of cigarette on one side of
the car; across the aisle the mayor of
Reuton leaned heavily above card
! table placed between two seats. He
was playing solitaire. Mr. Magee Won
dered whether this was merely dis
play of bravado against scheming re-
formers, or whether Mr.. Cargan found
in it real diversion. Curious, he slid
into the place across the table from the
mayor.
Napoleon" he remarked lightly
"whiled away many dull hour with
cards, l believe"
Clumsily the mayor shuffled the
cards. He flung them down one by
one on the polished surface of the
table rudely, as though they were re-
form votes he was counting. His
thick lips were tightly closed, his big
hands lowered with unaccustomed I'M
certainty over the pasteboards.
"Quit your kidding" he replied. 81
don't believe cards was invented in
Maps day Was they? It's shame
, a fellow can't have little admiration
for great leader like Nap without all
you funny boys jollying him about it,
That boy sure knew how to handle the
voters. I've read lot about him, and
l like his style"
"You let history alone" snarled Mr..
Max, across the aisle, cor it'll repeat
itself and another guy know'll go to
the island"
''If you mean me-" returned Cargan,
"forget it. There amt no st. Helena
in my future He winked at Magee.
LOU q uLIlS pcSNlSA IllAo ihOi MAO,
he said Had a bad night"
He busted himself with the cards.
Mr.. Magee looked on, only half in
terested. Then, suddenly, his interest
grew. He watched the mayor build,
in two piles; he saw that the deck
from which he built was thick. A
weird suspicion shot across his mind.
Tell me-" he asked, lis this the
admiral's game of solitaire?"
Exactly what l was going to ask"
said voice. Magee looked up. Ken
drick had come in. and stood now
above the table. His tired eyes were
upon it, fascinated; his lips twitched
strangely.
eyes," answered the mayor. .'this is
the admiral's game. You'd hardly ex-
pect me to know it, would you?
don't hang out at the swell clubs where
the admiral does They won't have
me there But once l took the adj
miral on a public service board with
me-one time when l wanted lot
of dignity and no brains pretty bad
and he sort of come back by teaching
me his game in the long dull hours
when We had nothing to do but serve
the public. The thing gets a hold
on you, somehow. Let's see-now the
spade-now the heart"
Kendrick leaned closer. His breath
came with a. noisy quickness that
brought the fact of his breathing in
sistently to Magee's mind.
81 never knew-how it was played"
he said.
Something told Mr., Magee that he
ought to rise and drag Kendrick away
from that table. Why? He did not
know. Still, it ought to be done. But
the look in Hendricks eyes showed
clearly that the proverbial wild horses
could not do it then.
'Tell me how it's played" went on
Kendrick, trying to be calm.
"You must be getting Old replied
the mayor. "The admiral told me the
young men at his club never took any
interest in his game. Solitaire he
says to me, is an old mans trade.
It's great game, Mr.. Kendrick.'
"A great game" replied Kendrick,
yes, it's a great game" His tone was
dull 81 want to know how it's played"
he said again.
"The six of clubs reflected the