Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1914-10-17

hotel he asked her to marry him. She
listened with the same cool, imper-
sonal manner she had shown him the
night before she left home. Her re-
fusal was positive. She would not
marry him.
Several weeks after Helms return
an envelope, bearing a typewriter
address and a southern postmark,
came to him. 1t contained clipping
from a newspaper
"An incident recently occurred at
the Albemarle Hotel which has
caused both amusement and annoy
ance to the guests. For several weeks
there has been about the hotel a
strikingly beautiful. handsomely
gowned young woman. Many young
men were attracted by the charming
face. dashing clothes and magnificent
jewels of the fair unknown, and it is
said that more than one was ready
to offer heart and hand. But the
discovery was made that the beautiful
incognita was the nursemaid for the
children of wealthy woman who is
a guest at the hotel. The mistresss
i'll health has kept her confined to her
own rooms and the beautiful Cinder-
ella has gone forth each day wearing
her mistress's gowns and jewels. She
is young woman of some education
and culture, who came south with a
small amount of money, spent 1t and
procured employment as a servant.
Her name is Margaret Lang
When Philip Helm entered the
courtyard of the Albemarle Hotel ne
saw Margaret Lang sitting on bench
under magnolia tree.
81 came as quickly as l could he
said "The clipping brought me. |
came, Margaret, to help you in any
way l can. love you. No matter
what you have done you must be at
heart still the same girl l knew all
those years in our old home
"You are chivalrous, Philip. But
surely you cannot love masquerader,
disgraced servant"
81 love you. l ask you again to
marry me. VIII you, Margaret?'
Eyes, I will'' she said calmly. Il
shall be glad to do so now that l can
come to you in disgrace and humilia-
ton Then she laughed happily.
Philip, that newspaper clipping told
you only part of the story. I cut it in
two parts and sent you only one.
The maids name is Margaret Lang,
she quoted. On account of the similar
ity of names the affair has caused
much embarrassment to Miss Margaret
Lang a young woman from the north,
who is guest at the Albemarle
Hotel Don't you understand, Philip?
l am not the spendthrift Margaret, the
masquerading servant"
"But-but-'' Then he stopped,
speeches. with bewilderment
How long have you loved me-"
she asked.
Always"
She shook her head. mo, you have
not" In her voice there was sad
ness which he realized had been there
for long time. Vaguely he remem-
bered that in the early days of their
friendship her voice had been gay and
merry. II have loved you, for several
years." she went on. AT first |
thought you loved me. We passed
from friendship into that state in
which we were lovers, but without the
spoken words which make the formal
engagement. 1t is beautiful blissful
state when it is brief one. But with
us it was not brief. You were con-
tent to drift aimlessly along, free from
any ties, yet holding me by the bond
of my love for you
"The night before l went south
piqued your vanity and reused your
curiosity when I spoke of the inner
room which held memories l would
not share with you. Ny abrupt de-
parture reused you to the fact that
I intended to live my life apart from
yours. 1t was your vanity that sent
you south to ask me to marry you.
For a long time you had fingered on
the brink Of an engagement, loath
to relinuuish your freedom. During
that time I had waited, waited wait
ed for the words that it was my right
to hear. After the long waiting and
heartache l heard them-when piqued
vanity caused you to speak them. l
refused you. When the coincidence
of the two names occurred sent you
that clipping. | know that if you
really loved me you would come to me.
You came and now | am glad, Philip,
glad to tell you that love you. And,
Philip, you have the key to the inner
room. The room holds memories
which I shall share with you because
they are memories only OF you.'