Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1914-04-18
Evening Story
OTHER THINGS.
BY HARMONY WELLER.
Copyright, 1912, by the Associated
Literary Press)

A gloomy silence had fallen be-
tween them.
The girls head, tilted at an angle
of defiance, added fuel to the flame.
He dressed the head from tiny vio-
let that had peeped over the thresh-
old of the summer house.
There is no reason why you should
destroy my violet" said the girl,
Simply because l have chosen to
take a course in dramatic art in New
York" She made movement as if
to rise and leave him to his stony
silence, but he jerked her back.
"Iris!" he pleaded impatiently,
give up this crazy notion"
1T is not crazy notion! If l
am to marry and live in a half-asleep
village all my life, l certainly want
something to break the monotony!"
"Oh-it is monotony-tO think Of
marrying me, is it," 1t was the man S
head which now tilted angrily.
ut certainly would be Ito both of
u.s." Iris continued, defiantly. II
merely want to take course in dra-
matte art, so that l will be more ca
pable of entertaining our friends with
recitations and give amateur theat-
ricals. It isn't for PROFESSIONAL"
1T all leads to the same thing!"
put in Blair: you will probably come
back from New York and parade the
streets with powder on your nose an
inch thick and look for all the world
like a blooming actress" Blair was
not looking at the rising anger in the
girls face, and continued, unconscious
Sc ho1 ~
sing, or play or recite to keep her
household going. We seemed to get
along all right without any crazy
self-improvement notions!"
my dear Mr.. Blair" Iris put in
sweetly, eff your mother found ner
happiness, her contentment and the
great big things in life among pots
and pans, brooms and dust pans and
the tending of a stray vegetable or
two she is to be commended. If that
were to be my life could probably
stand it until you sent me to what we
call in slang a dippy house. I no
tice,' she continued, and with rising
anger, that you are always delighted
to go over with me to the Lanes and
listen to their records of voices and
operas 1t is true it is only sugges-
ton of the things that are going on in
the world, but you apparently are not
loath to enjoy them"
"That is certainly different to having
your own wife making spectacle of
herself and drawing the entire village
after her in trailing admiration"
That's the whole thing In nut
SHE'LL cried Iris, with two red spots
in her cheeks; you are jealous! You
want me all to yourself. You want
me to stay in a house and keep it
clean and comfortable and pleasant
for your own special enjoyment.
had in mind only your own happiness
and desire to make things more en-,
PERTAINING for you and your friends
when l thought of studying, but now
you can look for some one else to make
you happy!" Iris pulled off her half
hoop of diamonds with trembling fin
gers. "Give this to some girl who
loves to wash dishes and oil up the
hardwood floors!" She went swiftly
out of the summer house and Blair was
alone.
He stared for long moment at the
ring that had rolled into crack in
the rustic table, then his head went
forward onto his arms.
Internal jealous idiot that am
he frankly informed himself.
His face was white and set when
he again raised it. After all, there
were other things in life save the
keeping in order of house, even II
that houre were already built and
rambled among grove of fir trees,
Blair arose His shoulders were
dropping, and he made his way from
the summer house ond over toward
the house among the trees.
Once within the old gardens his
anger against Iris returned Why
should any girl want more than this
beautiful home that he had bought for
her? They had gone over every stick
and stone of it in fond anticipation OF
it. Blair kicked an unoffending stone
and turned away from the house; he
could not go in now that Iris had
thrown it and him over for course
in dramatic art
A sense Of outraged love kept him