Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1914-01-03

Daphne. "He wake up ez glad ez ct
he done 'fessed ligion las night. Well
all de folkses cert'n'y 'joyed deyselves.
OF Mistah Fargo done eat bout forty
uh dem jumbles. All heah him talkin'
ter Mars John. 'Reck'n yo' mus hab
err crackahjack cook down heah,' he
say. Hyuh, hyuh!"
"G'way wild yo' blackgyardin'" sniff
ed Aunt Daphne. delighted. Don
need ter come eroun' honey -caffuddlin'
mel"
Oats whut he say" insisted Uncle
Jefferson: she did TO- er fac'!"
She drew her hands from the suds
and looked at him anxiously. jeff
son, yo' reck'n Mars John gwineter
fotch dat Yankee 'ooman heah ter
Danny Co'ot, ter be ouah mistis?"
"Humph!" scoffed her spouse. Dat
high.falutin' gal whut done swaller de
amrod? No suh-ree-bob-tail! De
oldah yo' gifts, de mo- foolishah yo'
citations Is! Don yo' TEX no mo-
trouble on yo' back den yo' kin keep
off'n yo' heels! She ain gwineter
run dis place, er OF Devil-Joh tuhn
ovah in he gravel"
Sunset found Valiant sitting In the
MUSHROOM before the old square
iano. In the shadowy chamber the
keys Of mother-of-pearl cleaned with
dull colors under his fingers. He
struck at first only broken chords, that
became finally the haunting barcarole
Of Tales Of Hoffman,. 1t was the air
that had drifted across the garden
when he had stood with Shirley by the
sun-dial, in the moment of their first
kiss. Over and over he played it, i'm
promising dreamy variations, till the
tender melody seemed the dear ghost
Of Shat embrace. At length he went
into the library and in the crimsoning
light sat down at the desk, and began
to write: q,
Dear Bluebird OF mine:
II can't wait any longer to talk to
you. Less than a day has passed
since we were together, but it might
have been cons, If one measured time
by heart-beats. What have you been
doing and thinking. wonder? I have
spent those cons In the garden, just
wandering about, dreaming over those
wonderful, wonderful moments by the
sun-dial. All. dear little wild heart
born of the flowers, with the soul Of a
bird yet you are woman, tool that
old disk is marking happy hours now
for me!
How have deserved this thing
that has come to me?-sad bungler
that have been! Sometimes 1t seems
too glad and sweet, and am suddenly
desperately afraid I shall wake to find
myself facing another dull morning in
that old, useless, empty life Of mine.
I am very humble, dear, before your
love.
"Shall I tell you when 1t began with
me? Not last night-nor the day we
planted the ramblers. (Do you know.
when your little muddy boot went
trampling down the earth about their
roots, wanted to stoop down and kiss
it? So dear everything about you
was!) Not that evening at Rosewood,
with the arbor fragrance about us.
q think I shall always picture you
with roses all about you. Red roses
the color of your lips!) No. it was
not then that it began-nor that
dreadful hour when you fought with
me to save my life-nor the morning
you sat your horse in the box-rows in
that yewgreen habit that made your
hair look like molten copper. No, 1t
began the first afternoon, when l sat
in my motor with your rose In my
hand! It has never left me since, by
day or by night. And yet there are
people in this age of airships and honk-
ing highways and typewriters who
think love-at-frst-sight is as out-of-
date as our little grandmothers' hoops
rusting in the garnet. All, sweetheart,
I, for one, know better!
. Suppose I had not come to Virginia
and known you! My heart jumps
when think Of it. 1t makes one be-
lieve in fate. Here at the Court /
found an old leaf-calendar-it sits at
my elbow now, just as I came on 1t.
The date 1t shows is May 18th, and its
motto u.s. Every man carries his fate
upon q riband about his neck. like
that.
, THAT first Sunday at st. Andrews
thought of a day--may it be soon!
when you and I might stand before
that altar, with your people (my peo-
pie, too, now around us. and | shall
hear you say: 4, Shirley. take thee,
John-' And to think it Is really to
come true! Do you remember the
text the minister preached from? 1t
was But all men perceive that they
have riches, and that their faces shine
as the faces of angels. | think |
shall 20 about henceforth with my
face shining, so that all men will see
that I have riches-your love for me,
dear
81 am so happy can hardly see the
words-or perhaps 1t Is that the sun
has set. I am sending this over by
Uncle Jefferson. Send me back just
word by him, sweetheart, to say I
may come to you tonight. And add
the three short words I am so thirsty
to hear over and Overcome verb be-
tween two pronouns-so that can
kiss them all at once!"
He raised his head, little flushed
and with eyes brilliant, lighted can
die, sealed the letter with the ring he
wore and despatched it.
Thereafter he sat looking into the
glowing dusk, watching the pale lamps
of the consultations deepen to green
gilt against the lapis-lazuli Of the sky,
and listening to the insect noises dull
in q into the woven chorus of evening