Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1914-01-20

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And so it came that a week later
Barbara swayed in the chorus, sing
ing joyously. her mind busy with the
future, when she, too, would glide for
ward to the footlights and send high
"bs" and "c's" back to the last twen-
ty-five cent gallery seat. The Egyp-
tians moved noisly off the stage and
in the wings became pleased but some
what self-conscious American citizens.
Barbara stood wriggling uncomfort-
ably, wondering II her particular robe
had ever visited laundry.
"Cold?" inquired sympathetic
voice behind her. She turned and
looked into the blue eyes of a tall
warrior.
NO" she answered, II was won.
dering who wore this last"
Same here" he observed laconic-
ally, pulling out a sawhorse from
pile of lumber. Have a seat" he
suggested
"You hurt your hand" said Bar.
bara.
1T doesn't matter"
Let me see it.
A silver of wood had made a long
cash across his knuckles.
Real local color" he grinned, land
my handkerchief Is in my trousers
pocket
Barbara produced a diminutive
square of linen.
ooh, don't spoil that" he objected,
"Ill find paper"
She bent over impu1sively and
bound the handkerchief around his
hand.
You're a brick" he said admiring-
ly.
Just then the cue came and in the
not there the following night. On
assembling in the wings, he ap-
Mistress Nightingale, I'd like to
keep the token"-he held a handker-
chief of almost the same pattern In
his palm and thoughtfully regarded
the frown on her face and the laugh
ter in her eyes-"but of course I
can't until I get an introduction, so
I'll let you hold it until that happy
moment"
Barbara's laughter got the best of
her. You're a very proper knight,
and I thank you. 1t must have been
lots of trouble to match 1t, since it's
one of a dozen Aunt Belle brought
me from Paris"
He looked crestfallen. do you
mind my keeping the other?"
No" she admitted, honestly.
"How's your hand?"
quite healed, thanks to you. Hurt
it lots worse going across on cattle
boat three years ago. Nobody to
bandage it, either. Three months
over there! Time of my life! Three
cents when landed in New York"
Barbara gasped. Three cents!"
That's all. Got job soon as
landed, though. Tell you all about
it if you'll let me call some night
next week"
Barbara flushed delightfully."-. I'D
love to have you if it weren't SO I'M
conventional. I'll have to think 1t
over" @ss a'mH@ st3t
That night Lewis yawned many
times in the one block to the street
car.
Said Babs tactfully: Il wrote out
all your prose composition. Did you
find it?'
cure.
Lewis, there's a nice boy in the
chorus, and he wants to call. Do
you suppose mother would"
"Well, guess not. The nerve of
him! Say, you just point him out
to me tomorrow night and I'll tell
him a few"
You'll do no such thing He's de-
lightful. He went abroad on cattle
boat"
Heavenly! Lewis interrupted.
HE sings divinely. He's heard
opera in Berlin and Bernhart in
Paris and"
Lewis yawned Nothing doing, sis.
Better forget him."
The next night they were Italian
peasants. Barbara was given bright
red waist, scarlet scarf and blue
skirt. Her black hair hung In heavy
plaits to her waist Excitement had
burned her cheeks a deep red and she
was very good to look upon. When
the chorus came off at the end of the
first act, she missed her warrior and
the same accident happened after
act II. She must reach him or he
;v&%4 no11