Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1914-08-18
CHAPTER vi Continued.


glanced curiously around the room to
give her time to regain her composure
more fully. The library was a large
room like all the others in the house.
There were book shelves reaching
from the floor OF the ceiling, heavy
tables and massive leather-cushoned
chairs. a writing desk with its &C.
cessories OF Russian leather and cut
glass. huge fireplace. with Quaint
old.fashioned hood and high-backed
carved settees, weakness of the late
Nr. Todd. The dark oak floor was
highly polished and the fading light
touched and softenet the rare collec-
ton of Oriental rugs, another hobby
that the late Mr.. Todd rode fast and
furiously because it was the fashion
to. Through the long French win
dows Algernon could see the masnifi-
cent stretch Of velvet lawn and De-
yond the tumbling fog-gray sea.
All was quiet well-kept comfort such
as money can give. and all was his.
He looked at the girl facing him across
the tables broad eXpanse, and told
himself that she was nothing but a
swindler. decked in the f1nery his
money afforded. His mother, he de-
cided. would doubtless be blind to the
rare humor in the situation, but his
mother was at that moment more than
three thousand miles away and, as yet.
blissfully unaware of what was tSfng
done in her name in the great lonely
house on the wind-swept coast OF
Maine. Indeed, Algernon was as un-
&C.
essence of that which he was doing.
Mature deliberation and Algernon
were as far apart as the poles. He
acted on the impulse of the moment
and II things went wrong he simply
dropped them and turned to some
thing else. Money is a great aid to a
successful practice of philosophical
view of life.
He drew up a chair for Molly and
with a little bow Inclined for her to
be seated, remembering the cooks
expression of dark suspicion when he
had done the same for her. Then he
sat down himself. and pushing aside
the papers that cluttered the table,
made room for his arms.
'Bills?" he asked anxiously. "You
ought to be careful
Molly flashed him a glance of
scorn. BE careful" she nodded, land
you will be in the poor farm
"Better than being in Jail returned
Algernon mildly.
ITO coward, yes said she.
ITO a person-with--er-
should think"
"Fear is so often mistaken for
honor, she retorted coolly, flushing
and not meeting his eyes.
Algernon changed the subject.
"What put the idea into your head to
be Mrs. Todd? Weren't you afraid
that there would be something in the
papers about the real Mrs. Todd to
give you away?"
MRS. Todd never allows anything
to be printed about her." returned
Molly.
Il know" agreed Algernon. "But
have sometimes seen little things
about Todd"
'They never read the papers up
here" said the girl carelessly. except
the Brockton Daily Telegraph. That
only comes out once week and hasn't
in 1t but advertisements
Algernon remembered what old man
Brown had remarked the day of his
arrival. but decided to say nothing to
the girl about It and alarm her un-
for there was not likely
to be anything in the papers about
young Todd for some time at least.
"That's true he admitted, "but why
did you do this, take the name of
Todd?"
The girl looked at him plaintively,
like child caught in mischief and not
sure OF the outcome or the temper of
her Judge only as joke" said she.
1.-THE station master and the man who
drove me over from Brockton got the
idea into their heads that was Mrs.
Todd. They kept calling me so and
I let them for the fun of it-that first
night"
Molly put her slim white arms on
the table and leaned forward, her
small hands clasped in front of her.
Her cool audacity had returned as the
blood crept back into her cheeks and
tingled there with excitement, and the
flash of mischief and daring came
again into her Irish eyes. She nked
the boy across the table and felt that
she could trust him. She wanted to
tell some one, to have some one to
whom she could turn and with whom
she could consult If things got seri
Gus. He was only a boy, young and
inexperienced, she was a woman, beau
tiful and fascinating, and she could
bold him to her interests by her at
fractions if need be. Il had been
out of a job for two or three months
before Mrs. Todd engaged me. You
must realize what that means, to be
out of job in New York! I was mad
at everything, fate and poverty and the
endless hopeless struggle. I had had
too much worry. don't know even
if was glad to have place at last"
She threw out her slim hands, palms
upward and looked appealingly at AL
gernon
Algernon nodded sympathctically
He had often been worried himself
HIS favorite marc had once been
sick, and then bis mother
worried him about working. He
thought he understood perfectly.
Il left the next day for this place"
went on the girl "And as 7 said