Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1914-07-18

after marriage. And she might have
had Rand Phillips.
Her blue eyes closed for q moment,
shutting out the brilliant lights and
glaring white thing of the station.
The express was laundering down the
tunnel. Yes, she was going to marry
that old gorilla, as Fay called him.
| She knew 1t, now. He was little
past fifty, ugly, kind, and far better
educated than the majority of sue
cessful men. She had not promised
him positively, but she knew she
would, now that Europe and it's days Of
romance and glamour were past. She
had her hour of play, and now came
; the payment.
Oddly enough as she entered the
middle car with the rest Of the theatre
crowd. she recalled Phillips's face,
clearcut, boyish. filled with irrepres-
sible good humor and world Of hope.
Then she raised her lashes, and found
him facing her.
It was too late to leave the car.
! The folding doors had swung to be-
hind her. And besides. he had dis
covered her, and was rising.
Jack. heard you were here. Take
my seat, dear"
He had appropriated her bodily, and.
placed her in the vacant seat before
she could rebel.
when did you arrive?"
"This morning." She tried to be
natural with him. and still try and
convey q sense of aloofness. Just as
if any one could be aloof with Randy
Phillips. 1--WE had such comfy voy-
age, no icebergs or blowups, you
know"
Where are you going alone at
night?''
Il don't understand you?" very
na @6h' Yes, YOU do. What's the
trouble?"
"You are quite as impertinent as
ever, aren't you, Randy?" -
81 want to take care of you.
can't let you run around New York
at night alone like this"
81 have an appointment with
friends"
$50? l will conduct you to them"
His eyes were full of teasing deviltry
"How's Fay and her prince of the
air lanes?"
She bit her lip. It hurt to hear
him speak fiippantly OF Fay's mar
riage, when by right he should have
been heartbroken.
They are very happy"
and unforgiven?'
Surely Father is always consist
ent" Her lip .curled slightly. 1t was
so silly, the way he had acted, her
father and Fay's.
"And you are free still?"
81 will be until February" She
hesitated, and he reached down for
her hand. Don't, Rand l am 60
ing to be married"
i've been we'll aware of it. dear.
January will be quite convenient.
Shall We go to the coral isles, Jack?'
Before she could answer, and tell
him the truth, that he was talking
nonsense. that it was too late now
that he had flirted with Fay, and let
her go away to Europe with never a
word, there came grinding crash
and shock that sent the people head
long around them. And then came
darkness.
Instinctively she had started to rise,
but Rand's arms had held her fast
The collision sent them both falling
over the seats, but he held her and
kept back the pushing, insane crowd.
Somehow in the black horror Of things,
he found vacant seat, and dropped
into it, holding her close to him.
There's nothing to do" he whis-
pered. "We're midway between Forty
second and Grand Central, on the
turn. Keep still. dear. Thank God
We're together anyway, even now"
She shuddered and shrank close to
him, hiding her face against his
shoulder. They were climbing over
each other in the aisle, the crowd.
The guards were shouting out some
thing at the far end of the car. A
kissing of steam came from outside,
and straining, shuddering tremor
through the running gear as if 1t were
sentient, wounded animal. A wom-
an let out a piercing scream of fear
and tainted. Some one was calling to
the men to sit down, that they were
trampling the weaker ones under foot,
and laugh broke out of the crashing
medley of noise, the highpitched,
reckless laugh of somebody facing
death with what he thought was
courage.
Rand lifted her cold fingertips to
his lips and held them, his arm close
about her. Not a word did either
say. yet out of the dark terror and
drifting to the borderland Of the
eternal together there was born a
kinship, a sudden leaping into flame
of all the love that had smoldered
for two years. In all the world there
seemed only themselves left. He
could feel her breath on his face, her
heart throbbing heavily against him.
All the little shams and subterfuges
and evasions of conventionality slip
ped from them. He held the girl he
loved in his arms, and death was a
trifle, a passing incident Of fate that
had served to bring them together.
"Jack, sweetheart he whispered.
Are you afraid?"
| One arm found it's way around his
neck and frightened. She did not an
swer. And without warning the
lights flashed up.
Nobody noticed, Rand said, com.
fortably, as the train gradually gath,
cred up speed. He still held one hand