Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1914-08-29
Mr.. Patterson"
Copyright. The Dobbs-Merrill Company.

tune. There were loud awed voice:
without and steps approaching thu
door across the terrace. Crushed will
gratitude at Todds forbearance, Mol,
turned for one last miserable glance
at her flushed face In the tall pic.
glass between the windows, jerkec
the beads around her neck straight
tucked hayward curl in place anc
went cut to greet the first Of he'
guests.
The guests. when they once beyaT
| to come, came In crowds as though
fearful Of approaching the great house
alone and unaided by the moral stlmu
lus and support of their fellows. Molly
grasped hand after hand, those IN
front insisting on lingering mon1en
and talking to her in the slow labori
Gus way Of the country and those BE-
hind pressing eagerly forward. While
she racked her numb brain for wit
enough to answer the witless, though
she felt like screaming at them to be
gone and not to bother her with their
wanderings around. staring at evetv'
thing, talking inanities and grinDing
like the foolish sheep they tended.
Then the car rolled up with another
delighted load of guests. and glancing
up, she caught Algernon's eyes fixed
on her face with amusement, sympathy
and a tenderness that restored In a
measure her equanimity. She longed
to slip away by herself and think,
think, think, make up some plan to
meet this unforeseen and unexpected
Ciific,,.ty but her position was too in.
secure. North Brockton WAS watching
and the impending fear Ut discovery
ard humiliation kept he" at her pest
OH the side terra2e. shaking llMp moist
hands and express sing her pleasure ut
tie Presence Of e. Oh unwelc,!r, ,E-,:gst
Hancock, att ,nded by anles Mnrti
Jo'c; Worth, AID come early and In.
tened to remNrin late. 'Iha simple
intle c,untry ,;.t len with Ecr sweet
shynus had pr',ed too nlci for
james. being e only AZ yc1i. biz
ilde ed far ,etter exponent of the
gentle art Of Irritation than James.
James had , come serious, the girl
fiippant. James vowed he would
never return. anu the girl Judged it
was better so. Her fiance. she ex-
planned with charming naivete, was
coming that evening from a distant
town to visit her. James, she politely
expressed, would be crowd under
the circumstances, rather than COM
pany, and James. sore at heart with
the perfidy of women, sold his ped.
dler's outfit, and telegraphing for his
car to meet him at Bath, departed on
a hurried trip to Canada. The expert.
ence had scared his soul. No more
country girls for James. He turned
to the simpler minded, more unsophl.
sticated city girls with relief and fol-
lowed Molly around with the same
persistence as Hancock, failing en-
tirely to act upon the latter's gentle
hints to make himself agreeable to
the female native element.
From long familiarity with the same
thing, Algernon disliked garden par
ties. He had worked hard and untir-
ingly for the success of this one and
the novelty Of his position afforded
him measure of amusement, but
when he had delivered the last car
load of guests at Molly's side, he put
up the car and strolled away to the
seclusion of the rocks to smoke and
dream Of Molly, adorable fascinating
Molly, in her soft lace gown direct
from Redfern's, charged to his
mothers account, and with heavy
chain Of large, quantity carved, let
beads around her slender throat. She
wore not color to detract from the
deep black Of her hair, from the glor-
Gus blue of her eyes and from the
apple-blossom tinge in her rounded
cheeks. How pretty she looked stand
ing on the side terrace, the UNCOVERED
walls Of the great house as back
ground, the gaily-dressed crowd of
country folk pressing around to
shake hands and pass the time Of
day!
He thought once or twice Of Holmes
and wondered If he would be bold
enough to come to the party for the
rare pleasure it would give him N
the acting Of the little COM
edy that amused him so and that he
was so kindly assisting. Holmes was
a gocd-looking chap, Algernon decid-
ed, as he slipped down narrow path
toward a bit Of beach he had seen be-
low him. He chuckled as he thought
Of the surprise he would see on Mol
ly's face We're she aware Of her
guests knowledge Then he climbed
around a point Of rock and came on
the girl herself, Hancock on one side
Of her, James on the other.
The sight distressed Algernon as
wearing purple tie with pink shirt
would have done. 1t was incongruous,
badly out of place. He was not jeal.
ous of Hancock, he told himself, but
Molly in company with another beside
himself was impossible if he had to
stand around and watch the situation.
He regarded the two young men with
cold disapproval, and raising his cap
politely, if a bit sternly, to Molly,
joined them, to Hancocks frank sur
prise and James distress, for the
thought of the end of his unfortunate
experience with country girls simply
added to the hurt that Algernon's
haste to be gone and dark
suspicion of his friends intentions
had made in James sorely lacerated
soul.
Molly made room for Algernon at
her feet on the rock in front Of her and
glanced from one to the other of the