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

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then, turning to the winner, who hat
remained quiet but close observer OF
what all present felt was getting
mighty close to tragedy remarked
! she's up against thousand; shall
deal?"
A prompt assent coming from the
winner, play was resumed. Every
man in the house pushed as close tc
the table as he could crowd, the room
so still one could hear the soft swish
of the cards as, two by two, he slipped
them from the box.
Meantime Blue Eyes had not moved
, except to fix her gaze on the table, q
gaze no longer fierce, but eloquent OF
an agonized anxiety fit to wiring tears
from the sphinx.
On went the deal. but with the same
result as before. Win Bill could not
Destiny had him; against it he was
powerless.
And, of course, at the winners
plunging gait the deal did not last
long. Indeed to us it seemed only a
matter Of seconds until Bill pushed his
box aside and hoarsely whispered:
stranger. the girl is yours! But
treat her right. or I'll camp on your
trail until I've turned you into crow
meat Stranger, I tempted that girl
out of ? luxurious home and from the
bosom of a refined and loving family
under a promise of marriage that |,
God forgive me, have not fulfilled.
Forgiveness? I don't deserve it. It's
punishment of the cruelest should be
handed
AS he finished, his voice broke into
streaming tears when the stranger
pushed to Bill across the table a
thousand or more Of his winnings,
without word.
Fiercely Bill showed the money back
to him. muttering: Money? Money?
What use have I for money noW?'
And then, turning to the girl:
Dear, in putting you up, I've
staked and lost my very soul on the
turn of a card Forgive me you can
not. but at least your constant prayer
shall now be answered. for | shall
never throw another card as long as
live" Sobbng, he bowed his head
upon his arms.
Nor was he sobbing alone, for
scarred-faced old battlers and vice
marked FOUNDERS who I'll bet, had not
given up a tear since childhood, were
snuffling in chorus.
Plainly as much affected as any of
us, the old plunger stammered to Bill:
Partner you-you seem to love
this girl heap
Love herr" Bill answered: 81
thought | had. but now I realize l
didn't, right"
would you marry her?" @
''Would I? Yes, and gladly die the
next minute for the privilege of pay
ing her that much respect. if after
what's passed she'd let me-" Bill
sobbed.
$50? That's right, son." and then,
turning to us, the winner of Blue Eyes
smilingly. querieid Wont one Of you
boys hump himself after parson?"
Entered presently a grave, black
clothed man. And there, grouped
around the faro layout, hats off, heads
bowed. checks wet, all stood reverently
while the parson said the simple serv-
lC0 LudC l1duS clllu DUO 10y w AAAe|AA
and wife. f&|@EJ a2
Of course, first and last. there was a
tolerably large, if not always wholly
respecta BILE, flock of blue eyes in the
camp. but never single pair that
would assay half the value of those
Bill packed east with him on the next
Bismarck coach.
Take Calamity James, for instance:
her eyes were blue, but hers is story
81 amt a goin' to tell"
But there was one other pair that so
stirred up the camp and wide region
round about for time that they de-
served brief record.
It was, of spring morning, rosy,
fresh and fragrant as she herself was
when she stepped off the box of the
Bismarck coach in front of the hotel
office-although in few days the boys
were allowing she was long way
from being as verdant as proper
spring-day things should be. but In this
opinion I never agreed with them.
Blue? Sure, her eyes we're blue.
But net the dark velvety blue Of the
lakes that lay close up under snow
line of the high range; instead they
were glinting always the pale tlnts OF
highly tempered steel.
And properly enough, too, for that
girl was tempered to an edge that
would make the best Toledo blade look
like cross-cut saw.
And dainty? Sure. too; fluff1er,
Trailer little trick than Bills But the
way it was cavorting around shortly,
busting up society>,and knocking big
dark holes in the scenery, that fluffy
trick made it pretty plain she was not
sporting any muscles not cushioned
on steele springs.
Precisely what eln-lined New Eng
land villige street she hailed from |
don't remember any more than could
then understand how ever such an en-
vironment had managed to hold her,
apparently gentle enough to eat out OF
your hand, as she seemed when she
first invaded Black Hills scenery.
But fancy it must have been some
coast village, hard by a secluded inlet
freuuented in the old days by Captain
Kidd and his be-cutlassed crew, where
won to some crude measure Of do
mesticity by village belle, one of his
red-handed pirates dropped anchor