Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1914-08-04
CHAPTER III Continued.

Barley" declared AlgernOn nrmly,
is even better than carrots
The girl laughed, q gay inconse-
luential laugh Of sheer youth. 1T
won't do any good. have tried.
Elizabeth is above temptation"
Algernon smiled slow sweet smile
If sudden inspiration and reached for
The reins. Give them here and hold
,n." he ordered, putting vigorously at
his pipe.
what are you going to do?" she
asked curiously and bit anxiously.
II am going to get you home to
lunch" said Algernon grimly.
She took his coat from his knees
and instinctively put her arm around
the pup who was slumbering peaceful
" between them. Algernon pulled
once, twice, thrice, then he leaned over
andAemrtied the contents of hts glow
Ing pipe on the horses back.
For a moment, Elizabeth was i'm
passive then with a sudden snort of
pain and protest, she kicked up her
old heels and started down the road
with the speed of the once famous
Maud 8. On they tore, swinging from
one side Of the road OF the other. The
and rocked. Algernon braced his feet
and glanced at the girl. She was
clinging with grim fervor to the pup,
the coat and her hat.
Going some" said he pleasantly,
and she nodded.
Dust rose in dim gray clouds. Trees,
fields and bushes swept past. Now
they came to hill and below them in
the sultry heat of monday, lay the
small village of North Brockton. With
out pause they tore down the hill,
through the principal embroidered
street, past the quiet white houses
and the one store, where Algernon
caught feeting glimpse of horri.
fed group of loungers and startled
store-keeper. With nice precision.
they grazed the wheel Of creaking
ox-cart, missed by the fraction of an
inch the town pump, frightened chill
dren and chickens from their path and
whirled on toward hill on the farther
side of the village. Gathering, bang
ing, humping, they swept up the hill
and over It,
At last, a good two miles farther on,
Algernon brought the horse to stop.
The xirl had not said word, made any
outcry or even moved, but had Simply
held on to the pup, her hat and Alger-
aon's coat and managed somehow or
otter to keep her seat. But Alger.
non saw that she was white and tremb-
ling. now that the excitement was
over.
"Jove," said he, "you weren't fright
ened. were you?"
She swallowed once or twice. nod
ded and tried to smile with her tremb-
ling lips.
Algernon pulled out a whisky flask
from his hip pocket, Take little:
It will make you feel good he said
kindly. and held it to her lips"
She shook her head. Il am all
right, thanks she protested.
mo, you are not" contradicted AL
gernon. Take some"
II don't like it. 1t makes me
cough"
1T will do you good. Coughing
won't hurt you any"
IL think I shall get out" said she
somewhat nervously.
"Not until you take good big swal-
low" insisted Algernon.
This Is prohibition state, she
hedged.
"A state Of collapse said Algernon
firmly, is never prohibition"
She laughed and yielded. taking the
flask from his hand and raising It to
her lips. The burning liquid slipped
down her throat and made her cough
bringing the tears to her eyes.
That's all right" said he. 1T will
make you feel good
Their eyes met. In his, amusement
struggled with solicitude. in hers, with
admiration. For moment their
glances chung, then her red mouth
twitched, her cheeks dimpled irrep
ressibly and she leaned back in her
corner and laughed and laughed, while
the pup made mad leaps to lick her
face with his small wet tongue.
Algernon chuckled. If mama had
seen Elizabeth just now he thought
'she would no longer consider her
perfectly safe to drive"
The girl stopped laughing and
wiped her eyes. "Oh, DEAR" said she
with sputter of renewed mirth. LET
me drive you back to the village.
am not afraid of her, and am sure
she won't balk again today
Algernon objected, declaring that
he would drive her home himself But
the girl would not listen to the sug
gestion, firmly, almost angrily, refusing
hts offer. Her cheeks had flushed sud
denly and her eyes we're bright and
determined.
Probably thinks I am carrying m!
freshness bit too far thought Al
gernon miserably. He alighted anc
took his coat.
81 shall walk back" said he, IF yor
are sure you are not afraid Of the
horse"
The girl had grown suddenly nerv
GUS and was too evidently eager to be
rid OF him. She protested, however
that he must let her take him back
and he as firmly refused. A girl, liv
ing alone as she was In big house
with only servants, could not be toe
careful whom she had visit her, Algen
non realized. especially in small vii
laee like North Brockton where COS
sip f1ourished for lack Of anything else
to do. The kindest thing he could d.
was to leave her as soon as possible
unless he wished to tell her who hi
was. He preferred. however, to dt
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