Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1915-01-14
CHAPTER I.
The Dawning Of a Tender Passion

the rush hour for the performance
broke down in front of an extra
crowded car. and traffic was promptly
knotted for three blocks A shining
big automobile, following up the hill
came so close behind that the glare
of the street car shone with unpleas.
ant brightness on the occupants: a
smiling red-cheeked girl at the wheel;
by her side, a gray-Vandyked man,
with sinister lines running Sharply
downward from his down-pQinted nose;
In the tonneau, a plainly dressed ana
modestly pretty black-haired girl,
with large and rather timid eyes; and
slender golden-haired girl, whose
chief mission in life, from her express
sion would have been taken to be
mischievous fun.
Hello, Bert" called the girl at the
wheel. "Can you uncrush yoursell!
The rather large young man in the
neatly fitting blue suit, who had been
TANNED against the rail OF the rear
platform. had already begun to worm
his way out of the ill.humored throng
on the street car.
"I'll try it," he laughed, although
don't expect to have a button le1t.
The crowd, It's clothing still clammy
from the recent rain, made way Tor
him reluctantly, even though 1t need
ed the space he occupied; for the
pompous-looking, Vandyked man IN
the car was Frank Marley, by all ODDS
the most unpopular man in the CITY.
He was the president of the street
car company.
The young man in the neat blue
suit. whose cheeks were tiaWlessly
pink. and whose luxuriant black mus
tache was curled in two amazingly
perfect ringlets. picked his way
through the slush, gained the running
board of the touring ca: ana ooHeu
his hat to the occupants.
Bert, this is the treat | PROMISED
YOU" said the girl at the wheel, glanc-
ing back with fash of her sparkling
brown eyes and her sparkling wnlte
teeth
..Miss Fern Burbank" he guessed,
clasping the blond visitors hand ana
at the same time he gave his left hand
condescendingly to little Jessie Pet.
ers. welcome to our muddy CITY,
THANK YOU" smiled the golden
haired young lady. "Of course, this
is Handsome Bert Glider"
'.Molly's been telling on me- ne
lightly answered, as he took the fold
ing seat just behind Mr.. Marley, sit
ting sidewise so that he could address
the two girls In the tonneau. and still
enjoy the clean-cut profile of Ethelyn
Marley. known to her int1mates as
Molly, for no better reason than II
was handler name.
The lights in the car ahead sudden
~ went out, and groan arose from
the miserable passengers on that sui
locating vehicle. A roughly breathed
man. who had been resting his elbow
in the wishbone of gray-Whlskered
little Henry Peters, reached the point
of heroic defiance.
He cursed the street car company
and demanded. why don't they put
on more cars?"
Little Henry Peters, who was so
short that his hat was always pushed
over his eyes in crowd, Strengthened
his derby and replied as follows:
eff they did, everybody'd want to|
take the first one. There are probably
empty cars behind this" and he glanc-
ed back with secret pride at where
his daughter Jessie rode as a guest
IN the Marley car.
"You talk like a stakeholder" he
charged, with a deliberate intention
If insult.
II am" admitted little Henry, with a
bright expression. 1T pays me seven
per cent"
The conductor crowded back
through the solidly packed aisle and
The squirming platform to jerk hope
,ully at the trolley rope, and little
Henry Peters, squeezed between his
opponent and the fat butcher until
bones could stand no more, popped
rom between their peripheries like
he inside of grape, landing in the
'olar plexus of tired Hiberntan, who
lad endured more than enough.
Get out of my stomach, stockhold-
r." he gruffly ordered, and pushed
title Henry's derby tightly down over
lis ears, just as another machine
rev out Of the fretting rearward
inc, and. stopped by the ragged gut
er. rested abreast of Marley's ma
'hine The conductor having restor-
ID the lights, the attention of the I'M
comfortable passengers was now d.
ected to the newcomer, heavy
owled man of middle age, who sat
is stolidly in his runabout, by the side
# his driver, as if he had been at
lone dining.
"Its Sledge,' said the man with
he frayed cigar. "He gets his little
Id rake-off, too, from jamming sixty
'eople into a forty-passenger car.
While he's running the town this rot
en- old line won't have any competi-
lon"
"Mr. Sledge is a good customer OF
aine," observed the fat butcher.
There's one thing about Ben
Hedge; he always keeps some big
ity improvement going on an
ounced the Irishman who had ex.
Inguished little Henry Peters.
Little Henry pulled his derby audi
ly off his head. and rubbed the red
ircle it had left.
"Mr. Sledge is the working mans