Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1915-04-20

mess, Mr.. Bennett?" said well-re-
membered voice The tones were even
and composed They were also dis
family cold. Bob wheeled. Stars of a
starry night! 1t was she.
! She came right up and spoke to
him-the pariah-the abhorred Of
many! His heart gave thump and
The could feel its hampering as his
glowing eyes met the beautiful Icy
ones.
How did you get rid Of him." he
breathed hoarsely.
Him" said Miss Gwendoline Ger
aid, in a tone whose stiffness should
have warned Bob.
THAT sledge-hammer man? That
weight-putter? That Olympian village
blacksmith, | mean? The fellow With
the open honest face?"
| 81 don't believe / understand" OBJ
served the young lady. straight and
proud as wonderful princess in the
moonlight. Bob gazed at her In rap
I! ture. Talk about the shoulders of
that girl who had given him the cold
shoulder at the dinner table!-Miss
Gwendoline's shoulders were a thou
sand times superior: they would
cause any sculptor to rave. Their plas-
tic beauty was that of the purest
marble in that pure light. And that
pure, perfect face. likewise bathed in
the celestial flood Of light-unttl now
never had he quite realized what he
had lost, in losing her.
But never mind about explaining"
went on the vision, apropos of Bob's
Olympian, village-blacksmith remark.
II didn't come to discuss general1ties.
"Of course not" assented Bob eager
ly.
The music from the house now
sounded suspiciously like trot Miss
Gerald saw. though indistinctly, face
look out of the door. 1t might have
been the little dark thing peering
around for Bob. for she was quite ca
pable of doing that. Bob didn't notice
her-if it were she. He had eyes for
but one. He was worshiping in that
distant. eager hungry, lost-soul KIND
of way. Miss Gerald's glance return,
r., ed to Bob.
| Twill you be so good as to take
turn or two about the garden with
me?'" she said in calm, il hard and
matter-of-fact tone. A number or
, people were now approaching from
| the other end Of the broad, partially
| enclosed space and Miss Gerald had
observed them.
! Twill I?'' Bobs accents expressed
more eloquently thanS words how he
felt about complying with that re-
quest. Would man dying of thirst
! drink goblet of cool, sparkling
spring-water? Would miser refuse
gold? Or canine bone? will ~
| repeated Bob, ecstatically. and threw
! back his shoulders. Thus men go
forth to conquer. He did not realize
/ how unique he was at that moment.
| for he was quite swept away. me
girl cast On him a quick enigmatlc
! glance. then led the way.
Sometimes his eyes turned to the
stars and sometimes toward her as
they moved along. In the latter In
stance. they We're almost proprietary,
! as if he knew she ought to belong to
him, though she never would The
stars seemed to say she was made for
him. the breeze to whisper it. OF
! course, he hadn't really any right to
act proprietary; 1t was taking q
certain poetic license with the stu
alton. Once Miss Gerald caught that
proprietary look and into the still
depths of her own gaze sprang an ex'
preston OF wonder. But it didn't lin
ger; her eyes became once more cold
ly, proudly assured.
Bob didn't ask whittier she was
leading him. or what fate had in store
for him. Sufficient unto the present
moment was the happiness thereof!
A fools paradise is better than no
, paradise at all. He didn't stop now
to consider that he might be playing
with verify when he Rugged to his
breast an illusory joy.
She didn't talk at first, but he didn't
find anything to complain of in that.
1t was blissful enough just to swing
along silently at her side. He didn't
have to bother about the truth propo.
sition when she didn't say anything.
He could yield to quiet unadulter-
ated Joy in the stiffness. II denied,
temporarily, the music of her voice,
he was, at least, privileged to visualize
| her, as she walked along the narrow
path with the freedom and grace Of a
young goddess, one of Diana's 1.-the
. forest attendants The vision at
length stopped at the verge of ter
race where stood an Italian-looking
little summer house or shelter. No
one was in it, and she entered. They
wouldn't be disturbed here.
She leaned on marble balustrade
I and for moment looked down upon
the shadowy tree tops. The moon
light glinted rounded white arm.
Bob breathed deep. 1t was spot for
| lovers. But there was still no love-
! light in Miss Gerald's eyes. They
met the gaze of Bob, who hadn't yet