Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1915-05-06
CHAPTER XIII.
An Enforced Rest Cure.

| CHAPTER XIII.
An Enforced Rest Cure.
They kept him two days in the pad
ded room on Dickie's recommends
! ton, who made Bob out as highly dan
gerous Powerful and vicious" he
described him to the suave individual
| in charge Of the "sanatorium." That
particular apartment was somewhat
remote from the other rooms, so that
/ any noises made by the inmate of the
former wouldn't disturb the others.
Becoming more reconciled to the inev-
table, Bob found the quiet Of the pad
ded room rather soothing to his
shaken nerves. He didn't have to talk
to hardly a soul Only an attendant
came around once in while to shove
cautiously something edible at him.
but the attendant didn't ask any ques-
tons and Bob didn't have to tell him
any truths. It was a joyful relief not
| to have to tell truths.
Bob's eye was swollen and he had
few bruises. but they didn't count.
i He had observed with satisfaction that
Dickie's lip had an abrasion and that
one of his front teeth seemed missing
Dickie would have to wait until ma
ture and art had repaired his appear
ance before he could once more
a-wooing CO. Bob didn't want the
temperamental young thing himself,
but he couldn't conscientiously wish
Dickie success in that quarter, after
j the unnecessarily rough and unsports-
manlike manner in which Dfckie had
comported himself against him (Bob).
| At frst, 1t had occurred to Bob to
| take the attendant-and through him.
the manager Of the institution-into
his confidence but for two reasons he
changed his mind about doing so.
The attendant would probably receive
Bob's confidence as so many illusions;
1 he would smile and say "Yes-quite
SOL" or There! there! meaning
Bob would get over said illusions
some day. and that was why he was
there He was being treated for them.
4 Again. If he unbosomed himself fully
as to the fundamental cause Of all this
trouble and turmoil, he would lose to
1 the commodore, ct al. and have to
pay that note which he didn't very
well see how he could pay.
Bob gritted his teeth. Would it not
be better to win now to spite them
and in spite of everything? About the
worst that could happen. had happen
ed. Why not accept, then, this en-
forced sojourn philosophically and
when the time came he would go up
to the captains Tor commodore's) Of
fice and demand little pay envelope as
his hard-earned wage? There would
be slight balm in that pay envelope.
With the contents thereof he could re-
lieye some OF dads necessities which
soon would be pressing. Why not,
with a little stretch of the magma
ton. tell himself he (Bob) was only
taking rest cure? People paid big
prices for fashionable rest cure.
They probably charged stiff prices
here, but it wouldn't cost him cent.
His dear friends who put him here
would have to pay. He wasn't a vol
untary boarder. They would have to
vouch for him and his bills. So Bob
made up his mind to have as good
time as he could; in other words. to
grin and bear it, as best he might
It was a novel experience. Maybe
| he might write an article about 1t FOR
one of the Sunday newspapers some
dsy-"How 1t Feels for Sane Per
son to be Forcibly Detained in an In.
! sane Asylum, by One Who Has Been
There" The editor could put all man
ner of gay and giddy headlines over
such an experience. Bob tried to
chronicle his feelings in the padded
cell but he couldn't conjure up any.
thing awful or narrowing. There
weren't spiders, or rats, or any Gravity
! things to lend picturesqueness to the
situation. 1t was only deadly quiet
the kind Of quiet he needed.
I He slept most Of those first two
days. making up for hours of lost
sleep. His swollen eye became less
painful and his appetite grew large
and normal. He had to eat with his
fingers because they were afraid to
trust him with knife and fork. but
he told himself cheerfully that high
class Arabs still ate that way. and
that all he had to do was to sit cross
legged to be strictly CONNIE II faut-
that is, from the Arabs standpoint.
since he had adopted truth as his
mentor. Bob had learned, however,
that g what should be" or what
shouldn't" or mustn't depends a
great deal upon the standpoint and
| he was beginning to be very SUSPECT
lous, or critical, about the standpoint.
! The third day the doctor in charge
Thought he could trust him in room
w;thnut pads. Bob had good color,