Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1915-03-09

| er stop.
1T won't do you any good to belittle
Bert she hared.
| Il can't" he informed her. 81 kept
my mouth shut, but now | got to spill
what know. These pretty men are
always worse after they're married
| Bert's a bum. He's got a streak OF
yellow the size of canal. He amt
got the brains Of tadpole. He can't
make a living unless somebody helps
him. You'd hate his bones in six
months. So don't you marry HIM"
Il am the one to decide on that,
Molly Indignantly advised him.
Sledge looked at her moment con-
templatively, then he opened the for
ward window.
Stop" he ordered Billy, and clos
ed the window again. ''All right; go
to it; decide" he Unexpectedly told
her as the machine stopped. But be
on the level now. Do you love Bert?'
That's my affair." she evaded
flushing.
Nav, it amt" he insisted. ITS
mine. Do you love him enough to be
poor with him? Now, be square,
+ Molly was silent.
you don't" he concluded put 1t
the other way. How about Bert? Now,
don't kid yourself
Again Molly was silent She could
answer that question If she chose. and
the picture of little Jessie Peters sub
lime alteration of Dicky Reynolds
came before her eyes linked with the
memory of Bert's face when he had
suggested postponement. Being
broke was an incident with Jessie and
Dicky, and entirely aside from their
love With Bert and herself, it was
the love which had been incidental.
Sledge Wanted a reasonable time
for her to allege Bert's enthusiasm.
Home" he commanded Billy.
"You see. I'm wise. Miss Molly. That
pnhead couldn't love anybody enough
to go the distance. | can. I'll muir
der anybody you name. Want any
body killed.
YOU" she savagely retorted, and
then, to her own surprise, laughed.
She had put her hand on the catch
of the door. but, since he made no at
tempt to stop her, she left 1t there.
"You don't hate me that much" he
calmly informed her. you like me-"
Again she laughed; this time at his
naivete. You see. it's like this" he
explained I'm big slob and I'm
rough. l amt pretty. and know it;
but I can start something any min
ute and when I do can finish It,. You
don't know it, but you're strong for
that"
With a thrill. Molly realized that he
was right in this She did admire
force. She admired Sledge, and. now
that she had time to think it over.
within her responded to his
direct and simple method of breaking
up her wedding.
But love is different" she replied,
arguing more to herself that to him.
Mix" he denied. 'It's the strong
est thing there is" -,
Love cries. Molly unused, remem.
bering Jessie.
1T hurts he agreed. at used to
sound like joke to me-till I got it.
Now I want to break chains with my
chest Molly, when think of you
l could boiler. I don't dare touch
you; it makes me weak. You don't
want to 90 back and marry Bert, do
you?'
His voice had in it trembling plea,
so un-Sledgelike that she would have
pitied him had she not been so alb
sorbed in her startling attitude toward
the question he had asked her. Moth
ing seemed more remote and absurd
than that she should 60 back and mar
ry Bert!
NO. she bluntly confessed
Sledge opened the front window
Hurry up.' he admenished Billy,
and Molly laughed.
Somehow she felt sense Of vast
relief, Of freedom. of exhilaration in
her release from Bert 1t would have
been wicked to have entered into a
lifelong marriage with him. and now
she seemed always to have had an
of that feeling which she
had hidden from herself A little
trace of resentment rose in her that
girls were taught to look so lightly
upon the marriage relation that it
might be entered into so thoughtless.
ly: that a girl might select her life
partner because he was good dane
err
81 don't mind confessing that l
would in all likelihood have broken
he engagement, even had you not
come she told Sledge, deciding sud
denly to have it all out, to be perfect
y frank, and, for the first time. to
ook her own self sauarely In the face.
Il had realized just at the last mo-
ment," she went on. that Bert's at.
.itude toward our marriage was not
what it should be. That does not
necessarily mean however, that | am
willing to marry you. That's one
hing you can't make me do, Mr..
Sledge," and she looked him quietly
n the eye.
He studied her long time, and felt
foolish.
II guess not" he humbly confessed.
4 thought | could. but | got to let
you be the boss"
She could not know how much that
admission hurt him. but she vaguely
guessed at it. and something like pity
stirred within her
I'm that I must be-" she asserted. II
thought we were going to your home,
she added. puzzling over the out-of-
he-Way route