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

was partly deaf, partly blind, partly
senile, so Rose felt secure in boarding
with her. Her sons had all been fisher
men and had all been lost at sea. Now
the eccentric little old woman lived
alone and was glad to take In the
strange fisherman who would pay her
a few pennies for the room.
Summer boGrders occasionally came
to the beach where the fisherfolk
held sway, and Rose always heard her.
self spoken of as "the antiquated fish
erman" She pretended to be deaf and
led an absolutely quiet life.
But In her bit Of mirror in her room
under the caves Rose could see the col
or creeping into her cheeks when she
removed her makeup and her grizzled
transformation and stood in her own
guise of young woman Of comely ap-
pearance. The only time she could
laugh and act as she was beginning to
feel was in the quiet of this tiny, bare
room, and yet she was happier than
she had been for years.
One day as she sat in her old boat.
which she had drawn up on the sand
while she prepared her tackle for a
days fishing, she observed a moving
picture man casting his eye about for
New England scenes of fisherfolk. At
least, so she gathered from the way in
which he seemed to be observing the
types.
The camera man placed his camera,
his crank on the beach scene. To give
the action Rose deliberately showed off
her boat before 1t was ready and equip
ped. Her little hump-backed figure sat
itself in the seat and Rose began to
row out steadily, realizing all the time
that the camera was focused on her.
ITO make it good should capsize,
but can't on sea like this and in
this tub" she laughed to herself since
no one was close enough to hear the
chuckles from under her grizzled make
up.
And like the look of that book
keeper Tom Martin, think his name
was now that I see him here in ma
turo'o own country" Rose could see
that the girl In her was waking up.
For weeks she had had no sentiments
except thosesfitted to inhabit the being
OF an ola nSherman.
That night, for the first time since
her arrival in the village, she fetched
out her little bundle of Rose Brent's
clothing and donned the garments.
Then, the old lady below being either
asleep or too deaf to hear, she found
her way out to the moonlight beach
and along to the hotel, nearly mile
distant. She walked erect and stood
erect and enjoyed the springing gait
She knew that sshe was going in de-
liberate search Of the bookkeeper-
the camera man. And she wondered
why not. It was perfectly natural for
her to want to see some one from her
former life.
She almost stumbled on him as she
approached him. He was starting out
for stroll on the beach, since he knew
no one with whom to associate.
"MMiss Brent, is it possible?" he
stammered, when Rose deliberately
let the moon shine in her face as she
passed him.
"And you, Mr.. Martin. How odd!"
Rose said hypocritically.
"Odd, but delightful. Are you going
somewhere. or do you want to walk
with me?" he asked.
Rose walked with him for three
hours and in the end she told him the
whole story, even to the episode Of the
day while he was turning his camera
on her.
"You-your'e trump, Miss Brent
And shall you continue long in this
play?" he asked
"Oh, y'es, for while, for I'm gain
ing my strength"
Tom Martin looked at her. "And if
l may add it, your beauty
After that the moving picture man
managed to spend more than one week
end at the old fisher village and when
ever he did he and the little old fisher
man were seen in sign conversation on
the beach. But at night their words
were not in sign language, unless
Cupid's language is written that way.