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


Varying VicissItudes.
A footman had brought the mes
sage. which Bob now took and opened
mechanically. It was from the COM
modore.
''For heavens sake" it ran, return
1T once to New York. Will explain
Bob eyed 1t gloomily. The commo-
dore must have been considerably
ratified when he had sent that.
ANY answer, sir?' said the foot
man.
Bob shook his head. What could
he answer? He couldn't run away
now; the commodore ought to know
that OF all fool kilograms
"A business message, I suppose?"
purred the lady at his side. Il trust
1t Is nothing very important, to call
you away"
mo, 1 shouldn't call it important"
said Bob. quite unnecessary, l
should call It,"
He crumpled up the message and
4 thrust 1t into his pocket. At that mo-
ment one of Mrs. Ralston's paid per-
4 formers-a high-class monologist-be-
gan to earn his fee. He was quite
\ funny and soon had every one laugh
ling. Bob strove to forget his troubles
4 and laugh too. Mrs. Dan couldn't
I very we'll talk to him now, and re.
/ lieved from that lady's pertinent
/ prattle, he gradually let that dull
I care grip" slip from his resistless fin
I, gers. Welcoming the hooking god.
dess of the cap and BELLS he yielded
! to the infectious humor and before
long forgot the telegram and every
thing save that crop of near-neW
stories.
But when the dinner was finally
over. he found himself, again wrapped
in deep gloom, wandering alone on
| the broad balcony. He didn't know
( Just how he came to be out there all
alone-whether he drifted away from
people or whether they drifted away
from him Anyhow he wasn't burden
ed with anyone's company. He enter
tanned a vague recollection that sew
eral people had turned their backs on
him. So if he was forced to lead
hermit's life it wasn't his fault. Prob
ably old Diogenes hadn't wanted TO
live In that tub; people had made
him. They wouldn't stand him in
house. There wasn't room for him
! and any one else in the biggest house
ever built. So the only place where
truth could find that real coy, honey
telling was alone in tub And
1 things weren't any better today. Nice
commentary on ouT boasted ''advanc-
ed civilization"
Bob felt as If he were the most
alone man in the world. Why, he was
& 30 lonesome. he wasn't even acquaint-
;sed with himself This was only his
sg"double" walking here. He knew now
what that German poet was driving
sat In those Der Doppleganger verses
His 'tdouble" was alone. Where was
he?-the real he-the original ego?
/ Hanged If he knew! He looked up
8 at the moon, but it couldn't tell him.
sAt the same time, in spite of that
new impersonal relationship he had
established toward himself, he felt
/ he ought to be immensely relieved in
one respect There would be no
| "cozy-cornering" for him that even
| Ing. He had the whole wide world to
| himself. He could be wandering
| Jew as we'll as Doppleganger, if he
wanted to.
He made out now two shadows. or
! figures, in the moonlight. Mrs. Dan
..
talking together, but somehow he
wasn't at all curious about them. His
mental faculties seemed numbed. as
/ II his brain were way off somewhere
-between the earth and the MOON
! perhaps. Then he heard the purring
/ OF a car, which seemed way off, too
He saw Mrs. Dan and Mrs. Clarence
get into the car and heard Mrs Dan
/ oil ho vii q
and the telegraph office, and the car
slid downward. Bob watched it's rear
/ light receding this way and that, like
I a will-o'-the-wisp or lonesome fire
4 fly, until it disappeared on the wind
4 ing road. A cool breeze touched him
i without cooling his brow. Bob threw
4 away cigar What's the use of smok-
\ Ing when you don't taste the weed?
He wondered what he should do
4 now? Go to bed, or? It was too
/ early for bed. He wouldn't go to bed
at that hour, if he kept to that even
\ tenor -his-way condition. He hadn't
violated any condition, SO far. Those
fellows who had inveigled him into
this wild and woody moving-picture
kind Of an impossible freak perform
ance would have to ,concede that.
There could be no ground for COM
plant that he wasn't living up to the
letter and spirit of his agreement,
even at the sacrifc of his most sacred
feelings. Yes, by yonder gracious lady
OF the glorious moon. He wondered
where his gracious lady was now and
what she was doing? OF course, the
hammer-thrower was with her.
\ Are you meditating on your loneli-