Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1915-04-24
CHAPTER VIII. CONTINUED. J


would need her courage now. Almos
Ind Bob, in that moment Of forgetful
4 ness, drawn her into his arms and 81
completed the paradoxical picture O
q himself, when the impulse was abrupt
awake to saner comprehension o.
the requirements Of the moment. His
arms fell to his side.
That's a joke, Of course" he SAID
Y hoarsely.
And II 1t wasn't?" she challenged
him. There was mockery now in hel
SSieyes. and her figure relaxed
You affirm 1t isnt?"
n said il it wasn't?"
II guess you win," said Bob wear.
d lily. These extremes Of emotion were
wearing on the system.
"You mean you wouldn't, even if |
had really, actually"
II mean you certainly do know how
even up with chap. When he
oesn't dare dream of heaven, you
Oddenly pretend to fling open the
olden gates and invite him to enter
Like st. Peter said the girl
All, you are laughing" said Bob
bitterly, and dropped his head. Her
Insurance was regal. "As if it wasn't
lard enough, anyway, to get you out
L my darn-fool head he murmured
teproachfully.
"Then you reject me?" said the girl,
Emoying toward the entrance "Good!
q mean, bad! So humiliating to have
been rejected! Good night, Mr.. Ben
6ett. No: it isn't necessary for you
Is accompany me to the house re-
Ally couldn't think OF troubling you
after your unkind refusal to-
Bob groaned. II say, there is al
ways your aunt, you know, who can
ask me to vacate the" he called out.
& "I'll think about It,, said the lady.
"A faint perfume was waited past him
and the vision vanished. Bob sank
down on the cold marble seat.
He remained thus for some time
oblivious to the world, when another
Ecar. en- route from the village to the
house, purred past him, splitting vici-
@ously, however. between purrs. Bob
Ndidn't even look around. Spit!-spit!
purr! -purr!-It two lights We're
Like the eyes of some monster pussy
Ecat, on the war path for trouble. Spit!
1T seemed in horribly vicious
mood. More "spits" than "purrs.'
now. Then the car stopped, though
BSt was some distance from the house.
Curse this old rattletrap!" said a
mans, voice. w
~ ooh, guess no oneIl pay any at
Mention to it," spoke another occu-
Sspant. Besides. it was the only one
|Sfo be. had at the station, and We had
ITO get he.e quick"
You bet! The quicker, the better"
4 observed third man.
They all got out, not far from where
\ Bob sat in the dark gazing into void,
but he did not notice Cars might
come, and cars might 60, for all Of
him. He was dimly aware of the
I sound OF voices but he had no interest
4 III guests, newly-arrived or otherwise.
One Of the trio paid the driver OF the
@car and it purred back, somewhat less
viciously, from whence 1t came.
Better separate when we get near
the house and approach it carefully"
said the first speaker in low, tense
tones. We've got to get hold of him
without anybody knowing It."
s'That's right. Wouldn't do to let
them''-with significant accent
know what we've come for" said the
second man The trio were quite out
81 ear-shot of Bob, by now.
"Hope It'll turn out al right. spoke
the third anxiously. "Why, In heav-
ems name. didn't we think Of this in
the first place."
"Can't think of every contingency!
answered the first speaker viciously.
81 io 70 onf hN1 ~
OF the servants. A nice fat tip, and
then Come on! No time to waste!"
AS they made their way up the
driveway to the house Bob looked
drearily around. His eyes noted and
mechanically followed the trio of dark
forms. He saw them stop near the
house; then he observed one approach
Q side window and peer in. A moment
later another approached another win.
6ow and peered in.
That's funny" thought Bob, with
out any particular emotion. At the
same time, he recalled that a band of
burglars had been going about, loot
ing country houses. Perhaps these
fellows were after few hundred thou.
sand dollars worth Of jewels? There
might be half million dollars worth
.of jewelry sprinkled about among
Mrs. Ralston's guests. But what did
1t matter? The presence Of these in
truders seemed too trifing matter
to think about now, and Bob sank in
to anothe- reverie.
How long he remained thus, he did
not know. The laughter and talk of
number, Of guests, coming out the
front way lend of "trot,' probably
aroused him and Bob got up.
AS he did SO, he fancied he saw
again the three men he had noticed,
then forgotten, slip around toward the
back Of the house. Throughout the
gardens the moonlight made clear
spots on the ground where the bright
rays sifted through the foliage or
shone down between the trees. and
they had to skip across one of these
bright places to get around some
where behind the big mansion. I'm
doubtedly, the appearance from the
house Of the guests who wanted to cool