Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1915-05-15
Evening Story
AN ISLAND FOURSOME.
BY Dorothy Allen.
Copyright, 1915, by the Mcclure News
paper Syndicate.


Copyright, 1915, by the Mcclure News
paper Syndicate.
Its a little bit of an island. you
know, not large at all. Sometimes
when there's storm the sea comes
clear up to the garden, but it's lovely
there in the summer. I'm glad you
could both run down to see Lawrence
Gwen smiled at the two In the OPP
posite seat. Smiled deliberately and
with malice aforethought and most
delightful impartiality. Flick Habbe-
ton and Doll Cramer returned the
smile each in his own way. Dolf's was
broad and melting and fatuous. 1t be-
spoke alteration and utter helplessness.
Flicks was full of strange cynical
misery, as of one who would have said
to the world, 10, she has landed me.
Behold me pant and die"
''How's Larry bearing up?" asked
iDolf.
"Well, of course he's not really fully
recovered. 1t was awfully nice of you
boys to come way out from the city
to cheer him up Aunt Helen and do
our best, but we're not like men, you
know. and his own crowd. I'm glad we
just happened to catch the same train. :
Flick grinned ont at New Rochelle
feeting by. He had waited for hours,
It seemed beside the grilled gateway
back in the Grand Central to beat Doll,
and had wakened to find Dolf with the
captured prize sauntering over from
the ticket windows. He wondered how
they could still even preserve the SEM
blance of friendship. Was 1t not he
had worshiped Gwen MARQUIS from
afar for two year? Hadn't he put up
with Larrys general pugnaciousness
and loquacity solely because he had
sister with face like an apple BIOS
som? Hadn't he monitored Larry all
through his last year, pushing him
along by sheer force, just to win the
confidence and affection of Gwen? All
this, while Dolf Cramer reigned In his
own special field of ,endeavor, and took
no more notice of Larry than II he had
been nudge in the adjacent blue.
Then there had come the accident.
It had been voted pleasant and ad-
visable thing by the junior class to
place a goat of mature years and live
ly sense of Justice in the private con-
sulting room of the seniors, goat dyed
a deep, rich red, with black horns, and
it was done. All juniors had been warn
ed to go far from the scene of action,
but Larry had fingered, being interest
cd as the person who had assumed re-
sponsibility with the goats owner. And
he had been caught, felony In junior
eyes, caught and taken into the private
room and imprisoned with the goat IN
the inner closet until the quality OF
mercy, strained to the minimum, re.
leased both.
Gwen had come after the remains,
Larry was not injured vitality, but the
goat had not chosen kindly and he
was bruised, much bruised. There
upon, Dolf Cramer had assumed COM
mand on seeing the patients family.
It was he who devised the pretty tale
that made Larry a hero and hid the
goat from the family history. 1t was
he who conveyed Gwen around the
campus, and showed her the beautiful
effect through the stained glass win
dow in the chapel at sunset and the
wonderful sunrise view from the east
loggia. where the avenue Of populars
rose in stately silhouette like those In
some far Italian garden.
Nobody had ever suspected Dolf Of
esthetic tastes He had been bluff and
hearty through the long sane winter.
His class name had been appropriated
and, seemly, name suited to his gen.
era, temperament and manly proper
tons. for he was dubbed the "Por-
poise." Flick leather deception in any
form. He could not see that by the
alchemy of love the soul of the "Por-
poise" had bloomed like some mystic
rose Of gold. He could not see any Of
this, nor even grant him a partial right
Of way, for love did not give him any
blooming roses 1t only made him 81.
lent and suffering, and he took to lean
ing against the corners of buildings.
with face like Dante's death mask.
Yet he had not retreated. When the
invitation had been given for him to
visit Larry in his convalescent state.
he had accepted, even while he knew
that Dolf likewise was included. Shall
man drop from the firing line for
wound here and there?
You'll both love Aunt Helen" said
Gwen. She came down on an earlier
train with Joan, We just met Joan
over at the Pennsy this noon., 1t
seems as if you boys ought to know