Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1916-1918, 1916-10-03

church Offices. The men left early,
followed shortly BY Fairy who design
ed to spend the evening at the Avery
home, testing their supply of winter
apples. The twins and Connie, with
the newest and most thrilling book
Mr.. Carnegie afforded the town, went
upstairs to lie on the bed and take
] turns reading aloud. And for few
hours the parsonage was as calm and
peaceful as though it were not design
ed for the housing of merry minister's
daughters.
Aunt Grace sat downstairs darning
stockings. The girls intentions had
been the best in the world, but In less
than a year the family darning had
fallen entirely into the capable and
willing hands of the gentle chaperon.
| 1t was but half past ten. The girls
had Just seen their heroine rescued
from watery grave and married to
her bold preserver by a minister who
happened to be writing a seromn on the
beach-no mention of how the license
was secured extemporaneously-and
with signs of gratified sentiment they
lay happily on the bed thinking it all
over. And then, from beneath the
peach trees clustered on the south
side of the parsonage, burst of mel
ody arose. -
Good morning, Carrie, how are you
this morning.?
| The girls sat up abruptly, staring at
one another, as the curious ugly song
waited in upon them. Conviction
dawned slowly, sadly, but unquestion-
ably.
The Slaughterhouse quartet was SER
enading Carol In return for her win
some smiles!
Carol herself was literally struck
dumb. Her face grew crimson, then
white. In her heart, she repeated
psalms of thanksgiving that Fairy was
away, and that her father and the
/, bishop, would not be in until this colos-
sal disaster was over.
Connie was mortified. 1t seemed
like wholesale parsonage insult,
Lark, after the first awful realization,
lay back on the bed and rolled con.
vulsively.
You're an influence al right, Car
OIL" she gurgled. "Will you listen to
that?"
For Rufus Rastus Johnson Brown
was the second choice of her cava-
liers below in the darkness.
"Rufus Rastus,'' Lark cried, and
then was choked with laughter. "Of
course, it would be-proper II they
sang hymns but-oh. listen!'
The rollicking strains of Budweiser
were swung gaily out upon the night.
Carol writhed in anguish. The SER
enade was bad enough but this unmer.
ciful hooking derision of her adored
twin was uncomfortable.
Then the quartet waxed sentimen-
tai They sang, and not badly, a few
old southern melodies, and started
slowly around the corner of the house,
still singing.
1t has been said that Aunt Grace
was always kind, always gentle. unsus-
picious and without guile. She had
heard the serenade and promptly con-
cluded that it was the work of some
of the high school boys who were
unanimously devoted to Carol. She
had big box Of chocolates upstairs,
for Comics birthday celebration. She
could get them and make lemonade,
and
She opened the door softly and step.
ped out, directly in the path of the
startled youths. Full of her hospitable
intent, she was not discerning as par
sonage people need to be.
Come in, boys" she said cordially,
'the girls will be down in minute"
The appearance of guardian angel
summoning them to Paradise could
not have COMPOUNDED them more utter
ly. The stumbled all over one another
| in trying to back away from her. She
laughed softly.
Don't be bashful We enjoyed 1t
very much Yes, come right in"
Undoubtedly they would have de-
clined if only they could have thought
Of the proper method of doing 80. AS
| 1t was, they only succeeded in shamb-
ling through the parsonage door, in
stinctively concealing their half smok.
ed cigarets beneath their fingers.
Aunt Grace ushered them into the
pleasant living room and ran up to
summon her nieces.
Left alone, the boys looked at one
another with ama=ement and with
grief, and the leader. the touching ten
or, said with true musical fervor.
well, this is a go!"
In the meantime. the girls. with hor
ror, had heard their aunt's invitation.
What in the world did she mean? Was
| it a trick between her and Fairy? Had
they hired the awful Slaughters to
bring this disgrace upon the parson-
age? Sternly they faced her when she
opened their door.
Come down. girls-I invited them
in. I'm going to make lemonade and
serve my nice chocolates. Hurry
down.
You invited them in" echoed Con-
ME.
.eThe slaughterhouse quartet" hiss
ed Lark
Then Aunt Grace whirled about and