Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1916-04-13
Eue.ning Story
THE GIRL FROM HOME.
BY Jane Osborn.
Copyright. 1916. by Mcclure News
paper Syndicate.)

|
paper Syndicate.)
Julia Dean was drinking tea a
Brice's when Dan Brown summoned
up courage to invite her to go witt
him to the senior prom. Julia Dear
was a daughter of the professors, and
except for being absurdly young-she
still wore her golden curls down he1
| back and lowheeled slippers at dances
she was Enthusiastically one OF the
most popular girls in town. Sometimes
when the boys called in the afternoon,
clad in their best raiment, she coaxed
them into a bout of baseball practice
in the garden and when they were In
inclined to grow sentimental and COM
pliment her on her very pretty blue
eyes and her equally golden hair she
never seemed to know just what they
were talking about. Sometimes she
even laughed in their faces. One thing
was certain, Julia Dean although she
was young. was a good fellow.
And Dan Brown-well Dan had not
arrived. Perhaps later he became quite
magnetic and no doubt some day he
will do himself and his family proud.
! But lust at this stage Dams youth
, fulness. unlike that Of Julia, simply
made him exceedingly bashful, amaz!
ingly awkward and as afraid OF girls as
he would have been OF an unfamiliar
passage of Greek in an examination:
But Julia, as with the passage OF
Greek. he saw what was before MIN
and wasted no time.
Julia Dean was having chocolate
with her mother at the town caterers
where. to the accompaniment of phon-
ographic reproductions of Madam
Butterfly" and the Lucia" sextette,
mingled with the hum of many high
pitched voices, the leisured folk OF
town were prone to cogegate on pleas
ant afternoons. Dan Brown was buy
ing five cents worth Of his favorite
chocolate creams in the front part OF
the caterer shop, and the sight of Mrs.
Dean and the knowledge that he had
before him the task Of inviting Julia
to his senior prom gave him courage
to make his way past tables OF girls
whose faces we're familiar at college
dances and college games straight up
to Julia.
He had planned his speech and 1t
was soon delivered. 1t was short and to
the point And Julia turned him down.
She did it very politely although with
an air that lelt Dan brown wondering
why in his widest dreams he had
imagined that sheer any other girl
for that matter-would have accepted
his invitation to a senior ball.
The truth of the matter was that for
this first senior prom of Julia's career
for this was the first winter that she
had been old enough to go to- college
parties-she had expected to go with
Clark Butler. For Clark was, In the
parlance Of the other town girls. "the
one man in all the world" as Tar as
Julia went. That is to say, when there
were basketball. games or college
plays Julia went with Clark. On Sun
day afternoons it was Clark who drop
ped in at about five o'clock and per-
mitted himself always to be urged to
stay for tea with the family.
So It was a matter Of course with
Julia that she turned down the bash
full Dan. Then she waited for the in
that she was sure would come
from Clark Butler, and for two weeks
she waited in vain. There was only a
week left before the dance and the
strain of the uncertainty was getting
too much for her frank nature.
Whom are you going to take to the
senior?" she asked.
Girl from home" Clark's unsatis-
factory reply.
Julia's frank eyes opened wider. She
was not at all used to emigmatic re.
marks of this sort form Clark, but she
made no further query.
I'm not going" was all she said.
whats the matter with going with
Dan?'' he asked, avoiding her search
ing glance. "You haven't really turned
him down, have your
From the way Clark said this it was
clear that it was something that had
been long on his mind.
"Of course, ! turned Dan down."
said Julia. This time she avoided
Clark's gaze, for she caught the tone
Of reproof it contained, although she
Gid not know at all why she deserved
it.
Perhaps there was a shade of jeal
ousy in her next remark. IT hope the
girl from ZONE is very pleasant"
Clark seemed to pay no attention to
this thrust but asked: why did you
refuse Dan?"