Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1916-01-25

But Ted had been her most difficult
enterprise. He loved her. This was
evidenced and he had won her in
quick, ardent courtship that was char
acteristic of him. He wanted her to
give up her work and marry him.
ION what, Ted?"
II have a good allowance from faith
or. Well get a nice, cozy little place
along the shore and be mighty snug
"No, we won't" said Eleanor. eve
won't take any little coy place until
you are capable Of swinging it yourself
Do you think I'd give up a good In
come for such an uncertainty, Ted? o.
course, If you wish to make a sort Of
business partnership, I will marry you
and keep up my work. Every one
would understand why" +
So he had gone west, vaguely al
first, with no objective point, armed
with letters from his father to ole
friends in the mining interests. And
even among them he rambled indefn
itely, first in one place, then off to an
other, until he struck, Panther Peak
Nevada and the Loving Lou mine.
Therefore 1t happened that when
Mrs. Chalmers heard from him the tel
egram read briefly: BUSY, happy, new
interest loving Lou" y
kilograms are strange things = dis
Connected, mispunctuated, without prop
er capitals. But when Eleanor receiv
ed another similar one the same day
reading. I'm luck at last located loving
Lou" she sat back at her desk, looking
->--~w~S ~ ~ - nh~of THAN OH n0Y III
ed up Mrs. Chalmers and told her all
land Grace, in return, gave her owl
blithe message.
Dear, I'm sure he's gone mad
comforted Grace we'll probably gel
word from some institution soon ask
ing what they are to do with him. He
always carries my address, thank
heaven"
1T may be quite true, though" said
Eleanor.
Certainly not. If it were, do you
think he'd wire us the news? Maybe
it's learning Loo and the operator got
it wrong. He may be in a Chinese
gambling place for all W. know"
Grace laughed a bit Historically ovoi
the phone. II asked Phil where Pan
Their Peak was, and he'd never heard
of it. Maybe he'll wire again"
Ted did. Even If Cedar Grove was
unaware Of the location Of Panther
Peak, yet there was a single telephone
line down the mountain SO you could
send your messages to the operator al
the railroad station and Teds mes
sages arrived daily and were full Of
s%pontainety and suggestive romance.
"Tenderest thoughts engaged loving
Lou"
Chief advisory engineer stay def
nitely, L.. L."
shes some wonder shy but sure
country fine"
ASK Phil II he knows her think he
was here last year."
II won't ask Phil anything more
about it." Grace said em~phatically
"but If I we're in your place, Eleanor
I'd go out there myself. l don't think
the boys well, and he may be coming
down with fever"
Z"No, I think he can manage his own
way best" said Eleanor slowly. HE
seems quite cheerful"
And she did not answer the tele
grams. Out at Panther Peak, Ted
waited yearningly. He was up to his
ears in work and enjoying 1t hugely
The owner Of the Loving Lou had TAX
en- a fancy to him. and he was laying
out all the cross cuts on the new shaft.
It was prime work. Only he could not
understand Eelanor's silence. Then
something happened out Of the blue
sky as Tuck Hanson, the owner OF
Lou" said. One Of the new cross
cuts in the mine caved in, with seven.
ty.two men behind the mass Of rock
and earth and Ted Rogers was with
them. @
They wired for help from the near.
est town and Tuck set to work with q
handful of seventeen men to dig them
out. The second day brought up more
helpers, but the rock stood in their
way and they were afraid to blast. And
lust as. the morning of the third day
broke in glory, Hanson, haggard and
gaunt from his vigil, heard a shout far
below the camp, a long faint halloo,
and he saw men crawling out Of the
ground like ants led by Ted Rogers.
II knew every rock grade and earth
layer In that cross cut" said Ted
weakly, when they laid him down on q
cot in the big provision tent. 1--WE bur
rowed out the other way. Awfully sor
ry to have put you to so much trouble
Hanson, old man" ~
Hanson heard him and stared. Then
he gripped the white hand on the
blanket.
Sorry! Why you old idiot, you can
have the whole blame mine If you like
it. Don't you know when you're 9
hero?"
Back at Cedar Grove, Eleanor stared
at a telegram that night: