Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1916-03-14
Euening Story
DETECTING DORIS.
BY Jane Osborn.
Copyright, 1916, by the Mcclure
Newspaper Syndicate.)

Sometimes, do you know, you
watch me as if you were detective
said Doris. Jones, as she was crossing
the campus of Dudley college with her
classmate, Lawrence Smith. Doris
was unusually young to be a senior,
and Lawrence who had entered Dudley
on advanced standing only at the be-
ginning of the last year, was unusually
old. That is, he was at least twenty
six years of age, and in his care-l1ned
face, his occasional nervous gestures,
no less than in the way he wore his
business-like clothes, he looked more
like a successful young lawyer or
broker than a college student.
Honestly, you do look at me In the
funniest way, sometimes Doris per-
sisted, although apparently Lawrence
did not care to discuss the matter.
"And 1 have seen you look at other
people that very same way. You must
be interested in human nature?"
Eyes, probably 1t is that" Lawrence
seemed annoyed or at least little dis.
>turbed. Later, after they had walked
, almost 20 the girls dormitory where
he left Doris, he said. Sometime
shall tell you why I am so interested
in human nature as you call it. You
will be surprised, am sure And
then, lowering his voice--"1n the mean
time, little girl, don't even for fun say
anything to any one about that
strange expression of mine"
There we're several things about
Lawrence Jones that seemed to make
him stand out from the other men OF
his class at college in spite OF bis
obvious effort to mingle with the men.
In the first place, even the professors
wondered why Lawrence was doing
undergraduate work at all-there is no
postgraduate department at Dudley
For in almost all his classes he seem
ed, with no apparent effort whatever
to surpass the other men in his class
not so much through actual studious'
ness, but because Of his greater matur
ity. .s... -,.
Another thing that puzzled his class
mates wah this: Apparently. from bis
manner and habits; Lawrence Smith
was never without money, still, from
his first day in college, he accepted
work that only the poorest students
usually would have considered worth
while. For instance, he acted as
cashier during the late afternoon tea
hour at the "Cozy Corner" tea room
where the girls of the college, and oc'
casionally the men, dropped in for re
freshments. He got merely p1ttance
for this work. v.
But these pecularities were no STUN
bling block in the way of Smiths popu
larity, In fact, he was one of the mos1
active Office holders Of his class. He
had been elected treasurer at the first
class meeting of the year and treasurer
of the athletic association, though he
had been put up for vice president OF
that organization. This was strange
too, that he should have asked for
the lesser honor when be had actually
been elected to fill the vice presidents
chair. His excuse was that ne nkeC
to keep books and that he didn't know
the first thing about presiding. Well
anyway, he made a good accountant
and never had the books of any college
class or any other years athletic asso'
citation been better kept.
It was the evening of one of the first
class dances of the season and Doris
Jones and Lawrence Smith were sit
ting out" one of the several dances
that Lawrence had been permitted to
mark on Doris order. Doris sighed
deeply. :,
II do wish you would tell me now all
about yourself" she said. "Of course
| like you-yes, you know love yor
but it is hard not knowing all about
you. Dc you know, I sometimes fee
as if I didn't know your name She
stopped suddenly and turned away
from HIM.
Suppose we finish out this dance
He tried to be at ease, but clearly he
was not.
"Wait a minute" putting out a
small hand which she closed around
his wrist Lawrence, in that book OF
Stevenson's that you lent me l found
the initials j. t. l really do some
times wonder whether your name is
Lawrence Smith, r.. ny.
Cant you trust me-enough to
know that it is all right--anyway?"
Eyes, yes, ! can. Promise that you
will trust me, too" Doris had no
special motive in adding this, but Law
renee had reason soon to attach spec