Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1916-07-11
PRUDENCE
OF THE PARSONAGE
THE FAMOUS STORY OF A HAPPY FAMILY
TEzbe/Az1egfo1z ...
THE FAMOUS STORY OF A HAPPY ia
Cor,,1our. 1915 By rr. Bos.s-ns.,.z1 Co.

' & CHAPTER vi. (Continued.)
E9sDo you think me so unmanly that
stouldn't fall in Lover" he asked. and
M voice was curious, as though she
S6 hurt him.
n oh, OF course, you'll fall in love-"
atn8hed Prudence. All nice men do.
but not with me-that was what
Sleant. ! couldn't imagine a buggy
'sS0fessor- oh, I peg your pardon! But
sfe twins are so silly and disrespect-
g and they thought it was such a
I5ke that | should even look at a pro-
\ ssor OF biology that they began
Ming you the buggy professor. But
Bl0y do not mean any harm by it, not
q least in the world. They're such
sDce sweet girls, but-young, you
how. Are your feelings hurt?' she
SIked anxiously. ~
saENot a bit! ! think the twins and i
I'M be tremendously good friends. I'm
IIfAite willing to be known as the bug
III professor But you were trying to
seplain why 4 couldn't fall In love
ltlth you. suppose you mean that
In do not want me to-" ~ts B. ses
NOh, not that at all" she fastened
assure him. Then she stopped.
I 9es.' I, she said honestly, that is true,
rs. But that isn't what l was trying
sHRSay. I was just saying that no one
Siizes any more than 1 how perfect
ESsIimpossible it would be for clever,
skown up. brilliant professor to fall
EEx=a j1i0t
hats all. l meant it for compl1-
ent," she added, seeing he was not
sAell pleased.
HE smiled, but 1t was a sober smile:
You said it was true that you did
a = wish me to be-fond of you. Why?
INIT, you like me then, after all?'
gENow. he realized that this was
srfectly insane conversation, but for
Z " life Of him he couldn't help it.
rudence was so alluring and the sky
~ SO warmly blue, the sunshine SO
Hid and hazy, and the roadside so
aoriously gay with colors! Who could
I've, sense on such day with such
xirl as this?
lEsaOh. / do like you very much in
bed declared Prudence. ITS big
hItef. too, for didn't expect to-oh,
beg your pardon again, but-well,
was scared when Fairy told me how
hmarkable you are. I didn't want to
tsgrac4 the parsonage, and | knew
WOULD. But-u,ny, the reason I do
ut want you to fall in love with me
that's very different from being
md OF me, do want you to be that
but when people fall in love, they
HI married. I'm not going to get mar
He'd, so it would be silly to fall in
bye, wouldn't it," au ...e.
He laughed heartily at the matter
n factness with which this nineteen
iear-old girl disposed of. love and
marriage. why aren't you going to
iO married?" he queried, foolishly
iappy, and showing more foolishness
han happiness. just as We all do on
3illch occasions. 49,. ..
well. it will be ten or eleven years
sefore Connie is fairly raised
Eyes, but you won't be Methus-
jlah in eleven years." he smiled.
No. but you forget father
Forget father! Are you raising
nm too?"
mo, I'm not raising him. but I'm
managing him. But when he laughed
she hastened to add THAT is. take
are Of him, and keep-house for him,
and remind him of things he forgets."
Then, with girlish honesty, she added,
Though mustvconfess that, he has
to remind me of things / forget, often
er than j do him. inherited my for
getfulness from father. l. asked him
Dnce II he inherited his from grand
father, and he said he forgot whether
grandful was. forgetful or not. Father
Ii very clever. Sos Fairy. And the
Twins are the smartest little things
you ever saw-and Connie, too. Con-
ME Is the oldest, keenest child. She's
wonderful They all are-but me. It's
kind of humiliating to be the only
stupid one in a family of smart folks
\ suppose you've no idea how it feels
md can't explain it. But sometimes
think maybe ought to go off and
die, so the whole family can shine and