Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1916-1918, 1916-10-20
habit of keeping silent.

habit of keeping silent.
William she said gently, whats
the matter with you lately? Is there
anything. on your mind?"
! Mr.. Starr started nervously. Mind
OF course not. Why?'
You seem to be looking for some
thing. You watch the girls so close
ly, you're always hanging around, and
He smiled broadly. Thanks for
that. Hanging around in my own
parsonage. That is the gratitude of a
loving family"
Aunt Grace smiled We'll. see
there's nothing much the matter with
you. was seriously worried.
thought there was something wrong
and"
"Sort Of mentally unbalanced. is
that it? Oh, no. I'm Just watching my
family"
| She loked up quickly. Watching
the family! You mean"
Carol" he said briefly
"Carol! You're watching"
ooh, only in the most honorable
way, of course You see," he gave
his explanation with an air Of relief,
Prudence always says must keep
an eye on Carol She's so pretty, and
the boys get stuck on her, and-that's
what Prudence says. forgot all about
it for while. But lately have begun
to notice that the boys are older and
we don't want Carol falling in love
with the wrong man. | got uneasy.
decided to watch out I'm the head
of this family, you know"
Such an ideal" scoffed Aunt Grace,
who was not at all Cf scoffing ma
ture
Carol was born fer lovers, Pru-
dence says so. And these mems girls
have to be watched or the wrong fell
low will ge: ahead, and"
carol doesn't need watching-not
any more at least.
| I'm not really watching her, you
know. I'm just keeping my eyes
open"
| But Carols all right. That's one
| smiled as she recognized bit of Car
OILS slang upon her lips. Don't wor-
ry about her. You needn't keep an
eye on her any more. She's coming,
Jail right
"You don't think there's any dan.
ger OF her falling in love with the
wrong man."
NO"
There aren't many worth-having
fellows in Mount Mark you know
Carol won't fall in love with a
! Mount Mark fellow"
You seem very positive"
Yes, I'm positive"
He loked thoughtful for while.
well, Prudence always told me to
watch Carol, so could help her If she
needed it,"
Girls always need their fathers
came the quick reply. But Carol
does not need you particularly. There's
only one of them who will require es-
pecial attention"
| That's what Prudence says
YES, just one-not Carol"
Not Carol!' He looked at her In as
constituent. Why, Fairy and Lark
different, They're all right They
don't need attention"
NO It's the other one"
"The other one! That's all
There's Connie
Conner" A
yes"
Conner
| yes"
you don't mean Connie"
Aunt Grace smiled.
why, Grace, you're-you're of. Elk.
cuse me for saying it, but-you're
crazy. Connie-why, Connie has new.
er been any trouble in her life. Con.
nie!"
you've never had any friction with
Connie. she's always been right so far.
! One Of these days she's pretty likely
to be wrong. and Connie doesn't yield
very easily"
But Comics so sober and straight.
and
That's the kind"
shes so conscientious"
Eyes, conscientious"
"She's-look here, Grace, there's
nothing the matter with Connie"
"Of course not, William. That isn't
what mean. But you ought to be
getting very, very close to Connie
right now, for one of these days she's
going to need lot of that extra COM
panionship Prudence told you about.
Connie wants to know everything. She
wants to see everything. None of the
other girls ever yearned for city life.
Connie does. She says when she is
through school she's going to the
city"
'what city,"
oAny cjtv !"