Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1916-02-19

At this stage Of her day dream the
porter stuck his head in the door and
shouted: "Waynesburg! Waynes-
burg" That being her destination,
Alene grabbed her suit case and, az
she went jerkily toward the car door,
she peeped through the dirty windows
to see whether any rustic Adonis was
awaiting her. As she tripped down
the train steps in her trim blue serge
suit, silk sh1rtwaist and Panama hat,
and with her dancing brown eyes look
ing about for possible adventure, she
became the center Of interest to the
dozen listless looking people lined
along the gravelly strip between the
train and the little oblong station.
The prospect for adventure was far
, from promising.
Just then the eyes Of all left Alene
and went in the direction from which
came the sound Of rushing automo-
bile and excited and laughing voices.
A big touring car swerved from the
main road on to the open space at
the end Of the station and an athletic
young man in light flannels sprang
from the machine and crossing the
strip OF gravel managed to grasp the
handrail of the last coach just as the
train moved past the station. The
young young people remaining in tho
machine called merry good-bys to him.
| Alene hoped she would be taken
into the automobile to be conveyed
to Rural Retreat farm, and she smiled
as she saw the handsome youth at
the steering wheel. The smile died
a moment later when he steered the
big car into the main road where It
disappeared amid cloud of dust. To
her surprise she was accosted at that
moment by tall, lank young fellow
in blue overalls and q faded blue
shirt. He did not even touch the br1m
Of his hickory hat as he spoke to her,
much less remove it with the sweep
ing grace of the movie screen.
Are you waiting to go to Rural Re-
treat farm" The face from which tho
nasal voice leaked out was sunburned
almost to blister. Around the cor
ners OF his mouth oozed out the
brown liquid and the damp odor pro-
claiming the tobacco chewer. Find.
ing that he had been sent to meet
her Alene allowed him to take her
suitcase and lead the way to his con-
veyance, which proved to be one
horse buggy. As they logged along
the dusty road, she made casual in
curry about whether the occupants
Of the automobile were stopping at
Rural Retreat.
well, I guess mott" he calculated.
They're a lot OF swells a-visitin' up
to Randolph's mansion"
Alene's appetite was not tempted
by the midday dinner which the pre-
pairing mother Of her escort piled on
the long table all at once-meat,
vegetables, preserves, pies. Her
companions at dinner, besides tho boy
and his mother, were three summer
boarders consisting Of middle aged
couple and an asthmatic man Of fifty.
In the big yard after dinner, Alene
found little OF interest save a ham,
mack made OF barrel slaves and pad
ded with a bedquilt tree Of flavor
LESS sweet apples and few strag-
Cling flowers among the rank growth
of grass and weeds.
AS the days passed she found small
amusement in going alone to fish
where the mosquitoes and flies were
plentiful, or in sitting on the porch
to crochet and listen TO the middle
aged woman tell Of her many all
ments. The long afternoons dragged
insufferably, and the day before the
end of the week, for which she had
paid her board in advance, she was
so desperately lonely that she asked
to be taken to the train. AS the
boy was driving her along in his
buggy she saw three galloping horse
men approaching, and for an instant
there revived within her the hope
that her movie dream was coming
true after all. AS the riders drew
near she recognized one of them as
the youth who had driven the touring
car to the station the day she arriv-
ed. But, alas, for her dreams! The
three horsemen went galloping by the
slow-moving buggy without even a
glance at it's occupants, and the last
hope for romantic adventure died
out OF Alene's heart. ..
Not until she was we'll on her jour-
ney home did her. sense of humor
come to her rescue. Then she saw
how she had foolishly allowed her i'm
agination to get her into a predica-
ment. She reached home that even
ing just as her mother and father
were sitting down to a dainty but
simple dinner in the darkened dining
room of their little fiat. They laugh
ed heartily at her accounts of her dis
Iillusionment about the retreat and the
rustic hero she had expected to find
there.