Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1916-06-15

Copyright, 1916, by the Mcclure
Newspaper Syndicate.)
"You know she's a widow woman
and lives F"
"Oh, Jasper!"
"Eh! What is it?" Jasper Dunning
asked, looking into the face Of the girl
who shared the road wagon seat with
him.
Margaret caught her breath. 1t
might hurt him, but what he had just
said hurt her. Would it do any good?
She loked reflectively along the coun-
try road that stretched away in front
OF them. Over it the naples, brave
in their green livery of early summer,
threw long, cool shadows. Her silence
was so long continued that Jasper re-
What is it,"
did you ever hear of a widow who
was not woman"
What an idea! Edon't git you"
"Oh, please do not say git And
the other is such a collaQuialism! If
you say a woman is widow, that's
enough"
Jasper drew up on the lines until his
spirited bays reared. When he had
Quilted them he asked, What Is a col
loqui--? didn't git-no, get It,"
Briefly, Margaret explained. ITO
use good English. Jasper, means so
much! It's the mark Of gentleman,
Strangers judge US by our language
See here, Margaret. Before you
went away to college talked good
'nough for you," he blurted.
The girls eyes met his; she was
cons cientfously honest, even with her
self. ut always annoyed me little,
but l had heard people talk in that
way all my life. Not until went to
Girton did l come to see Just what
such things mean," she said.
II wish you'd never gone. You see,
didn't so much mind waitin' cause
planned to fix up the farm so it'd be a
good 'nough home for you. But them
two years spilled you. wish you'd
never gone" j.
The reiteration OF the wish made
Margaret forget the grammatical
seen Girton! Never come in contact
with that scholarly, progressive phase
OF life which she had determined
should dominate her future! Even If
she did teach primary grade in vii
lage school, Margaret had resolved
that not only her own life but all
lives that touched hers, should be
sweeter and stronger because of those
two years at Girton!
The silence endured so long that
Jasper thought the victory was his.
With a superior smile he said, 1T
don t matter" -'re
Why could he not have said
"doesn't?" Margaret's brown eyes
flashed. TT does matter to me and
to all who care for really good things"
she declared. And If you cared for
me, Jasper you'd try to please me,
especially when I'm wholly in the
right. Why, would be ashamed to
have Prof Larned hear you talk
sometimes y
That last word was added almost
desperately when she saw the color
fade from Jasper's face. Before he
could reply, they were at the gate of
the village home where Margaret
boarded A half dozen young men
and girls who were sitting on the YER
anda came trooping down the walk to
meet them, laughing, talking, making
plans for the evening.
Those plans were so we'll carried out
that Jasper had no opportunity for
further words with his betrothed. Even
when, several hours later, he babe her
good night, Alice MARI stood only a
few feet away, waiting for Margaret
to join.
"Shamed to have that professor
hear me talk" Jasper said to himself
as he rode home under the calm
stars. II 'spose could do little
better, but I hain't agoin to stand it
to be nagged all the time" "
At that same hour. Margaret was
, crying softly, her head on the window
SILL To go through life blushing for
a husband mistakes ashamed to have
people hear him talk-could she do it /?
Could she hold fast to her own ideals
if she were Jasper's wife? In the
years to come, if children should be
theirs, how could she teach them
Alright if her teaching plainly put their
father in the wrong?
For three days. she pondered those
questions. Then she did two things
she promised the school board that she
would teach another year and she
wrote note which ran:
Dear Jasper:
There has been no change in my
feelings. l love you, but / cannot be
happy with man who disregards the
things l hold essential. Therefore,