Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1916-07-11

sparkle together AS it is, there
just dull glow from my corner, quite
pale and ugly compared with the bril-
liant CLEANS the others are sending
out"
Said Professor Rayburn, "Ah, Pru-
dence, the faint, sweet mellow glows
are always beautiful. Not sparkling,
perhaps, not brilliant! But comforting,
and cheering and-always to be trust
ed. It's just these little corner CLOVIS,
like yours, that make life worth liv-
ing, ...+ ... s...,
This was rather deep for Prudence,
but she felt instinctively that he was
complimenting her. She thanked him
sweetly and said, ''And after all, l do
not really mind being the stupid one.
l think it's rather fun, for then l can
! just live along comfortably, and peo-
| pie 90 not expect much of me. 1t
would wear me all out to be as clever
| studious as Lark. But I am most
| tremendously proud of them, l assure
you" '.- ~
If Professor Rayburn had continued
along this interesting and fruitful line
of conversation, all would have been
we'll.
But it came just like a clap of
thunder in the sunshine, said Pru-
dence to Fairy dramatically, as they
sat in their, room talking things over
that night 1--WE were having a per-
fectly grand time, and was just
thinking he was as nice and interest
h. lr,& h M
to his name, when--Crash! That's
how 1t happened"
Fairy wiped her eyes, and lay back
weakly on the bed. go on" she
urged. What happened?' ~". 4
He stopped right in the middle of
sentence about me, somethiN@
nice, too, that | was awfully interest
ed in, and said, Look, Miss START
Then he got down on his knees and
began cautiously scraping away the
sticks and leaves. Then he fished out
the most horrible. woolly, many-legged
little animal ever saw in my life. He
said it was a gimIythoraticus billy
ancibus, and he was as tickled over
it as though he had just picked up a
million dollar diamond. And what do
you suppose the weird creature did
with it? He wrapped it in couple
of leaves and put his handkerchief
around it and put it in his pocket
Do you remember when we we're eat
ing by the creek. and l got jam on
my fingers? He offered me his hand
kerchief to wipe it off? Do you re-
member how I showed him away, and
shuddered? l saw you look reproving-
ly at me! That's why! Do you suppose
I could wipe my fingers with hand
kerchief that had been in one of his
pockets?"
at wasn't the one that had the
giminy billibus, was it?''
mo, but goodness only knows what
| had been in this one-an alligator,
maybe, or a snake. He's very fond
| of snakes. He says some Of them are
| SO useful. l try to be charitable,
Fairy, and I believe I would give
even Satan credit for any good there
was in him-but it is too much to ask
me to be fond of man who is fond
of snakes But that Is not the worst.
He put the giminy thing in his peck
et-his left pocket. Then he came on
walking with me. on my right side.
| On my right side Fairy, do you un-
derstand what that means? 1t means
that the giminy bilious, as you call
it-oh, wouldn't swear to the name,
Fairy. do not claim to be smart, but
I know how it looked! Well, anyhow
name and all. it was on the side next
to me. I stopped to look at little
stick and switched around on the 9th
err side: Then he stopped to look at
bunch Of dirt, and got on the wrong
side again. Then stopped, and then
he did and so we kept zig1zagssng
down the road. A body would have
thought we we're drunk, l suppose
Four times that man stopped to pick
up some wriggling little animal, and
four times he deposited his treasure
in one of his various pockets. Don't
ask why it is impossible for me to be