Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1916-06-22

/, ing and chasing. I'll see Connie about
that tonight. Now"
ooh! Oh! Oh! What is the world is
that?"
This was chorus of several
Ladies' Aid voices-a double quartet
at the very least. Lark gave sharp
exclamation and began looking hur'
riedly about her on the floor
cts got in here-just as l expect.
3D." she exclaimed. 'T said you would
be sorry, Prue- Oh, there it is under
your chair, Mrs. Prentiss. Just wait
maybe l can shove it back in the
box again."
This was greeted with fresh Choir
us of shrieks.. There was a hurried
and absolute vacation Of that corner
of the front room. The Ladies fed,
dropping their cherished sewing, shov-
ing one another in a most Unladies-
Aid-like way.
| And there, beneath chair, squat
ted the cause of the confusion, an In
nocent, unhappy, blinking toad. :
ooh, Larkie!"
This was a prolonged wall.
cts all right, Prue, honestly it is
urged Lark with pathetic solemnity.
I'VE didn't do it for joke. We're
keeping him for good purpose. Con-
ME found him in the garden-and-
Carol said We ought to keep him for
Professor Duke-he asked us to bring
him things to cut up in science, you
remember So we just showed him
into this shoe box, and-we thought
we'd keep him in the bath tub until
morning We did it for a good pur-
pose, don't you see we did? Oh, Pru-
dence!"
Prudence was horribly outraged,
but even in that critical moment, JUS
tice insisted that Lark's arguments
were sound. The professor had GER
tainly asked the scholars to bring him
things to cut up" But toad! A
live one! And the Ladies' Aid! Pru-
dence shivered.
81 am sure you meant we'll, Larkie, y
she said in low voice, striving hard
to keep down the bitter resentment
In her heart. II know you did. But
you should not have brought that
that thing-into the house. Pick him
up at once, and take him out-of-doors
and let him CO."
But this was not readily done. In
spite Of her shame and deep dismay
Lark refused to touch the toad with
her fingers.
II can't touch him, Prudence
simply can't" she whimpered. I'VE
showed him in with the broom handle
before
And as no one else was willing to
touch it, and as the Ladies clustered
together in confusion, and with much
laughter, in the far corner of the other
room, Prudence brought the broom
and the not unwilling toad was helped
to other quarters.
Nov CO., said Prudence quickly.
Of the permission.
Followed a quiet hour and then the
Ladies put aside their sewing and
walked about the room, chatting in
little groups. With significant
glance to Fairy, Prudence walked
calmly to the double doors between
the dining room and the sitting room
The eyes of the Ladies followed hes
with interest and even enthusiasm.
They were hungry. Prudence slowly
opened wide the doors, and-stood
amazed The Ladies clustered about
her, and stood amazed also. The din
ing room was there, and the table!
But the appearance Of the place was
vastly different! The snowy cloth was
draped artistically over picture on
the wall, the lowest edges we'll above
the floor. The plates and trays, nap
kin covered, were safely slowed away
on the floor in distant corners. The
kitchen scrub bucket had been brought
in and turned upside down to afford
a fitting resting place for the borrowed
punch bowl, full to overlooking with
frogrant lemonade.
And at the table were three dirty,
disheveled little figures. bending serl-
ously over piles of mud. A not I'M
recognizable Venus de Milo occupied
the center of the table. Connie was
painstakingly at work on some ami