Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1916-1918, 1916-11-24
CHAPTER I. Continually

E. l SnOuIOnL Innk you would want
TO take it, he said shortly. She proved
Ito him, irrefutably, what narrow and
Nngenerous attitude that was. Alex
would neither argue nor relent. He
gave her to understand. without quite
Saying it, that if she went she lost
something out Of his friendship. He
was dictatorial young man, and
though he was not at all irritable, like
Ralston, good many things made him
angry. Chloe, Of course, went; and
I had the perfectly glorious" time that
kyOuth makes point of having every
fwhere-brave, pretentious youth, with
fits thousand hurts and humiliations so
svehemently ignored! And Alex, who
fdid nothing by halves, had wiped out
Fevery bond between them. He did not
53even read Italian with her any more.
Chloe found Mrs. Gage standing
strongly in the hall. pulling on her
gloves with the straight armed vigor
s0f man turning up his sleeves to
light.
'Ralston is quite right; he has never
had d proper chance, she declared.
FL have been feeling it more and more
iH he hadn't married right after col
4 lege-but you couldn't blame him with
Sall that encouragement. l have never
4 thought it was right Of Mr.. Sothern
/ TO come SO near to taking his play.
and then not take 1t. He must have
q better place to work"
Chloe had come to dismayed
pause But, mother, what can you do
about it?" she asked, troubled pro-
test In her voice.
Well. there's Mrs. Gartaret with
that big, empty house don't see
why Ralston couldn't go over every
fmorning and have a quiet room to
work in. He'd be no trouble"
Chloe WINGED bodily. But suppose
she does not want some one coming
In. and having to stay quiet near that
room" the protest followed helpless
". Her family always made Chloe
4 feel herself poor spirited, even mean.
Wouldn't we gladly lend her
room il we had it," the mother de.
manded from her chest IF there is
any reason Mrs. Cartaret can't, I'll
try the Dows. Only Rawly doesn't like
them 80 well. He says Grace Dow's
laugh gets on his nerves." She gath
cred her skirts into her hand, symbol
ically, since it was too sensibly short
20 impede her. IF you want to go
~, send Billy over to play with the
Rurrays.' she added. Their nurse
might just as well look after four as
three" And she went out with her
direct stride, as oblivious of her aged,
voluminous suit and weather beaten
bonnet as some gaunt old grenadier
might be Of his faded uniform.
Chloe did not want to go off She
was often a little desperate Monday
morning. after the family Sunday.
The others were so much older and
taller, 60 overpowering: they con-
yicted her eternally Of being in the
wrong, and yet she could not learn to
be like them. With rueful humor she
among eagles. The eagles might find
wren who suffered, she could assure
them. Today April was stirring in the
city squares and she longed to be off
into it as hot forehead longs for a
cool hand. When the mornings work
was done, she put on her street things
and looked up Billy.
- He was standing at an open win.
dow, yearning out toward vagrant
young cur, who wagged up at him
frdm the sidewalk beneath. His broad
fade was moist with tenderness
IA lii parpy, Toto he told her. as
one pointing out divine miracle "A
liz parpy-a dee-ar iii parpy!" No
mother with her first born could have
expressed richer emotion: the heart
OF his grandfather, who had loved all
young things. was swelling in his little
breast Chloe laughed. but she put
on his clean blouse there at the win
dow that his paternal rapture need
not be interrupted.
We'll go and see the lii kitty at the
Murrays." she said, as she set out
hand In hand
She made numberless such pilgrim
ages with Billy when no one at home
was free to look after him, and yet
they always depressed her Perhaps
1t was the association with the pilgrim |
ages of her own childhood-little |
brown Clotilda trudg.ng in silent, |
helpless reluctance between long,