The Wahpeton times. [volume] (Wahpeton, Richland County, Dakota [N.D.]) 1879-1919, 1916-08-03
LORD OLLIE
BY lola FORESTER.


kseess~sess~ssNeeee
We have been accustomed to hear
Ollie speak of the Countess in, we'll,
not exactly friendly or comradely or
familiar terms, but as II he knew her
pretty we'll. For instance, he would
say when the mail was brought in:
Another letter from the Countess.
Now Ill get it for not writing" Quite
as IL it mattered to the Countess
whether he wrote or not.
He had come to the old-fashioned
boarding house on West Fifty-fifth
street in the summertime. From his
tone and words we gathered that he
was q man Of peace and would not
60 to war. that the Countess disap-
proved OF his sentiments, and that his
elder brother was fighting somewhere
in France.
He was . slim, dark, nice sort OF
chap. with big. speculative. humorous
blue eyes behind eyeglasses. Until
Jessica came to stay with us, he had
matters his own way in an argument
down in the dining room. The rest of
US were too hungry and weary to com.
bat world peace or anything else.
But Jessica was different. Fresh
from the West she was, and thorough.
~ prepared for war at any moment.
She was in the nurses training school.
waiting for her chance to go abroad
in Red Cross work.
Ollie was all for social evolution,
and the two Of them would sit ana let
their dinners grow cold while they
thrashed the wars of the nations over
and over again. His name, by the
way was Oliver Grovesnor. Sometimes
his mail came to Mr.. Oliver Grovesnor
and sometimes to Lord Oliver Francis
Grovesnor, but We called him Ollie.
A boarding home is . curious corn.
monwealth. To save your life you
can't help knowing every other body's
business. We used to run across the
two OF them sitting out on the little
green wooded bench in the DIT Of q
front yard talking after dinner.
Then came another letter from the
Countess. the first one since Jessica
had come to stay. Oliver found It un.
der his napkin as usual, glanced at II
whimsically. said it was another let
tx FROM the Countess, and that he'd
get It for not writing.
And Jessica, being q woman. prompt
~ asked who the Countess was
Whereupon Ollie answered simply:
my mother"
She eyed him from . different a.
pect from that moment. At first. with
suspicion as II he might be poktne
fun at her. You see. Jessica came
from small town in South Dakota
and she was twenty-one. She won
dered. just as we all had. II Ollie were
telling the truth.
Jessica waited until she had him t.
herself on the green garden bench
She approached the subject of Ollie'l
connection with the English nobilit,
without fear or compromise.
rs the Countess really your moth
er?'
so I have always been told.' re-
piled Ollie
Countess WHAT"
Countess of Walsingham. He
name, though, 10 Margaret. Margare
Olivia"
Il blame you more than ever" sh,
said briefly and tensely. Since 20,
do happen to be born in this particu
lar age and in q certain class, you ow,
it to your times, to the spirit of you
times, to stand for the morale of tina
class"
Rot" said Ollie. and he opened tn
last letter from the Countess. She wal
silent as he read it. Presently h'
spoke in curious voice, 4 sort of BAT
fled voice, as if fate had handed hin
foul.
by Jove!' he said. Poor OIL,
Bert"
For a minute Jessica didn't get tn
portent of his words. he had Spoken
so quietly. but she turned her he;t'
and saw his face, suddenly sharp and
bit white in the half light.
Who is he?"
Ollie stood up.
I'm going back. She wants me to
My brothers. dead"
And this is the strangest part. A
he stood there looking down in he
face, suddenly all the little foolisl
cOnventiOnalities of everyday lii
dropped from them.
You're going over there 70 fight?
she asked.
or course. Bert died somewhcr
in France. 1t isn't 80 much the w;i
you understand" His hands clenche
at his sides. It's what they've don
to him. want to 60 and just Civ
it to them for his sake. and my moth
er expects me to"
I'm sailing on the 10TH Jessie
spoke eagerly. Il didn't want to tel
you because you had a way of takin
all the spirit out of it for me, and
wanted to go the other way-beliey
ing in it. 1 mean
Wen sail together he told bel
You said once that had no morale
! Maybe haven't. l don't like the mes