Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1916-1918, 1917-03-13

my own mouse, saw pair VI lUVeIS
going up the central path of it. At
least, l took them for lovers, though
perhaps they were walking rather too
quickly for people engaged in that &C.
cupation But perhaps they were walk
ing quickly to one of the secluded
hooks. The girl was in evening dress,
for I saw her shoulders white in the
moonlight, and she had a scarf twisted
round her head. The man was wear
ing tweeds and straw hat
At the same time noticed man in
evening dress coming along the pave
ment on my left, in a rather Sinking
way, in the shadow Of the trees which
hang over the ratings on the edge Of
the garden. went through the gate
and up the central path; and : had
gone thirty or forty yards up it, when
] heard his feet crunch on the svavel
by the garden gate. | looked baGx to
see if it was any one / knew, nut a
little cloud was passing over the moon
and in the dimness he was too far of
to recognize He turned sharply off to
the right and passed into shrubbery
out of sight.
I went on few yards and sat down
on seat, and lighted cigarette. I
had been sitting there two or three
minutes when woman came through
the gate. She came along at smart
pace. and saw that she was wearing a
feathered hat. l could not see her
face, for it was In the shadow Of the
| hat, and was further hidden by veil
| She did not look like the wife or daugh.
ter Of one of my tenants she looked
like ladys maid and she did not walk
! like an Englishwoman. I doubted that
she had any right to be in the garden
but | was not going to tell her so;
! that was the business of the gardeners.
l never see any point in doing my own
barking when keep dog. She went
straight up the central path into the
central ring of strawberries, out OF
sight
! ! went on few yards and sat down
Presently | grew tired of sitting still
got up from the bench and strolled up
the central path. Just before l came
to the middle of the garden. met Alice
! Devine. We did not often meet i'm the
garden in the evening generally it
was In the afternoon. We shook hands
she turned round. and we went on to
the middle of the garden. She was
wearing an evening gown with light
filmy kind of wrap round her shoulders
and in the moonlight she looked if any
/ thing. prettier than in the daylight.
thought that her eyes shone like stars.
The pair of lovers and the woman
in the feathered hat were nowhere in
sight
Alice said that she. too. had found
! the house sitting and had come out in
! to the garden for fresh air. We both
agreed that. if it only could be done, 1t
would be much nicer to sleep in the
4 garden on a night like that than In a
stuffy room.
" We came to- the middle of the garden
: which is set with ring of strawberries
J in the shape of wheel. The hub is
circular clump of shrubs; the spokes
are narrow strawberries running from
it: and the tire Is ring OF shrubs
about fifteen feet thick. In between
the strawberries which form the spokes
are little lawns. Each of these lawns
has narrow entrance - break IN
the tire Of the wheel.
! We turned into the nearest of these
little lawns and went to the seat at
the end Of it, which was right up
against the hub of the wheel and we'll
sheltered.
I We sat down and began to talk. We
always had plenty to talk about; there
were the poor children whom Alice was
in the habit Of collecting in the Park.
She had ALWAYS plenty to tell me abou!
them. and always found 1t interesting
to hear. They are such rum little beg
CARS AS we talked | heard the sound
of voices, very faint, on the lawn on
the other side of the shrubbery on our
left. I just noticed it. and no more,
was giving my attention TO Alice.
We had been talking for about ten
minutes when there came the loud
startling bang of revolver from the
lawn on our left, and then woman's
scream.
Alice sprang up with a little cry OF
fright. and got up more slowly. There
was a crashing in the shrubbery on our
left and man in evening dress burst
out of it, bolted across the lawn and
out of the entrance. He went too
quickly for me to recognize him and
only got a three-quarter back view
of him.
Come on" cried to Alice. I'VE
must look into this"
mo, no. Be careful, Oh. do be
CAREFUL she cried and she clutched
my arm with both hands.
Its all right" said. They won't
hurt me. You wait here for minute
or two and I'll come back. You'll be
quite safe said and tried to loosen
the grip of her hands
mo, no: you'll get hurt she cried
holding my arm still more tightly.
But I must go - | must really l
said.
Then. I'm coming, too" she said
Very we'll only don't be frightened.
I'll see that you don't come TO any
HARM" 7 said: and ! slipped my arm
round her waist to keep her courage
up
We hurried out Of the entrance Of
the lawn and saw at once that we had
lost time The man in the evening
dress was already out of sight. and
there was no saying which way he had
gone But in the open garden to our
left, the girl in evening dress was bur
rying down a path that led to the left
hand gate.
She was good way off. but shout