Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1916-1918, 1917-01-30

IOT the rent with Just SCrutOn s COmpl)
ments.
CHAPTER Ill
The Anarchists.
thought about the ghost girl TO
several days. She was no more house
maid than ! was; housemaids dom
have voices like that. and it was he
:. voice that chiefly stuck in my mind.
kept an eye, or rather both eyes
through my uncle's field glasses. OF
Number 8, on the chance Of seeing hel
come out of it. wanted to see whether
her face matched her voice
All the while I was hard at work
and did not find work such bore as
l had expected. For one thing, it was
a change to have things to do that had
to be done and its being a change sof
tened it. Besides, it was pleasant to
find that could do things. Mugging
up price lists of house fittings sounds
an awful grind. but when l found that
I did get prices into my head. it did not
bore me. I found that knowledge OF
price lists useful in interviewing con.
tractors.
Jack Thurman and I, but chiefly
Jack, of course, were not very long in
q, discovering that, thanks to the broad
and generous ideas O, Siddle and Wod-
gett, his house agents. my uncle had
/ paid through the nose for the upkeep
and repairs Of the Gardens. felt that
l could spend my money just as we'll as
! my contractors could spend it for me.
/ Therefore I set about getting fresh
estimates, and making fresh contracts
for all the work Every contractor
| came to his interview with an iron re-
solve to pull my leg. Most of them
seemed to want to Eek my boots, too,
because | was peer. But ii was
, quite clear that they were not going
| to let that fact. which seemed to make
the leg pulling process so very easy,
| interfere with it. The idea seemed to
be to pull my leg while they we're lick
ing my boots.
| just humored them. ! stuck my
eye glass in my eve, left my mouth
open and drawled at them like a per-
feet ass, After dozen drawls the
prices scared and scared. Then
dropped my eye glass shut my mouth
and explained to them that I was not
going to pay fifty per cent too much
for things. In the jar Of the surprise
I got better terms than I should have
done if had not started with the eye
glass.
was getting on nicely with the new
contracts, when there came the trouble
with the kitchen ranges. Complaints
about their kitchen ranges had come
from seven out Of the twentv-one
houses in the Gardens An expert ex-
amined them for me, and reported that
~
I discussed the matter and we decided
that 1t would save good deal Of mon-
ey to buy twenty-one kitchen ranges.
and have one contract for the fixing
Of the lot. It would be far better than
buying the seven needed at the mo-
ment and then two or three at time
as others wore out. I mugged up some
price lists and went forth to examine
the kitchen range in its lair. They
will not send kitchen ranges for your
inspection.
had no idea that there were so
many tricks to a kitchen range. or that
to the inexperienced they are such
tiresome business. The Rockies are
not in it with them; have tried both
All the morning ! looked at kitchen
ranges and explored their tricks till
my head hummed with them. After
lunch started out to see more at some
works at Fullham. was bent on find.
ing the best kitchen range in England
before interviewed contractor about
putting them in.
At Hyde Park corner we We're held
M by the traffic going into the Park
When we started again CASTOR nv
chauffeur. asked me to stop. His acute
ear had caught something wrong with
the sound Of the engine. ] pulled IN
Just in front Of Saint Georges hospital
he got out and raised the bonnet 70 the
car
Ny mind was full of kitchen ranges
and | was having no particular atten.
ton TO anything outside me. Then I
saw the pretty girl and the children.
She was such pretty girl that she
cleared the kitchen ranges out Of nv
mind. Her eyes We're big and they
shone like the stars won !
derful eyes in the prettiest face
face like flower.
The children were standing round !
her; a sin of a girl about fourteen.
pale faced and thin. holding a thin
baby: a boy of eleven: and a thin little !
81 VI S'''h Va VIsNbL NhtS were very |
poor children, and. JUDGING from their !
patched clothes, they did not belong TO |
the pretty girl. She was dressed very
simply but prettily in light summer ;
frock, and she was wearing it as II
she knew how to wear clothes. The
children were watching her anxiously. |
just glanced at them. but stared at |
her I could not help It. She did not
notice it - she did not even see me.
She was in trouble of some kind and
was frowning anxiously as she gran.
r'ed with one Of those out of the way
pockets women love
She stopped graphing with it. and
her eyes shone brighter than ever be.
cause there were tears In them, and
the corners of her mouth dropped.
I'm so sorry, children. dear" she
said But I've lost my purse. and I |
shan't be able to take you after all.
It's no good my going home for more
II was my last half sovereign
Her voice matched her eyes It was
But the odd thing was.
seemed to know it. vet could nc.
think where 7 bad heard it.
The older pir1 1oCknJ Of bo- l., 4, r,o,, |