Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1916-1918, 1917-04-20
Euening Story
THE EASTER SURPRISE.
BY Louise oliver.
Copyright, 1917, by the Mcclure
Newspaper Syndicate.)


It was the evening of Good Friday
and the rain that had started in the
early morning was still drizzling down
into the cherries streets. Donald, in
the doorway opening his umbrella pre-
paratory to a trip to the moves tWo
blocks down, stepped aside to let the
girl pass.
He just called her "the girl for he
didn't know her name yet. she was
practically new to the building, and the
little sign on her door and the one III
, the entrance announced modestly
Piano Lessons without any hint as
to the name of the person who old the
teaching.
Donald turned and held open the IN
side door for her. THANK you,' she
said simply. with ghost of a smile
and passed on up the stairs. =,
An uncomfortable feeling took mold
on him, as it always did if he saw a
child hurt or baby cry, feeling thai
somehow he was responsible for the
fact that some one in the world was
not happy and that it was up to MIN
to do the best he could to make amends
1t was such a dear old world. Wnat
was the use of being sad?
Donald's creed being practical as
we'll as theoretical, he put wits to WORK
during the short walk downtown, ana
BY the time he came to the dripping
Illuminated arch of the Lyric he mad a
plan mapped out that was calculated to
Danish dull care for the time at any
rate. from the brow of the little music
teacher
III I'm not mistaken it's only home
sickness" unused Donald watching the
villain chase the hero over a railroad
bridge on the top of a fast moving
freight, and as the hero disappeared in
the distance shouting defiance at his
foiled pursuer he added irrelevantly,
land a little mystery will make it ex-
citing. There's just one thing - how
to manage the thing without letting
any one find it out. If Mrs. Walker
ever got wind of it the poor little one
would have to move out She's the
worst she gossip in New York.
And Just then the heroine, hearing
the Villains voice In the hall, hid in the
dumbwaiter and Donald had solved the
riddle.
1.-The very thing" he almost shouted
in his excitement I'll play bunny and
use the dumbwaiter as means or de-
nvering a nicer Easter basket than she
ever got back home in Marshvllle
And not interested any further in the
vacillating fortunes Of the fair Rosa
mond on the screen and being too impa-
tient to get to work on his own little
scheme to wait until Saturday, he left
the theater and continued his walk
down the street in the rain.
BY Saturday night "the Easter bum
n.y." as he called himself had such a
layout on his sitting room table that
magazines and cigar jar had been rele'
gated to the floor. He had had no idea
he was buying so much stuff and when
the bags and boxes had disgorged their
contents he was appalled,. He looked
helplessly at the fancy eight inch bas-
ket he had bought. 1T won't hold
tenth Of all this stuff" he growled. 1T
will take a market basket at least!'
Then he laughed. well, a market bas-
ket it will have to be. I'd go insane
trying to pick out the best things to
put into this" So he made another trip
downtown and after an hours search
found what he wanted.
When he returned it was late and
lights were out all over the building
Bunny will have to be very quiet" he
thought, uneasily. 81 don't want to
scare her to death. l hope the drop
door of the dumbwaiter works easily in
her Kitchen
But when the bright red and green
basket was trimmed up, with it's nest OF
green grass and it's wonderful burden
OF chocolate eggs. cream eggs and eggs
of all colors. pink rabbits, downy chick
ems and ducks full of bonbons. he de-
cided that the artists were not all dead
and that he was going to get this gor-
geous Easter surprise to his sad heart
ed little neighbor if he had to wake the
very dead themselves to do 1t.
He laid box Of lilies beside the bas-
ket and surveyed the two with salts.
faction. Come on now, the two of
you" he cried, slipping out Of his coat
and rolling up his sleeves. It's the
three of us will wish happy Easter
to the little colleen" and he picked up
a treasure under each arm.
The dumbwaiter was large, holding
laundry baskets with ease and Donald
had trained all his fat off long ago. He
slid up the drop door in his own kitch-
en-. pulled the rope and soon had his
freight and himself slowed comfortably
on the little shelf A manipulation OF
the rope and the cargo. human and fes-
tive rose upward through the dark
chute.
Donald touched the panel as he rose
so that he would know when he came
to the first door. This he knew to be
his destination. But as fate would have
it. he sneezed. and trying to stifle 1t he
took his hand from the smooth surface
Of the boards just long enough to miss
the door altogether and he went Gid.
ing on up through the dark. two stories
instead Of one and stopped at the drop
door two floors above.
He slid a knife under the edge. It
worked beautifully. The door slid open
The kitchen was as black as night
What luck!
He disembarked and lifted off his
freight as quickly as he could. Through
the glass door to the fire escape came
enough light for him to locate a table.
He was in the act Of laying his pre-
cious contributions upon this when the
same light revealed stout figure in
the doorway which proceeded to yell