Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1916-1918, 1917-12-07
=OppOrtunitD-
By EDGAR FRANKLIN
Copyright The Frank A. Munsey West Fortieth
New York City.
CHAPTER vII1-(Continued)

audible, though. and her color rose
not in embarrassment. plainly IL
anger. Mary's eyes snapped, too. ana
she leaned a little toward him ques-
tiongly as if incredulous of her own
hearing.
you'll do WHAT" said Mary?
II will consent to marry you!" An
thony repeated, and it seemed to him
that his voice was coming HOLLOWAY
and from the caverns of matrimony-
infested hades. LIT will be simple
painfully simple. The ceremony can
be performed this morning and
in New Jersey. We will leave
OF once and without notifying
either your friends or mine, on an
extended wedding tour-I should say
of six months duration at least" An
thony went on brokenly. While John-
son Boiler gazed at him in pure 1ascl-
nation. Gin week or SO we can
write everywhere, giving the impress
SIGN that it has been an elopement,,
the ceremony having been performed
yesterday. Then"
"stop!" Mary cried. stop that
that planning!"
'Eh?"
The girl was sitting bolt upright
eyes swapping, and Anthony regarded
her in establishment. Also, she
thumped the table with her small
clenched fist as she looked straight
at him and gasped:
"Why. II wouldn't marry you II
YOU were ten times the last man in
the world"
'But-''
moi. Mary said quite wildly
There is not another thing to do.
Anthony informed her, with a forlorn
heart-broken smile. 'Your good name
-
"You1l find some other way of pre-.
serving my good name" Mary sad
warmly. I'm engaged now to the
very finest man in the whole world"
you're engaged" Anthony cried in
telligently.
Eyes. and he's sane man, too. and
he doesn't cry over the prospect OF
marrying me-" the young woman
hurtled on. Hes real man, and If
he ever finds out that you made me
stay here all last night, he'll ignore
the circumstances and shoot you just
as sure as you're sitting there"
She stopped breathing hard. ana
shook her head at Anthony Fry, so
that the red gold curls tumbled about
quite riotously. Anthony. blinking,
said nothing at all, but his friend
johnson Boiler took to muttering.
rather like perturbed hen.
AS a matter of fact. Boiler was
downright fond of Anthony, and the
prospect of having him stain in cold
blood was very distressing. Turning
helpful for the first time, Johnson
Roller was on the point of trying TO
think up ways and means of getting
Mary out-but Mary herself was
speaking again.
"And don't think that that ridicu.
lous proposal lifts any responsibility
from your shoulders. either!' she said
eneregtically. ut doesn't
81 had not meant to imply that 1t
did" Anthony said duly.
.You got me here and you've kept
me here" said Mary, and it was plain
that her even temper had not yet re-
turned. You'll have to devise the
way to get me out of here and what
70 say when l do get home"
Yes" murmured Anthony
L
you out of that apathetic state" the
girl concluded" you may as well know
that there isn't the slightest doubt in
the world that the police have gen.
eral alarm for me long before this!"
"Wow!'' said Johnson Boiler
=, am--trying to think" Anthony
said with difficulty.
So far as posture went. he looked
it. His lean hands were gripping the
edges of the table nervously, and his
head was bent again; he scowled and
then shook his head as if to dispel the
scowl. He cleared his throat repeat
eddy; he glanced at Johnson Boiler,
whose expression was DIVIDED be-
tween irrepressible amusement and
some concern-and he cleared his
throat once more and stared his fried
egg fixedly in it's lone eye.
Thus he was sitting after five silent
minutes, which both Mary and Boiler
had improved gastronomically, when
Wilkins entered.
BEG pardon. Mr. Fry said he. "a
gentleman to see you
81 can't see him Anthony said
quickly.
"But this gentleman's on his way
rp now. sir" he said. Hes one of
your friends, and the Office allowed
him to come up and merely phoned
that he was coming. it is Mr.. Robert
Vining, sir!'
Anthony shook his head.
well, l cannot see even Mr.. Vim
ing this morning he said. Say, |
when he comes to the door, that
good gracious"
This last being quite justified, be-
cause Mary. with one small shrek,
had bounded from her chair like d
frightened fawn! The chair. topping !
over bumped about the floor for bit
until Wilkins caught it. and Mary,
both hands clutched upon her bosom
stood poised for full second eyes
round and Mortified. lips parted.
Then, as the lightning flashes Mary !
had turned, andy it seemed that she |,
f1oated through the air and down the /
corridor In rather less than another
second the door of the recent David's |
chamber closed with slam
3 Il.