Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1916-1918, 1917-02-23
ALICE DEVINE
By EDGAR JEPSON

IL were udCCiueut, yOul I<oloohiP,
he whined.
Then don't let it happen again."
said.
Frederick shuffled away hastily, NUT
tering that he must get his wet clothes
off, or he would catch his death of cold.
HE won't go to sleep when he ought
to be working again, In hurry saic
Miss D'Eresby III virtuous tone.
81 don't th!nh he will; and I'm very
much obliged to you for keeping him
up to his work" | said.
"Oh, l like doing it like that"
she said quickly. Wasn't his face
funny when the water woke him up?"
And she laughed again heartily.
CHAPTER VIII.
Lost Lord Cantelune.
For some days after that the chas
tened Frederick seemed to be doing his
work better and gossiping less. Thai,
ut least, was the report of Miss
D'Eresby. Then he had relapse; for
one afternoon happened TO be stroll
ing in the garden with Alice when she
came to us with a very anxious face.
"Frederick's really dreadful she
said. 81 don't know what to do with
him. He's been talking and talking to
that Gwendolen Binns, and she's ne
glecting the Cantelune baby worse
than ever"
Things are getting serious" ! said.
''They are said the angel child.
well l leave 1t in your hands.
think you'll find a way OF stopping 1t
before you've DONE" l said.
Il expect l shall" she said; and she
u,o,+ with r,,oro honofN1 fare
She's a wonder, that child | said
She'll soon relieve me of all respons-
Utility about this garden
"She does look after things" said
Alice.
1t was perhaps a quarter OF an hour
later that We, found her looking after
things again. We heard bowls and out
cries in a corner of the garden and hur-
ried I'D to find> out what was happen
ing. In the middle of a ring Of shrek
Ing children l saw the angel child. She
had one hand clenohed in the tow col
ored curls of little Lord Pomeroy and
was smacking his face with the other.
His were the bowls we had heard
dashed for them and got hold of
them. They came apart more easily
than | had expected; and little Lord
Pomeroy ran off bowling.
"That'll teach him to stick pins into
babies" said the angel child triumph
antly
7 did not think it would
Little Lord Pomeroy'S nurse came up
and began to scold her; Alice scolded
her. too I think it was those tow col
Ored curls that made little Lord Pom
eroy such a pet Miss D'Eresby defend
ed ,erce!f with firm gallantry. 1t
seemed that Gwendolen Binns had slip
ped away to gossip with Frederick,
leaving Lord Cantelune sleeping in his
perambulator.
Little Lord Pomeroy had thought the
chance too good to be missed and prod
ded lord Cantelune' with a pin. lt~had
not been so good chance as little
Lord Pomeroy had supposed; for the
angel child had come upon him I'M
awares in the very act and secured the
requisite grip on his curls before he
knew that she WAS there.
defended the angel child and prais-
ed her handling Of the situation: and
Alice scolded me for encouraging her
in her violent administration of justice.
II took us the rest OF the afternoon to
argue 1t ont.
The angel child went away early in
the afternoon, saying that she expect
ed that the little beasts (she was re-
ferring to little Lord Pomeroy) mother
would come out and make fuss
When I saw her the neyt day she
was frowning as if she were trying to
think hard and found It strain.
I asked her what was the matter
and she said: cts Frederick and Gwen
dolen Binns. don't know what to dc
with them I want to give them real
lesson
But you're always giving Frederick
real lessons" said
81 want to give him one he'll really
remember. and Gwendolen Binns. too
81 expect you'll think Of one, If you
20 on trying" said in cheering
tone.
81 thought perhaps you could helr
me-" she said.
7 sat down on a bench and gave my
mind to it: but could not hit on les
son. At last told her that 1t was
more In her line than in mine. and left
it at that
Three DAYS later came back about
four o'clock after motoring to Wen
blew and back for little polo practise
AS stopped before my house / saw
crowd in the garden near one OF the
gates. and went to see what was the
matter.
The crowd was composed Of nurse
maids and children and in the middle
Of It we're Police-Constable Brookes
and another policeman. pushed
through it and asked Brookes what was
the matter.
There's a baby missin. m'Lord,
said Brookes. Lord Cantelune's is
name"
He went on questioning Gwendolen
TBinns.
She declared again and again that
she had only just turned her back or
the child: and when she looked round
he had gone. One Of the older nurses
volunteered the information that Gwen
dolen had been talking to Frederick
for at least ten minutes; and Gwendo
len said with some heat that she would
not demean herself to answer no such
lies.
There was something Of an alterca
| ton: and / gathered that she had left