Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1916-1918, 1917-03-06
ALICE DEVINE
Bv EDGAR JEPSON
Copyright 1916 BY The Bobbs- Merrill Co

he Bohbs- Merrill Co.
tea together and talked about the rae.
ing and the theaters. ! came away
from the meeting very pleased to have
learned the solution of the snake mys-
terry. But | could not expect to let
Number 16 for some time, not while the
murder was fresh in peoples minds.
They would always be expecting that
if they took it. Bicenti's ghost would
walk. However, had the house paint
ed and the windows cleaned, so that it
ceased to be an eyeSore: and that was
very satisfactory.
But things always come in battalions,
as believe Shakespeare pointed out;
and presently had Clipp on my hands.
| do not know whether it is part of the
duty of the ordinary house agent to
look after the responsibility of the
houses he lets; but every one seems to
expect me to look after the respect
ability of the Gardens Indeed, the
way my tenants worry me with fussy
letters generally, makes me inclined to
agree with those Socialist beggars who
say that everybody ought to work.
wish my tenants worked - should
like to give some of them hard labor
and their wives too. Then they would
have something else to do but worry
me.
After the way I had dealt with the
hieroglyphics in his porch, Sir Marina
duke Ponderbury had stopped his ever
lasting letters. I think he had grown
bit timid of me. But with tenants it
seems to me that when one is down,
another comes up. And Sir Nugent
Clipp began to make bigger nuisance
Of himself than old Ponderbury had
ever done. We call him Nugget Clipp,
because he is the meanest man in Lon.
don.
Z Most of my tenants kick at spending
money son their houses, though they
rent them on repairing leases: but 1t
seemed to be Nuggets idea not to
spend single penny on his, but to get
me to do all the spending for him. I
was always getting letters from him
his butler brought them round to save
the postage calling on me to make
repair that was entirely his business.
When l refused, he would write again
and again. repeating the demand. That
stop at letters. When he saw that 1t
was no use writing he would get the
work done and tell the man who did it
to send the bill in to me. Then there
was a correspondence with the trades
man. I said again and again (Jack
Thurman and Miss Wishart must have
grown tired of hearing me say it, that
what Nugget wanted was his neck
wringing. Accounts are nuisance
enough in all conscience without their
being muddled up by tricks like Clipp's
Besides, thanks to his stinginess. his
house was the worst kept and the din
giest in the Gardens. After l had
painted Number 16 I took good care
to point this out to him in letter after
letter, requesting him to- have it paint
ed, or to have the paint washed, or to
have his window boxes trimmed, or his
awnings cleaned e-
One way and another I was not on
good terms with hiH. though carried
on all my correspondence with him
through Garth and Thurman; for, in
spite of this, he never saw me without
trying to get some repair or other out
of me. I have seen his whiskers pos
ltively bristle with eagerness to touch
me for three-an-sixpence. was always
very short and frequently nasty with
him not that that stopped him hav-
ing another try next time he came
across me. 1t was a blessing ! could
spot him long way off. He is a short,
dapper. whiskered little man, with
pale blue eyes, which in some lights
are yellow Hike a cats: and he has
habit Of wearing tweed suits, very bad
lv cut, out of large black and white
check. No one has ever seen him in
anything else; and they have theory
at the Palladium that many years ago
he bought a thousand yards Of that
tweed. cheap, off bankrupt and has
it made up into suits by village tailor
when once year he has braced him.
self up to spending half-a-sovereign on
clothes. I have no doubt that that is
the fact of the matter; and ! am glad
of it; often and often, as l bolted round
a corner or into a cab have ] blessed
his taste for dress, which enabled me
to recognize him SO far off
When ] heard that he was going
abroad for two months 70 escape his
annual attack of hav fever. was pleas.
ed. | was in the Office when Jack told
me; and shouted with 10Y and danced
something like the Highland fling,
must to the surprise Of Miss Wishart,
who, I fancy, still believes that peers
go In for calm repose.
l had the good luck to be present at
Nuggets departure. He stood on the
pavement. having an alteration with
the driver of a four wheeler about the
fare to Liverpool street. 1t had become
an alteration when came up; and
Nugget. who was purple in the face.
appealed to me! He said the fare was
eiphteeopence: the cabman said it was
two shillings.
| said il was half crown.
Nugget nearly burst all over the
pavement He called me an extrava.
giant waster. told the cabman he would
give him two shillings and jumped into
the cab.
put my head in at the window and
said: Another time you ask me to do
you service, Clip, I shall simply re-
fuse"
Nugget stuck his purple face into
mine and howled: Service, Service.