Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1916-1918, 1917-12-21
oTTUMWA COURIER DECEMBER 81 1917
II don't! You've got nobody in the
world. to worry over you, but I've got
"a wife, Anthony

IL don't! You've got nobody in the
world. to worry over you, but I've go'
a wife, Anthony
"You have mentioned it before"
"And I'm likely to mention il
iagain!' said Mr.. Boiler savagely. You
know, Anthony I'm about through
with this thing! I'm a nervous man
and | can stand about so much sui
fering of my own, but don't see the
idea of taking on yours as we'll. And
what is more, this thing of intro
ducinx the girl as my wife is :.
"Well? What is it," Mary herself
asked very crisply, appearing in her
disconcerting and silent fashion.
johnson Boiler smiled feebly.
tits very fiattering in some ways,
Niss-Miss Dalton, but for man like
me, who loves his wife, you know,
and all that sort Of thing"
His voice thinned out and died be-
! fore the decidedly cold light in Mary 8
eye. It seemed to Johnson Boiler that
she had q low opinion Of himself; and
when she loked at Anthony he noted
that she had low opinion of An
fthony a. well.
'Have you settled it yet?' she
snapped.
"The-er-means Of getting you
oat! !.
Enthusiastically not" Anthony said
weArily. Several times. l think,
we've attempted a council of war, and
We may IS we'll Try again. Their viii
be no interruptions this time, think,
and II We all put our minds to it
That was all. As on several other
similar occasions, he halted because
Of sounds from the doorway. 1t
seemed to Anthony, indeed, that he
had heard wilkins muttering at the
telephone q moment ago, too; and
now The faithful one was at the door
and working over the latch.
Mays eyes we're preternatural1y
keen, too; Mary had acquired a way
Of standing erect and posing every
time sounds came from that door.
She did it now remaining on tip toe
until the oldest little giggie brought
Anthony and Johnson Boiler to their
feet also.
THAT'S a woman's voice." Mary
whispered.
And she looked about wildly, and.
since there was no hope of escape un-
seen by the corridor, her eyes fell up
on the open door Of Johnson Boilers
room. Mary, with bound that wouid
have done credit to young deer,
was across the room, and the door
clicked behind her just as Wilkins.
smiling in a 1erurbed and mysthed
way, appeared to announce:
"A lady. sir, who
Then the lady had passed him NOV
ing with speed almost equal to
Mary's own-a lovely lady, indeed,
with great, flashing black eyes and
black hair-a lady all life and spirit,
her face suffused just now with
great Joy. wilkins, perceiving that
neither gentleman protested after gaz-
ing. at her for one second, backed
away TO regions Of his own, and the
speli on johnson Boiler broke and his
soul found vent in one great, glad cry
Of:
'Bee!-
"Pudsy.wudgy!" cried the lady, and
new directly into Johnson 6ollers
arms!
Anthony Fry steadied himself ment-
Ally and physically, and the little
smile that came to his lips was more
than half sneer-because johnson
Boiler and his lovely wife were hug
ginE each other and babbline sense
lessly, and the best that Anthony
could make Of it ut first was some
thing like:
And it was lonely? Oh, Pudgy-
wudgy. was it lonely?''
Whereat johnson Boiler burbled:
Lonely, sugar plum? Lonely sweet
lie? oh. Beetiegirl, il Pudgy-wudgy
could tell you how lonely
Here they kissed again, three times,
four times, five times!
(To be continued)