Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1916-1918, 1917-03-27

| MIC. ddNc YOU n lIlSul. Su6 odlt
looking more puzzled.
yes: when you played the ghost the
night l slept at Number 81 said.
She happened to be sitting on my
knee. She jumped up and stared al
me, blinking, as if she couldn't believe
her ears.
"You-you-was it you?" she STAN
mered; and there was a fine flush or
her face; and her eyes began tc
sparkle.
ut was indeed" said.
"You-you-were that-that horrid
cad?" she cried.
ooh, come" I said, rather taken
aback What did you expect me to
do? I catch pretty girl playing a
trick like that on me to get her uncle
out of paying his rent. and of course
kiss her "a la guerre CONNIE la
guerre. I couldn't beat you for the
horrid fright, you'd given me, could ~
My uncles rent? What do you
mean" she cried.
My heart jumped joyfully. I had
been right; she had not known her
uncle's lite game. / had always been
sure of it really.
| why, didn't you know? Your uncle
was trying to get his house rent free
on the ground that Number 9 was
haunted" l blurted out like born
idiot.
She stood quite still, staring at me,
and wringing her hands: $50 that was
his joke" she said. And and what
you must have been thinking of me all
this time. Oh"
! 81 thought that your uncle had told
you that it was just a Joke he was play
F., ing on a friend" said quickly.
you did not" she cried.
/ 81 did," cried I
You did not. You thought oh,
you thought that ! was party to the
trick"
! 81 did not never knew you could
not be-" / said stoutly.
! you did-you did Oh. understand
now-the things that puzzled me-the
! way you've looked at me sometimes.
And that kiss-oh, how I've hated you
! for that kiss"
ut couldn't have been me you hated
for it. because You didn't know it was
me- Besides the ether kisses have wip-
ed it away I SAID.
She rubbed her lips: and her eyes
blazed at me-
"Ill never never speak to you
again." she cried. Not for the kiss so
much, but for thinking that of me. It
vast was shameful. And oh i did
think so much Of you" Her voice
broke little.
But tell you. didn't think it,"
cried.
You did. know you did" she said.
And she turned and went quickly out
OF the lawn, not straight but wavering.
as if she did not quite see where she
was going.
sat still; and if looked as big
fool as l felt, l must have looked a
congenital IDIOT did not follow her.
At the moment did not quite see
what to do. thought had better give
her time to get over it a little. It was
mess: it was not only that she be-
lieved me to have been thinking badly
Of her, l was also the person she hac
been detestirg for that kiss. l thought
that she would get over the kiss pretty
soon; for as told her, there were
those other kisses. But she would be
some time getting over my having be-
lieved that she had been a party to
her uncle's little game. l was sure
that that would hurt her horribly. |
wondered how l could ever have been
such fool as to think it. Then told
myself, with details, what | thought OF
myself for letting her learn that had
thought it.
1t eased my mind little, and set
tied down again to decide what I
should do. first made up my mind to
give her week to get over it some
what Then considered how horribly
hurt she would be feeling all that time.
and how wretched 1t would make her.
could not stand it, It must be stop
ped at once, somehow. But l could not
think how 1t was beyond my brains
to find way AT last had an idea:
there was Just chance that she might
be bullied out of her wretchedness at
once. while she was still upset.
1t was worth trying: in fact it was
the only thing to try if I would not
wait. | walked quickly to Number 9,
and on the way it occurred to me that
her uncle had got us into the mess.
and the least he could do was to help
Us out Of it. He might have great
deal of influence with her: she might
be so much better that she should have
one unpleasant quarter of an hour than
that she should be miserable for a
week. Besides. | should probably find
it very difficult, if not quite impossible
to get an interview with her on my
own account; he might at least try to
work that for me
made up my mind to try it, and
rang the hell The butler said that Mr..
Scru.on was at home, left me in the
drawing room for couple of minutes
and then took me to the smoking room.
Scruton was sitting in big arm chair
smoking cigar, with novel on his
knee. When came into the room he
jumped up to greet me with such
bright face that | fancied that novel
reading was not one of his strong
points.
We greeted each other: he gave me
a cigarette: and we sat down facing
each other
I've come TO see you on an impor-
tant matter" | said. II want to marry
your niece"
Scruton rose, came slowly to me with