Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1916-1918, 1917-09-04
CHAPTER XIv.-(Continued).


your dinner" he announced, ''wil
cost you one and penny. I have
reckoned it all out. III let you pay
(. that hut I'm going to stand a bottle
Z Of wine
She shook her head at him.
: "You are the most improvident per
son." she declared. What DO we
: want wine for?
a Nevertheless, he had his way.
I They slipped the Medoc, bottle OF
which cost eighteen pence, almost re
verently.
Mind, consider it wickedly ex
travagant,'' she protested.
Caught by wave of remlniscence
he laughed and closed his eyes. She
J looked at him disapprovingly.
!. 81 mean It," she insisted. NOV
' tell me, please, where you are en-
:" ployed and what you are earnlng?'
Il am supposed to be getting thirty
. shillings a week at the Sun Motor
company" he informed her; "but a
). beast of a foreman there is deducting
il: Ave shillings week for the first
: month. because he got me the job
2 Fellow who gets four pounds ten a
week himself, too
"Pig!"
!. However" he continued, its
something to have job at all, and a
roof over ones head"
~ wonder how 1t is that life is so
/. dihlcult- for some Of U.S." she sighed.
Sometimes 1t seems absolutely terri
flying. There Is so little between ones
: daily wage and utter restitution. Do
: you know, had seven shillings in the
s world when found this place"
But tell me why you left Mr.. Mas
ters!"
HE had made up his mind to marry
me-" she answered, and IL couldn't"
WHY" he asked hoarsely.
= She turned her head and their eyes
met. A moment afterward, under the
coarse tablecloth, their hands met, too.
The little eating-house seemed sud
denly transformed. All the warmth
. and splendor Of life were there.
It was, as matter of fact, very
Bohemian little spot, indeed. A man
who had finished his dinner at An ad-
joining table, had taken a mandolin
from its case and, leaning back, was
making tinkling music. The people
w whom they we're surrounded were
yearly all snatching few moments
only from their work-musiciaps,
many Of them, on their way to take
their place in various orchestras; at
tendants at theaters; one OF Bliss
own fellow-chauffeurs
There was none Of the abandon OF
the diner-out The day was still
strenuous with these people. Yet Bliss
and Frances with their hands linked
hidden under the table-cloth, looked
out upon the room contentedly.
$50 you are chauffeur now" she
exclaimed, suddenly leaning forward
rs the waiter brought their course
( I'm afraid you are very rolling
stone-a commercial traveller, light
porter to that shocking old gentleman,
Mr. Cockerill-what else have you
been, wonder?"
"Greengrocer's assistant" he an.
swered promptly. Jolly well was
doing at it, too If only the man whose
place was taking hadn't turned up
unexpectedly"
She sighed.
IN seems to me that you are very
impractical person!"
Cup to now" he admitted, per
haps that's true. From this moment,
however, I'm going to turn over new
leaf"
"A young man Of your education"
she said severely, Should be doing
something better than occupying the
position Of chauffeur at thirty shil-
linEs q week"
with tips" he reminded her hope.
fully. eve made six shillings in tips
already this week."
II don't consider she declared
that tips are dignifed."
He was crestfallen for moment.
quite a recognized thing in our
profession" he assured her. Kind
Of thank offering from my passengers,
think, for having reached the end Of
their journey safely
She laughed softly without any
spoken word between them, they
seemed to have drlfted into closer
intimacy and understanding.
II want YOU" she said presently
10 tell me truthfully why. after you
AAd done that splendid stroke Of bust
ness for Mr.. Masters, you refused to
stay on with him. You could have had
any post you liked, and-and,' she
200oO OlbCOUSOldIcly. SNSiytAAh6
would have been so different"
He leaned little closer toward her.
II will tell you the truth. l Dor
rowed the money to carry out that
coup from the greatest enemy l have
In life, and his one improviso was that
1 should not benefit from 1t in any
shape myself"
"You borrowed it from your great
est enemy?'' she repeated. why on
earth did he lend 1t to you?"
HE was under certain obligations
to me-" Bliss declared" which he
could not evade. I can assure you
that the Ave hundred pounds was no
more to him than snap Of the fing
ers. He could have given it to the
waiter and never missed it,"
Sometimes" she said. looking
seteadfastly into his eyes. 81 think you
are little mad
Generally" he replied, 81 am sure
Of it. Tonight for instance. here in
this wretched little eating house. with
a few shillings in my pocket. nothing
In "A ho c,if nPI