Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1916-1918, 1918-03-26
Euening Story
HOW JOSEPH MET FLORENCE
BY j. H. LIE Roy

| BY ]. H. LIE Roy
Copyright, 1917, by the Mcclure
Newspaper Syndicate.)
! Joseph was a very conscientious
young man. AS a boy he had beer
known at baseball to dispute the de.
cislon of an umpire in his favor. Ever
the ordinary social lines were repel.
, liant to him. He never travelled in
class superior to that for which he had
taken his ticket. He never did anything
| which was not extremely careful and
ccnspicuously honest.
| With such character there was only
enc thing that the young man could
ultimately become.
Shortly after he became reviewer
OF fiction for the Sun 1t happened that
he met Florence. Florence was a jolly
southern girl, and had at comparatively
early age been left an orphan. AS her
education was defective and as she did
| not like children, there was only one
thing that Florence could become.
It was shortly after Florence had
become a governess that she and Jo-
seph met Her face was wholesome and
practically rather than beautiful. For
some weeks he never told her his love.
Then one afternoon he took her to hear
an oratorio. It may have been the effect
OF the music or Of the tea and toast at
the Eastman cafe afterwards. or Of the
long ride to Baltimore over the Wash-
Idngton Pike.
The fact remains that when they
climbed into the touring car he called
her Miss Bordeaux. and when they
parted at the end Of the journey he
called her Florence. He treasured the
oratorio programme and met her fire.
quently. One night there was an air OF
mystery about her.
Shortly" she said, you will see me
in new light, Joseph"
IT would not have you different"
said Joseph. This was quite tho right
thing to say, and he had seen 1t in q
book.
East side Of Mount Vernon bridge,
about s tomorrow" said Florence.
fright" said Joseph. He would then
have kissed her. hut refrained from the
publicity which would have attended
the act.
The next morning there was brought
to his room large parcel Of novels
from the Sun. He goaned. because they
meant work, and even the reading OF
novels is not pleasant IL you are paid
for it. He would have groaned still
more IL the books had not come. be-
cause that would have meant no work,
and want Of work would have made
SUNDAY romantic possibilities more re-
mote As(it was, they had arranged to
he married next year in the sweet
springtime. Quite quietly. Bride In
brown cloth. Honeymoon Of seven days
at Annapolis.
He tore his mind away from romance
in real life and settled down to ro-
nance as It Is written. and the very
first volume that he picked up was en-
titled "My Love OF Bygone Days" by
Finrencs Rordeanx This. then. was the
new lirht in which Florence was to
aprear She had written a novel and he
was to review it.
aa q. 49, .1z,.or ~ +ba svr
would stand an entire column about an
unknown genius. Joseph almost regret
led that he had discovered three un-
known geniuses the week before; 1t
was likely to spoil the market.
He noticed the name Of the publish
ers with regret. Florence would have
done better to have consulted him.
Then he read the book. and buried his
face in his hands, for that novel by
Florence Bordeaux was about the most
putrid thing In fiction that had polluted
MS CndIHDeTS ZOE lno last 0l6AtcCH
months. 1t was wrong everywhere; 1t
was wrong all through. There Is no
worse thing on earth than a bad his
torical novel. and this was very bad
historical novel.
Here then, was conflict between love
and duty. Duty was scratched and
love walked in. BY the evening he had
written column hailing Florence Bor-
deaux as the greatest genius that the
century had yet seen. But his heart
was broken. For once he had not been
conscientious. He could not live with
that stain upon ms soul. SO ne oeter-
mined TO meet Florence on mount YER
non bridge, take one long, ast rare
well. then SEND on the review ana tnen
leave .oWn ana . ms . g.omrhs reputation
as Aterary cii'i' ioe
Florence was little late Tor her APP
pointment and looked very pleased
with herself.
well" he said, why did you not
confide it me? Why did you not tell me
YOU had written book! Possibly my