Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume], September 26, 1916, Image 2

About Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916

Image provided by: State Historical Society of Iowa

                
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CHAPTER II. (Continued.)
It—it was a good joke while it last
said Carol, with a very faint shad
of & smi'e. "Don't you remember
Prudence gasped? She kept her
liuth open for five minutes!"
"It's still a joke," added Lark gloom
"but it's on us."
f^'They can't put us out of the
lurch!"
"I don't know. You know we Meth
ieta are pretty set! Like as not
By.'H say we'd be a bad influence
long the members."
*Twins!''
tjfhe call, outside their door sounded
|e the trump of doom to the con
lence smitten twins, and they clutch
each other startled, crying out.
ton, sheepishly, they stepped out of
closet to find Fairy regarding them
iszlcally from the *loorway. She re-
Bed a smile with difficulty, as she
jd quietly
£'I was Just talking to Mrs. Mains
BR the phone. She's going £o a
stian Science lecture tonight, and
said she wished I wasn't a mlnis
|r's daughter and she'd ask me to go
jng. I told her I didn't care to, but
Id you twins would enjoy it. Shfe'll
here in the car for you at seven
ty-flre."
|'T won't go,' cried Carol. "I won't
near their old church."
|"You won't go." Fairy was aston
•^Vhy—I told her you would
glad to go."
§''I woh't," repeated Carol, with ner
passion. "I will not. You can't
Mi me."
|liMc shook her head In corrobora
lenial.
Ml, that's queer." Fairy frown-'
»,• then she smiled.
Suddenly, to the tempest tossted
Id troubled twins, the tall splendid
ilry seemed a'haven of refueg. Her
were very kind. Her smile was
recto' And with a cry of relief, and
ie, tmd fear, the twins plunged
her and told their little tale.
'You /punish us this time, Fairy,"
Carol. "We—we don't want
jie rest' of the family to know. We'll
te any kind of punishment, but
Bp it dark won't you? Prudence will
on forget, she's so awfully full of
these days."
'Til talk it over with Prudence,"
id' Fairy. "But—I think we'll have
tell the family."
Lark moved her feet restlessly.
ItXLt you needn't tell Connie," she
Id.' "Having the laugh come back
us is the very meanest kind .of a"
lent."
fPairy looked at them a moment,
idering if, indeed, their punish
it had been sufficient.
"Well, little twins," she said, "I
sesf '1!7 will take charge of this my
»lf Here is your punishment." She
tip again, and looked down at
lem-wtth sparkling eyes as they gaz
at her expectantly.
"We. caught oit'that it was a joke,
fe itnew you were listening in the
ioset. And Prudence and I acted our
parts to give you one good scare.
io*8 the laugh on now? Are we
iuare? Supper's ready." And Fairy
down stairs, laughing, followed by
roe.ntimely abashed and humbled
rins. V,
gi v. CHAPTER III.
A Gift From Heaven.
The first of April in the Mount
parsonage was a time .of trial
land tribulatibn, frequently to the ex
itent of weeping and gnashing of teeth.
/iTh* twins were no respecters of per
•ons, and feeling that the first of
||April rendered all things justifiable
all men, they made life as burden
jionie to-their father as to Connie, and
Fairy and Prudence lived in a state
perpetual anguish until the twins
Vftrgt stage of grown up womanhood,
•JJut on the first of April they swore
rlthey would always be young! The
I tricka were more dignified, more care
*, "fully planned and scientifically exe
Feufced than in the days of their rollick
1 log girlhood—but they were all the
more heart breaking on that account.
'J/ The week before the first was spent
by Connie in.-fe vain effort to ferret
out their pltfns In order that fore
knowledge might suggest a sufficient
safeguard. The tw.fn3, however, were
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•J$|eli asleep at night well satisfied but' ed up money enough to get them our
worn out with the day's activities. The
twins were bordering closely to the
too clever to permit this, and their' looked at Carol fondly. Carol sighed
bloody schemes were wrapped ia toys- at Lark blissfully. Then, with one ac
cord, they lifted the. covers from the
boxes and drew out^th? shimmering
5ri£—but_they
atfd burred the
abored
secrecy
Connie
the job. She painstakingly hid from
sight all her cherished possessions.
The twins were in the barn, presum
ably deep in plots. Aunt Grace was at
the Ladies' Aid. So when Fairy came
in, about four in the afternoon, there
was only Prudence to note the venge
ful glitter in her fine clear eyes. And
Prudence was so intent upon feather
stitching the hems, of pink checked
dish towels, that she did not observe
it.
"Where's papa?'* Fairy asked.
"Upstairs."
"Where are the twins?"
"In the barn, getting readv for THE
DAY."
Fairy smiled delightfully and skip
ped eagerly up the stairs. She was
closeted with her father for some
time and came out of his room at last
with a small coin carefully concealed
in the corner of her handkerchief.
She did not remove her hat, but set
briskly out toward town again.
Prudence, startled out of her feath
er stitching, followed her to the door.
"Why, Fairy," she called. "Are you
going out again?"
Fairy threw out her hands. "So it
seems. An errand for papa." She
lifted her brows and pursed up her
lips, and the wicked joy in her face
pierced the mantle of Prudence's ab
sorption again.
"What's up?" she questioned curi
ously, following her sister down the
steps.
Fairy looked about hurriedly, and
then whispered a few words of ex
planation. Prudence's look changed
to one of unnaturally spiteful glee.
"Good! Fine! Serves 'em right!
You'd better hurry."
"Tell Aunt Grace, will you. But
don't let Connie in until morning.
She'd give it away."
At supper time Fairy returned and
the twins, their eyes bright with the
unholy light of mischief, never looked
at her. They sometimes looked heav
enward with a sublime contentment
that drove Connie nearly frantic. Oc
casionally they uttered cryptic words
about the morrow—and the older
members of the family smiled pleas
antly, but Connie shuddered. She re
membered so many April Fool's days.
The family usually clung together
on occasions of this kind, feeling
there was safety and sympathy in
numbers—as so many cowards £ave
felt for lo, these many years'. And
thus it happened that they were all in
the dining room when their father ap
peared at the door. He had his hands
behind him suggestively.
"Twins," he said, without pre
amble, "what do you want more than
anything else?"
"Silk stockings," was the prompt
and unanimous answer.
He laughed. "Good guess, wasn't
it?" And tossed into their eager hands
two slender boxes, nicely wrapped.
The others gathered about them with
smiling eyes as the twins tremulously
tore off the wrappings.
"A. Phoole's Pure Silk Thread Hose
—Guaranteed!" This they read from
the box—neat golden lettering. It
was enough for the twins. With cries
of perfect bliss they flung themselves
upon their father, kissing him raptur
ously wherever their lips might touch.
"Oh, papa!" "Oh, you darling!" And
then, when they had some sort of con
trol of their joy, Lark said solemnly,
"Papa, it is a gift from heaven!"
Fairy choked suddenly and her fit
of coughing interfered with the twins'
gratitude to an all-suggesting Provi
dence!
Carol twisted her box nervously.
"You know, papa, it may seem very
childish, and—silly to you, but—actu
ally—we have—well, prayed for silk
stockings. We didn't honestly expect
to get them, though—not until we sav-
selves. Heaven is kinder to us than
we—"
"You can't understand such things,
papa," said Lark. "Maybe you don't
know exactly how—how they feel.
When we go to Betty Hill's we wear
her silk stockings and lie on the bed—
and—she won't let us walk itt»-them,
for fear we may wear holes. Every
girl in our class has at lea$t one pair—
Betty has three, but one pair's holey,
and—we felt so awfully poor!"
The smiles on the family faces were
rather stereotyped by this time, but
the exulting twins did not notice. Lark
!i
?EY DINK WHAT CAN YOU DO WHEN A BEAR WANTS TO BE FRIENDS
Tew Miuv)T€S
V'-ART "TVtCil
1M
Nov
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•f
shook them out for inspection! Their
faces paled a little.
"They—they are very—" began
courageously. Then she stopped.
The hose were a fine tissue paper
imitation of silk stockings! The
"April fool, little twins," on the toes
was not necessary for their enlighten
ment. They looked at their father
with sad but unresentful reproach in
their swiftly shadowed eyes.
"It—it's a good joke,' stammered
Carol, moistening her dry lips with
her tongue.
"It's—one on us," blurted Lark
promptly.
"Ha, ha, ha," laughed Carol, slowly,
dryly, very dully.
"Yes—ha, ha. ha," echoed Lark,
placing the bitter fruit carefully back
in its box. Her fingers actually trem
bled.
"It's a—swell joke, all right," Carol
said, "we see that well enough—we're
not stupid, you know. But we did
want somevsilk stockings so—awfully
bad. But it's funny, ha, ha, ha!"
"A gift from heaven!" muttered
Lark, with clenched teeth. "Well, you
got us that time."
"Come on, Lark, we must put them
sacredly away— Silk stockings, you
know, are mighty scarce in a parson
age—'
"Yes, ha, ha, ha," and the crushed
and broken twins left the room, with
dignity in spite of the blow.
The family did not enjoy the Joke
on the twins.
Mr. Starr looked at the others with
all a man's confused incomprehension
of a woman's notions! He spread out
his hands—an
gesture!
"Now, will some one kindly tell me
what there is in silk stockings, to—"
He shook his head helplessly. "Silk
stockings! A girt from heaven!" He
smiled, unmerrily. "The poor little
kids!" Then he left the room.
orthodox^ ministerial
Aunt Grace openly wiped her eyes,
smiling at herself as she did so.
Fairy opened and closed her lips
several times. Then she spoke. "Say,
Prue, knock me down and sit on me,
will you? Whatever made me think of
such a stupid trick as that?"
"Why, bless their little hearts,"
whispered Prudence, sniffing. "Didn't
they look sorry? But they were so de
termined to be game."
"Prudence, give me my eight cents,"
demanded Connie. "I want it right
away."
"What do you want it for?"
'Tm going down to Morrow's and
get- -some candy. I never saw a mean
er trick in my life! I'm surprised at
papa. The twins only play jokes -for
fun.' And Connie stalked grimly out
of the parsonage and off toward town.
A more abashed and downcast pair
of twins probably never lived. They
sat thoughtfully in their room, "A
Phoole's Silk Thread Hose" carefully
hidden from their hurt eyes.
"It was a good joks,' Lark said, now
and then.
"Yes, very," assented Carol. "But
silk stockings, Larkie!"
And Lark squirmed wretchedly. "A
gift from heaven," she mourned.
"How they must be laughing!
But they did not laugh.
Connie came back and shared her
candy. They thanked her courteously
and invited her to sit down. Then
they all ate candy and grieved togeth
er silently. They did not speak of the
morning's disaster, but the twins un
derstood and appreciated the tender
sympathy of her attitude, and although
they said nothing, thev looked at her
very kindly and Connie was well con
tent.
The morning passed drearily. The
twins had lost all relish for their well
planned tricks and the otherB, down
stairs, found the usually wild and
hilarious day almost unbearably poky.
Prudence's voice was gentle as she
called them down to dinner, and the
twins, determined not to show the
white feather, went down at once and
took their places. They bore their
trouble bravely, but their eyes had the
surprised and stricken look, and their
faces were nearly old. Mr. Starr cut
the blessing short and the dinner was
eaten in silence. The twins tried to
start the conversation. They talked
of the weather with passionate devo
tion. They discussed their studies
with an almost unbelievable enthusi
asm. They even referred, with stiff
smiles, to "papa's good joke," and then
laughed their dreary "ha, ha, ha," un
til their father wanted to fall upon his
knees and beg forgiveness.
Connie, still solicitous, helped them
wash the dishes. The others disap
peared. Fairy got hep hat and went
out without a word." Their father fol
lowed scarcely a block behind her.
Aunt Grace sought all over the house
for Prudence, and finally found her in
the attic, comforting herself with a
view of the lovely linens which filled
her hope box.
"I'm /going for a walk," announced
Aunt Grace briefly.
"All right," assented Prudence. "If
I'm not here when you get back, don't
»a «sh ^, ^„:, $»
,•
4-'v.!~J^Y
E O I W A O I E S A A I N E A N O E A E
DEAtt
UNCLE WIGGILY AND THE
MONKEY.
Let me see, we left those two. bad
dogs pouring water down the hole, to
get Uncle Wiggily out, didn'tv we?
And the old gentleman rabbit fooled
them, didn't he? He got out of an
other hole that he dug around by the
.back door, you remember.
Well, I just wish you could have
seen those two dogs, after they had
poured pail after pail of water down
the hole and no rabbit came floating
up.
"This hofe must go all the way down
to China!" said Bowser, breathing
very fast.
"Yes, I'm tired of carrying water,"
said Biter. And just then another
dog cried out:
"Why, foolish dogs, the water's all
running out the back way!" And,
surely enough, it was. TMen they
knew Uncle Wiggily had escaped, and
they were as angry as anything, but It
served them right, I think.
"My! I wonder what will happen
ne^t?" thought the old gentleman rab
bit, as he hopped along. "That was
a narrow escape."
So, having nothing else to do, Uncle
Wiggily sat down on a nice, smooth
stump, and he ate some lunch out of
his valise. And a red ant came up
and ver politely asked if she might
not pick up the crumbs which the old
rabbit dropped.
"Of course you may," said Uncle
Wiggily kindly. "And I'll give you a
whole slice of bread and butter, also."'
"Oh ,you are too generous," spoke
the red ant, "I never could carry a
slice of bread and butter. But if you
will leave it on the stump I'll get some
of my friends and we'll bite off little
crumbs, a few at a time, and in that
way carry it to our houses."
So that's what Uncle Wiggily did,
and the ants had a fine feast and they
were very thankful. Uncle Wiggily
asked them if they knew where he
could find his fortune.
"Why don't you go to work, instead
of traveling around so much?" asked
the biggest Ted ant. '/The best for
tune is the one you work for."
"Is it? I never thought of that,"
said Uncle Wiggily. "I will look for
work at once. I wonder if you ants
have any for me."
"We'd like to help you," they said,
"but you see you are so large that
you couldn't get-into our houses to do
any work. You had much better travel
along and work for some one larger
than we are."
"I will," decided the old gentleman
rabbit. "I'll ask every one I meet if
the ywant me to work for them.
So he started off once more, and
the first place he came to was a house
where a mouse lady lived.
"Have you any work I can do?" ask
ed Uncle Wiggily politely.
"What work can you do 'asked the
mouse lady.
"Well, I can peel carrots or turnips
with my teeth," said Uncle Wiggily.
"aod I can look after children, and tell
them stories and I can do some funny
tricks—"
"Then you had better go join a cir
cus, interrupted 'the mouse lady. "1
have no children, and I can peel my
own carrots, thank you. As for turnips
I never eat them.
"Then I must go on a little further,
said Uncle Wiggily, as he picked up
his valise, and walked off on his
crutch. So he went on, until he came
to another house in the woods, and
he knocked on the door.
"Have you any work I can do?" in
quired Uncle Wiggily politely.
"No! Get. away and don't bother
me!" growled a most unpleasant voice
and the rabbit was just going down the
steps, when the door opened a crack
and a long sharp nose and a mouth
full of sharp teeth and some long legs
worry. I'm going for a walk myself."
Their work done irreproachably, the
twins and Connie went to the haymow
and lay down on the hay, still silent.
The twins, buoyant though they were,
could npt so quickly recover from a
shock like this. So intent were they
upon the shadows among the cobwebs
that they heard no sound from below
until their father's head appeared at
the top of the ladder.
"Come up," they invited hospitably
but seriously.
He did so at once, and stood before
them, his face rather flushed, his man
ner a little constrained, but looking
rather satisfied with himself on the
whole.
"Twins," he said. "I didn't know you
were so crazy about silk stockings.
We just thought it would be a good
joke—but it was a little too good. It
was a boomerang. I don't know when
I've felt so contemptible. So I went
down and got you some real silk stock
ings—a dollarand^Ji|I^a pair—and
I'm gffad to dflflMHi^Hence so eas
ily."
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were
with sharp claws on them,
stuck out.
"Oh, hold on!' cried the voice. "I
guess I can find some work for you af
ter all. You can get up a dinner for
me!" and then the savage creature,
who had opened the door, made a
grab for the rabbit and 'nearly caught
him. Only Uncle Wiggily jumped
away, Just in time,- and the wolf, for
he it was who had called out, caught
his own tail in the crack of the door
and howled most frightfully.
"Come back! Come back!" cried the
wolf, but, of course, Uncle Wiggily
wouldn't dotsuch a foolish thing as
that, and the wolf couldn't chase after
him for his tail was fast in the door
hinge.
"My. I must be more careful after
this how I knock at doors, and ask for
work," the old gentleman rabbit
thought. "I was nearly caught that
time. I'll try again and I may have
better luck."
So he walked along through the
woods and pretty soon he heard a
voice singing, and this is the song, as
nearly as I can remember it':
Here I sit and wonder
What I'm going to do.
I've no one to help me,
I think it's sad don't you?
I have to play the fiddle,
But still I'd give a cent
To any one who'd keep the boys
From crawling in the tent.
"Well, I wonder who that can be?"
thought Uncle Wiggily. "He'll give a
cent, eh? to any one who keeps the
boys from crawling in the tent. Now,
if that isn't a bear or a fox or a wolf
maybe I can work for him, ^and earn
that money. I'll try."
So he peeped out of the bushes, and
th?re he saw a niee monkey, all dress
ed up in a clown's suit, spotted red,
white and blue. Apd the monkey was
playing a tune on a fiddle. Then, all
of a sudden, he laid aside the fiddle,
and began to beat the bass drum.
Then he blew on a horn, next he jump
ed up and down, and turned a somer
sault, and then, finally, he grabbed ub
a whip with a whistle in the tail—I
mean the end—and that monkey began
to pretend he was chasing make be
lieve boys from around a real tent that
was in a little place under the trees.
"Oh, I guess that monkey won't hurt
me," said Uncle Wiggily as he stepped
boldly out, and as soon as the mon
key saw the rabbjt, he called most po
litely:
"Well, what do you want?"
"I want to earn a cent, by chasing
boys from out the tent," replied Uncle
Wiggily.
'Good!" cried the monkey. "So you
heard me sing? I'm tired of being the
whole show. I need some one to help
me. Come over here and I'll explain
all about it. If you like it, you can go
to work for me, and if you do, your
fortune is as good as made."
"That's fine'," cried Uncle Wiggily.
"And I can do tricks in the«show, too."
"Fine!" exclaimed the monkey,
hanging by his tail from a green apple
tree. "Now, I'll explain."
But, Just as he was going to do sof
out Jumped a big black bear from the
bushes, making a grab for Uncle Wig
gily. He might have caught him, too,
only the monkey picked up a cocoanut
pie off the ground and hit the bear so
hard on the head that the savage crea
ture was frightened and ran away,
sneezing, leavinj? the monkey and the
rabbit alone by the show tent.
"Now, we'll get ready to have some
fun," said the monkey, and what he
and Uncle Wiggily did I'll tell y6u in
the following story which will be*
about the old gentleman rabbit and
the boys—that is, if the molasses jug
doesn't tip over on my plate, and spoil
my bread a^d butter peanut sandwich.
The twins blushed. "It—it was a
good joke, papa," Carol assured him
shyly. "It was a dandy. But—all the
girls at school have silk stockings for
best, and—we've been wanting them
—forever. And—honestly, father, I
don't know when I've had such a—
spell of indigestion as when I saw
those stockings were April fjool."
"Indigestion,' scoffed, Connie, re
stored to normal by her father's hand
some amends.
"Yes, indigestion," declared Lark.
"You krfow, papa, that funny, hollow,
hungry feeling—when you get a shock.
That's nervous indigestion—we read it
in a medicine ad. They've got pilld
for it. But it was a good joke. We
saw that right at the start."
"And we didn't expect anything like
this. It—is very generous of you,
papa. Very!"
But he noticed that they made no
move to unwrap the box. It still lay
between them on the hay, where he
had tossed it. Evidently their confi
dence in him had bejen severely shat
tered. j".
(To be continued.) rVr .v.
n-g/-.^ ^^S^CV,\* 5 '. v.V» X"
auTV
EDNA a
KENT
FORBES
I KNOW or if ait who weighs two
hundred and up, who became
alarmed at his increasing girth, and
joined a Y. M. C. A. to reduce. He
went through exercises and baths
with the methodical precision of a
machine and the stolidity of a mule.
In a year he had taken off only
fifteen pounds, and he declared ex-t
ercise was "all bunk."
Whereas, all the poor man needed
was to waken up and exercise his
mind and awaken his spirits! Loss
of dignity and loss of flesh frequent
ly go together. He exercised, but
without any VIXQ, and he went right
on eating and living as he always
had—no wonder his daily reduction
tasks did so'little good.
It is logical that, if you burn up
more flesh than you acquire, you
lose weight. Therefore, you must
cat less, and you must work more.
Recently I gave a reduction diet, fol
low this—but it's simple enough—
reduce the fats absorbed, increase
the acids. And exercise!
The fat woman lies down f6r a
moment as soon as she eats. And
thereby she lays on enough flesh to
offset an hour's work later. Usually
she takes an afternoon nap—only
thm, nervous or anemic women
should do that.
I know of three excellent ways to
reduce flesh—one is to swim, another
is to walk and the third is to gar
den. The variety of motions needed
to run a successful flower and vege
table garden will pull flesh from
.waist, back and hips.
The remedy for fleshiness is sim
ple—burn up by exercisfs more fatty
particles than you eat in your food—
and you must lose weight. It takes
time, but a quick redaction will leave
the skin flabby over a shrunken
body a gradual reduction is better.
4
Questions and Answers
What could you suggett to overcome an
oily scalp Two or three inches front
the acalp my hair very oily and there
is dandruff, too. It used to be fluffy, but
now peta oily a week after it is washed.
—Montana Oirl.
Reply—Wash once a week with a pure
borax^-Eoap, and dry in the open air if
The Curse Of Fat
BY C. A. VOIGHT
possible. Let your fcalr hang and ahr
much as you can. Get a food tonic, MM
recommended to cure dandruff pay about
a dollar a bottle for it—the boat will cost
j. -M
'You need not be fat unlets you allow
yourself to grow so
that much. It takes a Ion time to cur*
dandruff, but perfect cleanliness will do
it eventually.
leant to thank you for the answers to
couple of my recent letters, and to write
just a note of appreciation for once tcWt
out begging more of your help. I entow
your Chats so much. They are fvli af
common sense, and they are not OI«MW
advisinp impassible stunts or expemhtt
preparations.—Mrs. William T. B.
Reply—Thank yon very much for ytm
letter. I like to receive such as these uf
to know I have been helpful.
Copyright by George Matthew Adams
Courier's Drawing Puzzle
50 'Si
What de£s Johnny wish for?
COMPLETE THE PICTURE BY DRAWING A LWK THROUGH THK
BEGIN AT NO. 1 AND TAKE THJbM NUMERICALLY.
RE A DTH
EGG RIERFO RN E WS
I
li
fe
va