Savannah courier. (Savannah, Tenn.) 1885-1979, 1901-05-17

"And so am L." beaming upon her
with genial glance, his reserve melt
ing like magic. 81 felt attracted to you
from the first, and your voice charmed
me-"
They talked eagerly, Judith delight
ed that the ice had Mt last been broken.
The old mans face appeared ami
mated, the glow OF his eyes giving 4
certain youthful expression to his f, a
lures.
"How long have you been here?" he
inquired, at length.
"Two years."
"And have been here for more than
90" He sighed audibly, and for n
moment his face gloomed over. "Yes,"
he repeated, half to himself, more
than 20 years"
| Judith listened amazed. Twenty
years meant nearly all her life, and
to think he had spent that length of
time in New York and still remained so
distinctly provincial.
$50 long? You must love New
York;"
"Love it? Iloathe it," he exclaimed,
with sudden, passionate energy. 1T
is so big, so noisy and dirty, and so
unfriendly."
"But fascinating and full of all ac-
tivities, intellectual and otherwise"
at may be for the young, but give
me New Orleans. Think of the repose,
it's beauty, its old houses, it's fine
gardens, with their roses, magnolias
and oleanders, the very air breathing
| fragrance and romance"
His eyes kindled again with an
evanescent glow, his voice dropped to
a low, dreamy tone.
"But it is here one finds the market
for romance" Judith argued, practi-
cally.
81 found none for mine," he replied,
Struggling his shoulders.
The acquaintance between them pro-
crossed rapidly, although for weeks
they met only at the dinner table. He
always went away the moment the
meal was concluded, vanishing mys-
|
Judith. He lived somewhere down be-
low Washington square, she knew, for
she watched him from her window one
night.
When he discovered that she was
alone in the world he seemed to con-
stitute himself her protector and adj
wiser.
81 have. no family either he ex-
planned IRA
"Then you are not related to the
Valleaus, of Union Parish?"
His fork dropped with clatter;
over his face flashed an indescribable
look.
| "I-oh, no; never heard of them"
81 don't think they really belonged
to Union Parish, but moved up there
from the city"
"Valleau is common name, very
common name, you know"
"This was only widow and her son.
They owned plantation"
He raised a glass of ice water to his
pale, shaking lips. N
Mr.. Valleau gave his confidence up
to certain point, but beyond that his
reserve could not be broken. 1t
seemed that before the war he had
led an ideal sort of life, spending his
mers on a plantation. He possessed
no training whatever for business, and
when the necessity for bread winning
came he didn't know what to do.
Then it occurred to him to go to
New York and find a publisher for n
book of poems, the work of many a
meditative leisure hour. They would
; retrieve his fortune. But they didn't!
"Oh, if l might only see them," said
Judith.
He smiled grimly.
II burned them years ago. And de-
servedly. They fooled me utterly.
thought them carnations of genius
but in my hour of need all their wit
) and beauty vanished"
> The friendship between them deep
ened as the days went by. Enough OF
> the freshness of youth still fingered in
his nature to make him sympathize
with her pleasures, her hopes and plans
for future work. And a fine, quaint
humor penetrated much that he SAID
to her.
How fearless and Independent you
are" he said once when she casually
: mentioned crossing Brooklyn bridge
alone one evening.
D II quail little sometimes, but there
is really no danger. Hundreds of other
: women do the same thing every day.
"But it isn't right, it isn't right
Home is the place for woman. So
; ciety is going all wrong, all wrong
these days"
They went out good deal together
! to theaters, concerts and art exhibi
tions; and it was delightful to compar,
9 notes and find that their tastes IL
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