Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-05-08
THE HOUSE OF THE
BLACK RING.
BY FRED LEWIS PATTEE
tcopyhght by Holt %

| mat s It," echoed Jim Mother Harris
WICK spoke OF 1t only this morning"
| hut a. pe siad TO come. she began feelingly.
III, a.. that moment the voice of Amos
haroing rang suddenly In from the scrub
"Heigh folks. look O. here, u.re.s u,ha-.
| YOU get your genuine happiness, Heiab
| an come out and see the hapnv counJa
1--eht EN- right out on their honeymoon.n
| late widow Kuhn N ''"
come right in and the folks Don't
De oashfui, Here, people. salute the happy
coupe e, salute the blushing bride"
| haint goin' in there still At the
sage OF the black ring Ulie had halted sud-
| Neniy' we've gone fer enough Amos"
| oii, come on with yeh. There ain't no
S beaxaS IN there now; I've pow-wowed and
| hacked EN- myself. Come on" He pulled
mem with a great show OF force into the
| I Ia Say, good-lookin couple amt III
a a,ohese now did you ever see handsomer
ohe! He stood of critically. his head on
one side And it's all account of me
IeIi YOU folks. this is my masterpiece Ms
me for ~ " '''"A"
oh, pshawr' The bride snapned ON. tbs
words with killing sarcasm.
| wal, now you look o here" continued
[,,ths soiemnly. do you remember how
when he was right at the height OF his
| crazihess / took him and give him a little
AN, Sai ohe, seq L, fatherly like, you're
| blinder II a bat. Here Won be ar,nnInb
| lsiet ana yon, like hen with her head
on. after this silly young thing and that
oiiy youhg thlng, and you've looked plum
oner me oest-iookin' and pertest young
woman IN these here valleys seq I
ishly III 'e0 '''e ofiue girl
O. Honest now You jest ask Uue here.
ulie seq /. You play your trump cards
on the wilder Kuhn seq l. You don't
| stand much show: she's smarter n white
hsnthin and she can hev the pick of the
! IN h.a
| put You try her, seq /. TIN take careful
| courun, seq l. and you may hev to ask
| ne mer dozen times. but you hang right to
| II. You've gut the bare ghost of a shoxv,
seq l. but I'll tell you one thing on the
| square. II my beloved companion shoults
suddenly be called up yonder you wouldn't
hev no more show than snow bird in
tophet, SEE l.
You're soft old squash-head Tharr'
she snapped, simpering the while in spite
Wal now, that ain't no Joke neither.
put then squashes amt the worst things in
| this world. And there's others lest as bad.
say, uLe hoWs your pow-wowin? Faith
good? III tell yeh one thing. Ms DrfbeI5is,
| you re goin to have the benefit of drettui
| soou pow -wowfn' down there. Dretf-J
good. Amt that right, UHe?" The man
squirmed uneasily.
| We'll, everything amt settled vet NOT
| by jugful Already. he snapped He was
nervous In his strange environment He
mad been looking about him with curious
80, anu ut tunes ne stole cautious
| giances at Iona.
| Wal what hain't for instance7"
| II ne g Al Heller. then want he bond
ana raised in this here old house wunst?"
Then didn't he know about the cave
| a'ready?" ' ''o
| How about that Loney?
| Inc girl on the sofa sat suddenly erect
| her pallid face amid the intense hair MAX
| Ing her look like some unreal creature In
.he grim old room Ulie made move-
ment as If to escape.
| Here. hold right onl" Amos caupbe
MIN by the coat and pulled him back S"I
want you to hear Loney pow-wow lest a
little mite. All right; let her go. Lonev"
mere nothing strange about this
house" She faced them as If explaining
the matter not alone to Ulie, but to ali.
Matthew Heller was the first white man
VINO ever came into this valley. 1t be-
ionged to him. He came in the winter
through the Gap. There was a strange
pare en spot In IN the snow and he camped on
When he dug his cellar. he found the cave
ana when he had trouble with Mr. Harts-
WICK ne hxed up the two ends, He walled
are buried there. That's our family Sc
Hear that, UIie?"
Every one of US has had to swear not
to betray it. The children were never told
until they We're sixteen. unless their par
ents died. That's why Uncle Allen never
knew 1t. He left the valley before he
was sixteen"
Don't that answer ye, Une? BY
mighty where does your pow-wowin and
Wal, that don't explain everything, I'll
tell we that" snapped the man doggedly.
Course it don't Say. we couldn't get
the pow-wowin' out Of your Dutch skull
If We opened IT up and shattered 1t out
with soft soap and water"
Come, wife. We must be gofn' Already"
Ulfe was clearly uneasy. He was watch
ing Iona as II she might at any moment
bring an internal spell upon him. Good
bye, folks. He was backing cautiously
out into the sunlight
What's your rush? Wal, don't know
s blame yeh. Go 1t while you're young.
It's a long time tween honeymoons."
The two disappeared, smpering and gig
Cling, into the scrub-oaks
That's strange story, Iona, fearfully
strange" Rose drew nearer to the girl.
And can you blame us? Every one who
has borne the name of Heller has had to
repeat that curse of the old settler, and
the curse was never to be lifted untn
lawful heir was king of the valley lands'
hush fell over the little group. The
intensity of the girl, and the strangeness
of the place. awed and silenced them. A
cloud covered the sun. bringing into the
room shadow that was almost like per-
sonal presence Even Amos felt It ana
was silent. Rose was the first to speak.
She was crying softly.
And he's had his revenge" she said
brokenly. Hes had his revenge"
Again there was silence ,s 1t, It was s as II
veloping them with smother1ng gar
ment The darkness increased vis1bly.
But the curse is removed now, Iona"
She looked up suddenly with bright eyes.
"It was said that Hartswick could ever
enter this house and live. but shall live.
The curse is gone. Old Matthew Heller at
last has his will-Jim-Oh, JIM" She
groped dfzzily in his direction.
.'What-Rose! Are you HIP He caught
her in his arms
mo. no It's you. Jim; you are the
king now-king of the valley lands-my
king" She spoke the words almost in
whisper
There was silence for ten heart beats
silence so intense that no one breathed.
Then Jim spoke like judge in the DEATH
ike stiffness pronounclng doom.
And | shall share It with those of Mat
thew Heller's blood. We're together Rose
at last; the two houses are together now,
Wen keep the valley lands, you and T.
but we'H give the store to Tom won't We
Rose? It's yours, Toul-and Lona's, IL she
will"
Toni
.And you'll share IL with me?"
IF / may" she whispered.
"If you mayi My God II you mayr'
''Iook-look." Iona was sitting bolt up.
right an expression of wonder in her
eyes.