Putnam patriot., 1908-10-30

| n 1 papers. which he
 l delivered to him in silence. This is Lamar postoftce,- anneune- l ed Oscar.
 "There must be some mail here for
 me" said Armitage.
 Oscar handed him several bong en- i velopes-they bore the name of the l Bronx Loan and Trust company. whose l office in New York was his permanent
 address. and he opened and read number of letters and cabiegrams that had been forwarded. Their contents 1 evidently gave him satisfaction. for he l whistled cheerfully as he thrust them l into his pocket
 You keep in touch with the world. 1 do you. Oscar? 1t is commendable." l 'I take a Washington paper. It re | lieves the monotony, and can see 1 where the regiments are moving and l whether my old captain is yet out Of
 the hospital and what happened to my l lieutenant in his court martial about 1 the pay accounts. One must observe 1 the worid-yes At the postoifiee back l there''-he ierked his head to indicate "it is against the law 10 sell whisky in
 a postoffice. so that storekeeper with the red nose and small yellow eyes
 keeps it in brown jug in the hack room.s
 .'To be sure.- laughed Arihitase. .I
 hope it is good article"
 Tt Is vile" replied Oscar. His
 brother makes it up in the hills. and
 it is as strong as wood iye."
 "Moenshine. have heard of it We
 must have some for rainy days"
 It was new world to John ArIni-
 tage. and his heart was as light as the
 morning air as he followed Oscar along the ruddy mountain road. He was in
 Virginia, and somewhere on this soil. perhaps in some valley like the one through which he rode, Shirley Clai-
 borne had gazed upon blue distances
 with ridge rising against ridge. and dark pine covered slopes like these he saw for the first time. He had left his affairs in Washington in a sorry mud dle. but he faced the new day with
 buoyant spirit and did not trouble him self to look very far ahead. He had a definite business before him. His ca
 hlegrams were reassuring on that
 point The fact that he was In sense
 fugitive did not trouble him in the least He had no intention of allowing
 Jules Chauvenet,s assassins to kill him CT of being locked up in a Washington jail as the false Baron von kissel If he admitted that he was not John Ar mitage 1t would he difficult to prove that he was anybody else-a fact touch ing human testimony which Jules Chauvenet probably knew perfectly we'll
 t1u rne whole, he was sausned that be had followed the wisest course thus far The broad panorama of the morn ing hills communicated to his spirit growing elation. He began singing in German q ballad that recited the sor- rows of a pale maiden prisoner In dark tower on the Rhine, whence her true knight rescued her after many and fearsome adventures. On the last staye be ceased abruptly, and an ex- clamation of wonder broke from him. They had been riding along narrow l trail that afforded. as Oscar said. short cut across long timbered ridge | that lay between them and Armitages property The path was rough and steee. and the low hanging pine boughs and heavy uRderbrush increased the difficulties of ascent Straining to the top. a new valley. hidden until now. was disclosed in tong and beautiful l yfstas.
 Armitage dropped the reins upon the neck of his panting horse
 Tt is a fine valley-yesT asked os- 1 ear
 .It ia A possession worthy of the DO blest eodsw replied Armitage- Inere ia a white building with eolonnades away over there. Is 1t the house oi l the reigning deityT"
 "It ts not. sir" answered oscar. ~ho | smoke English with a kind Of dogeen nrecisiou. giving equal value to all | vords aIt is a vast hotel where the | rich snend much money. That place at | the foot of the hiils-do you see e!-it there they play foolish game "i'n sticks and little balls | Golf? Is 1t possibleF' 1 ..Thare ts no doubt of 1t. sir, l have | .een the fools myself-men and wou,- en The place Is called storm valley. l Armitage slapped his thigh snaep's. 1 so that his horse started
 ~Yes: you are probably right. oscar 1 have heard of the place. And ,hoss | bouses that lie beyond there in the var l lev belong to gentlemen Of taste ano
 leisure who drink tie waters anu roc
 horses and play the foolish game you 1 describe with little white balls
 ~ eould not tel II better. respohoen oscar. who bad dismounted. Hke
 eood trooper, to rest bis horse
 And our place-is it below 'oefes | demanded Armitage-
 ~It ss not. sir. II lies to the west
 Rut a man may come here when De = lonesome and look al the peopae ahu
 ,,a cantla.nea's houses. Al Hight II is
 . ,,lsasure to see the lights. and some
 t,,nes when the wind is right there H ! music Of bands
 .Poor Oscarr' laughed Arnitas
 His mood had not often III his HE
 been so high v-.sb.
 m his flight ncrthward from MaS1-
 ,rgton and southward down fhe Aliaa' i t,c capes. the thought that shir'ey als,