Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1911-10-12
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PR0DIGAL JUDGE I'm
IT, ZHe/amousA 6vaIbr GdTljW1AkAa
VAUGHAN HESTER, AAWkNsbM
CHAPTER /.
{ hobbs. MerrilI Company


the barren lands of the pine woods
whittier they had emigrated to escape
the malaria of the low coast, but this
no longer mattered, for the last of hi
name and race, old General Quintard
was dead in the great house his father
had built almost century before ant
the thin acres of the Barony, where hi
had made his last stand against age
and poverty, were to claim him, nov
that he had given up the struggle II
their midst. The two or three ole
slaves about the place, stricken will
a sense Of the futility of the fight thei1
master had made, mourned for hin
and for themselves, but of his own
blood and class none was present.
Shy dwellers from the pine woods
lanky jeans-clad men and sunbon,
neted women, who were gathering for
the burial Of the famous man of their
neighborhood, grouped themselves
about the lawn which had long since
sunk to the use of pasture lot.
Singly or by twos and threes they
stole up the steps and across the wide
porch to the open door On the 'righ-
OF the long hall another door stood
open, and who wished could enter the
drawing-room, with it's splendid green
and gold paper, and the wonderful fire.
place with the Dutch tiles that graph
cally depicted the story of Jonah and
the whale.
Here the general lay in state. The
slaves had dressed their old master
in the uniform he had worn as col
onel of the continental line, but the
~ -
longer filed the buff and blue coat.
The high-bred face, once proud and
masterful no doubt, as became the
face of a Quintard, spoke of more than
age and poverty-it was infinitely sor-
rowful. Yet there was something
harsh and unforgiving in the lines
death had fixed there, which might
have been taken as the visible i'm
press OF that mystery. the bitterness
of which had misshaped the dead
mans nature; but the resolute lips
had closed for ever on their secret,
and the broken spirit had gone per-
haps to learn how poor thing its
pride had been.
Though he had lived continuously |
at the Barony for almost quarter of
a century, there was none among his
neighbors who could say he had looked
On that thin, aquiline face in all that
time. Yet they had known much Of
MIN, for the gossip of the slaves, who
had been his only friends. in those
years he had chosen to deny himself
10 other friends, had gone far and
wide over the county.
That notable man of business, iona
q h oHxy- / f,
vas especially evident when the bust
less CHANGED to be his ,own-was
closeted in the library with stranger
TO whom ,rumor fixed the name of
Bladen, supposing him to be the legal
representative OF certain remote con-
nections Of the old generals.
Cranshaw sat before the flat-topped :
mahogany desk in the center of the
room with several well-thumbed &C
open before him. Bladen,
ii riding dress, stood by the window.
II suppose you will buy in the prop
,rty when 1t comes up for sale?" the .
after was saying.
Mr.. Crenshaw had already made it
lain that General Quintard's creditors
would have lean pickings at the Bar
my, intimating that he himself was
he chiefest Of these and the one to
uffer most grievously in pocket. Fur
her than this, Mr.. Bladen saw that the
Id house was ruin, scarcely habi-
able, and that the thin acres, though !
hey were many and royal grant, !. !.
we're of the slightest value. Crenshaw
lodded his acquiescence to the lawyers
onjecture touching the ultimate fate
I the Barony. 1
II reckon, sir, I'll want to protect !
myself, but If there are any of his own !