The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1912-04-17

There had come up between himself
and the girl he had known slightly In
his own town two years ago a wall of
partition. Every time he saw her Poni-
otowsky was there. condescending, ar
rogant, rude and proud. The prince
the night before had given the tips
Of his fingers to Dan, nodded to Rug.
giles as If the Westerner had been his
tailor, and had appropriated Lefty
Lane, and she had gone away under
his shadow, The simplicity of Dams
life, his decent bringing up, his i'm.
maculate youth. for such 1t was, his
aloofness from the world, made him
naive, but he was not dull. He waited
mot like a skeptic who would fit
every one into his pigeonholes-on
the contrary, he waited to find every
one as perfect as he knew they must
be, and every time he tried to think of
Lefty Lane, Poniotowsky troubled him
horribly md seemed to rise before
him. and sardonically look at him
through his eye.glass, making the
boys belief in good things ridiculous.
He wrote a note to Ruggles, saying
that he would be back late and not to
wait for him, and set cut in his own
car for Blankshire, where the duch.
ess was to meet him at Stainer Court
at noon. On his way out he decided
that he had been fool to discuss Let
ty Lano with the Duchess Of Breakwa-
ter, and that 1t had been none of his
business to put her duty before her,
and that he had Judged her quickly
and unfairly. He fell In love with the
lovely English country over which his
motor took him. and 1t made him
more aftectioLate toward the English
woman. He sat back in his car, look.
Ing over the fine shooting land, the
misty golden forests, as through the
misty country his motor took its way.
The breath of England was on his
cheeks, he breathed In its odors fresh
and sweet. the wildness air was cool
and fragrant. His cheeks grew red,
his eyes shone like stars, and he was
content with his youth and his lot.
When they stopped at Castelen. the
property belonging to Stainer Court,
he felt something of proprietorship
stir in him. and at Stainer Arms or.
dered drink, bought petroleum, and
then pushed up the avenue under the
leafless giant trees, whose roots were
older than his fathers name or than
any state Of the Union. And he felt
admiration and something like emo
tion as he saw the first towers OF
Stainer Court finally appear.
The duchess waited for him in the
room known as the Green knights
Room" because of a figure in tapes
try on the walls. The legend in wool
had been woven in Spain. somewhere
about the time when Isabelle was
kind. and when in turn a continent
loomed up for the world in general
out of the mist. The subject of the
Green Knights tapestry was simple
and convincing. On a sheer-cut vii.
lage of low ferns, where daisies stood
up like trees, slender lady poised
her dark sandaled feet on the pin-like
turf. Her figure was ali swathed
round with a spotless dress of woolly
white, softened by age into a golden
misty tone, and a pair of friendly and
confidential rabbits sat close to her
golden slippers. The lady's face was
candid and mild; her eyes were soft,
and around her head was wound q
fi!!et of woven threads, mellow in
tone, red, no doubt, originally, but
softened to coral pink by time This
lady in all her grace and virginia.
sweetness was only half of the woven
story To her right stood youth in
forest green, his sword drawn, anG
his intention evidently to kill a crea'
ture which, near to the gentle rabbits,
out of the daisied grass lifted Its cruel
snakelike head. For nearly five hun.
dred years the serpent's venom had
been poised, and II the serpent should
start the Green Knight would strike,
too at the same magic moment.
Close to the tapestry fire had been
laid In the broad fireplace, and the
duchess had ordered the luncheon
table for Dan and herself spread with
the colo things England knows how
to combine into delectable feast.
The room was full OF medieval fur.
nishings, but the Green Knight was
the best of all. The Duchess of Break
water took him for granted. She had
known him all her life, and she had
only been struck by his expensive
beauty when the Cffer came to her
from the National Museum to buy
him. and she wondered how long she
could AFFORD to stick to her price.
When Dan came in he found her in
short tweed skirt, a mannish blouse,
looking boyish and wholly charming,
and she mixed him cocktail under
the Green Knights very nose and Of
fered 1t with the wisdom OF the SER
pent itself. and the duchess didn't in
tie least suggest the White-rObed