The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1912-03-27

iene Park House, dressed for dinner
without the aid Of valet. When
Lord Galorey had asked him where
Ills man servant was" Dan had
Srinned. Gosh, wouldn't have one
u those Johnnies hanging around me
never did have! | can put on my
stockings all right! There was q chan
)n the boat came over in who let his
man put on his stockings. Can YOU
oeat that?" Blair had laughed again.
think If anybody tickled my feet
hat way / would be likely to kick him
N the eye"
Dressing in his room he whistled un-
der his breath song from a newly
popular comic opera. and he intoned
with clear young voice line Of the
words:
Should-you-go-to-M o-Mandalay."
Out through his high window If he
nad looked, he would have seen the
misty sweep of the park under the
faint moonrise and fine shadows that
the leaves made in the yelled light,
Dut ne did not look out. He was
dressing for dinner without a valet
ana giving a great deal of care to his
toilet; Tor the first time he was to
dine In the house Of a nobleman and
IN the presence of duchess; not that
II meant great deal to him-he
thought 1t was funny"
In Dan Blair's twenty-five years OF
utterly happy days his one grief had
been the death of his father. AS soon
as the old man had died Dan had gone
on into the Rockies with his guides
and not shown up" for months. When
ne came back to Blairtown, as he ex-
pressed 1t. "he packed his grip and
Deaf 1t while his shoes were good" for
the one place he could remember his
father had suggested for him to 20.
biairtown was very much impressed
when the heir came in from the Rock.
les with "a big kill" and the orphans
ease did not seem especially dis.
turbed. But no one In the town knew
how the boys heart ached for the old
man. When Dan was six years old
MS father had literally picked him I'D
Dy the nape of the neck and thrown
hlm into the water like a pup and
watcned him swim. At eight he sent
the boy of with a gun to rough camp.
Then he took Dan down In the mines
with the men. His education had been
won In Blairtown, at school called
public, but which in reality was moth.
Ing more than a pioneer district
school.
On Sundays Dan dressed up and
went with his father to church twice
a day and In the week days his father
TOOK him to the prayer meetings, and
AT sixteen Dan went to college in Cali
fornia. He had Just completed his
course when old Blair died. Then be
Inherited fifty million dollar
On the day Of the shoot at Osdene,
Dan dropped sixty birds. He tried
worry hard not to be too pleased.
Gosh" he thought to himself, those
birds fell as though they were trained
all right, and the other sports were
mad. l could see It," He then fell to
whistling softly the air he had heard
Lady GalCrey play the night before
from tn new success at the Gaiety.
and finished 1t as his toilet completed
Itself. He took up a gardenia from his
dressing table and fastened It In his
coat. stopping on the stairs on the
way down to look over into the hall
where the men In their black clothes
and the women In their shining
dresses waited before going into the
dlnlngroom. The lights fell ON white
arms and necks, on Jewels and en- fine
proud heads Dan Blair had been in
San Francisco and in New York. on
short Journeys, however, which his
rather, the year before, had directed
him to take. but he had never seen a
show" like this
He came slowly down the broad
stairway OF the Osdene Park House,
the last guest. In the corner, where,
behind her, a piece Of fourteenth cen
tury tapestry cut green and pink
square against the rich black oak pam
cling, the Duchess OF Breakwater sat
waiting. She wore a dress Of golden
tuile which was simply a sheath to
her slender body and from her neck
hung a long rope Of diamonds caught
at the end by small black fan; there
was a wreath of diamonds like shining
water drops linked together In her
hair. She was the grandest lady at
Osdene, and renowned In more than
one sense of the word. AS Dan saw
her smile at him and rise, he thought:
She Is none too sorry that made
that record. but hope to heaven she
won't say anything to me about It,"
And the duchess did not speak Of It.
Telling him that ha u,os to tolo bor