Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1913-08-06
THE Val IANTS OF VIRGINIA
nv HALLE ERMINIE KIVE'o
Copyright by Bobbs- Merrill Co.

had deepened into mans passion and
the DEVILS rivalry. 1t had been a cur
ious three-sided affair-he. and val
| liant, and Sassoon. Sassoon WIFE MS
dissipated flair and ungovernable tenn
per and strange fits of recklessness'
clean, highidealed, straight-away val
| liant; and he-a Bristow, neither
better nor worse than the rest OF ms
name. He remembered that mad
strained season when he had grlmly
recognized his own cause as hopeless,
and with burning eyes had watched
| Sassoon and Valiant racing abreaSt.
| He remembered that glittering prodl-
gal dance when he had come upon
Valiant and Judith standing in the
shrubbery, the candle-light from some
open door engoldening their faces;
hers smiling, little flippant perhapS
and conscious of her spell; his grave
and earnest. yet wistful.
you PROMISE John?"
II give my sacred word. Whatever
the provocation l will not lift my hand
against him. Never, never!" Then
the same voice, vibrant, appealing.
Judith! 1t isn't because-because-
you care for him?''
He had plunged away in the dark
ness before her answer came. What
had it mattered then to him what she
had replied, and that very night had
befallen the fatal quarrel!
The major started. How that name
had blown away the dust! That's
long time ago, Judith"
think of It'll l wore my hair just,
as Shirley does now. It was the same
color, with the same fascinating 1T
tie lights and whorls In it." She turned
toward him, but he sat rigidly up
right, his gaze avoiding hers. Her
dreamy look was gone now, and her
eyes were very bright.
Thirty years ago tomorrow they
fought" she said softly, Valiant ana
Sassoon. Every woman has her one
anniversary, / suppose, and tomor-
rows mine Do you know what | do,
every 14th of May, Monty? l keep my
room and spend the day always the
same way. There's little book
read, and there's an old haircloth
trunk that I've had since l was girl.
| Down in the bottom of 1t are some.
things, that l. take out and set round :
| the room-and there is a handful or
old letters go over from first to last.
THEY'RE almost worn out now, but l
could repeat them all with my eyes
shut. Then, there's tiny old straw
basket with yellow wisp In 1t that
once was a bunch of cape jessamines.
I wore them to that last ball-the
night before 1t happened. The 14th or
| NAV used to be sad, but now, do you
| know, look forward to it! l always
have a lot of jessamines that porticu-
| lar day-I'll have Shirley get me some
| tomorrow-and in the evening, when
I go downstairs, the house is full OF
the scent of them. All summer long
| it's roses, but on the 18th of May 1t
| has to be jessamines. Shirley must
| think me a whimsical old woman, but
| l insist on being humored.
| She was silent moment, the point
of her slender cane tracing circles
! in the gravel. Its a black date for
you too, Monty. | know; put men
| and women are different. l wonder
what takes the place to man OIL
woman's haircloth trunk?"
at reckon it's demijohn," he said
mirthlessly.
smile flashed over her face, like
sunshine over a flower. and she looked
ND at him slowly. What bricks men
| are to each other! You and the doctor
were John valiants closest friends.
| What did you two care what people
said? why, women don't stick to each
other like that! 1t isn't in pettlcoats!
| 1t wouldn't do for women to take to
dueling, Monty; when the affair was
over and done, the seconds would
fall to with their hatpins and jab each
others eyes out!"
He smiled, little bleakly. and
cleared his throat.
| isn't 1t strange for me to be talk
ing this way now!" she said present
| ly Another proof that I'm getting
| old. But the date brings 1t very close;
| it seems, somehow, closer than ever
| this year. Monty, weren't you tre-
mendously surprised when l married
Tom Dandridge?"
| certainly was"
| "I'll tell you a secret. l was, too.
I suppose l did 1t because of a sneak
| ing feeling that some people were
| feeling sorry for me, which 1 never
| could stand. Well, he was man any
one might honor I've always thought
woman ought to have two hus-
bands; one to love and cherish, and
the other to honor and obey. 1 had
the latter, at any rate"
"And you've lived, Judith" he said.
Yes" she agreed, with, little
sigh, I've lived. I've had Shirley,
and she's twenty and adorable. Some
of my emotions creak a bit in the
hinges, but I've enjoyed things.
woman is cat enough not to be wholly
miserable if she can sit in the sun
and purr. And I've had people
enough, and books to read, and plenty
of pretty things to look at. and old
J lace to wear, and I've kept my figure
and my vanity-Fm not too old yet
|
talk to me about worsted shawls and
| horrible arctics. For I won't wear
EN-. Not if 1 know myself! Here
comes Shirley. She's made two ju-
leps, and If you're q gentleman, you'd
distract her attention till I've got rid
| of mine In my usual way"
The major, at the foot of the cherry
bordered lane, looked back across the
box-hedge to where the two figures
sat under the rose-arbor, the moth
er's face turned lovingly down to
Shirley's at her knee. He stood a mo-
ment watching them from under his
| slouched hat brim.
You never looked at me that way.
Judith, did your he sighed to him.
self. tits been a long time, too. since
l began to want you to-'most forty
years. When 1t came to t0e show
down, I wasn't even as fit as Tom
Dandridge!"
! ITO Be Continued TomorrowA