Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1913-12-09

The Judge raised his broad soft hat.
"Thank YOU, sir" he said, with soft
accent that delightfully."- disdained the
etter e." But we mustn't intrude any
urther. As you know, of course, the
place has been uninhabited for any
lumber of years, and we had no idea
It was to acquire a tenant. You will
overlook our riding through, I hope.
I'm afraid the neighborhood has got
used to considering this sort of no
mans land. It's pleasure to know
that the Court is to be reclaimed, sir.
Come along, Chilly" he added. Our
fox has a burrow under the house, /
lreckon-hang the cunning little devil!'
He whistled sharply to the dogs,
who came leaping about his horses
legs for their need Of praise-and
clubbing. Down, Fan! Down Trojan!
Come on, you young folks, to break
fast. We've had a prime run Of it,
anyhow, and we'll put him up another
day"
He waved his hat at the porch and
turned his horse down the path, side
| by side with the golden chestnut.
After them trooped the others, horses
walking YEARLY, riders talking in low
voices, the girls turning often to send
swift bird-like chances behind them
to where the straight masculine figure
still stood with the yellow sunshine on
his face. They did not leap the wall
this time, but filed decorOusly through
the swinging gate to the Red Road.
Then, as they passed from view be-
hind the hedges, John Valiant heard
the younger voices break out together
like the sound OF bomb thrown into a
poultry-yard.
| After a time he saw the struggling
bunch of riders emerge at a slow can
ter on the far-away field. He saw the
roam spurred beside the golden chest
nut and both dashed away, neck and
neck in a race, the light patrician form
of the man leaning far forwerd and the
girl swaying to the pace as II she and
her hunter were one.
| John Valiant stood watching till the
last rider was out of sight. There
was warm flush Of color in his face.
| At length he turned with the ghost
of a sigh. opened the hall door wide
and stalking a hundred yards away,
sat down on the shady grass and began
to whistle. with his eyes on the door.
| Presently he was dewarded. On a
sudden. around the edge of the sill
peered sharp, suspicious little muz
zle. Then, like fash of tawny light,
| the fox broke sanctuary and shot for
the thicket
CHAPTER XIV.
Mrs. Poly Clifford Pays Call.
The brown ivied house in the village
vas big and square and faced the
! leepy street. It's front was gay with
! pink oleanders in green tubs and the
| ard spotted with annual encamp,
nents of geraniums and marigolds. A
one stored wing contained small
loor with a Doctors brass plate on the
.lapboarding beside it. Doctor South
| III was one Of Mrs. Merryweather
Mason's paying guests-for she would
lave deemed the word boarder a
yratuitous insult, no less to them than
her. Another was the major, who
! for a decade had occupied the big old
fashioned corner-room on the second
floor, companioned by a monstrous
gray cat and waited on by an ancient
negro named Jereboam, who had been
slave of his fathers.
The doctor was a sallow taciturn
man with a saturnine face, eyebrows
like frosted thistles, mouth as If
made with one quick knife-slash and
a head nearly bald, set on neck that
would not have disqualified yearlfng
OK. His broad shoulders were slightly
stopped, and his mouth wore habitu,
ally an expression half resentful. half
sardonic, conveying cynical opinion
of the motives Of the race in general
and of the special depravity of that
particular countryside. Altogether he
lexhaled an air in contrast to which the