The Detroit times. [volume] (Detroit, Mich.) 1903-1920, 1913-11-04

UIitouS Ntttk anu rum HIS say
sweeping down across the barred fields
and unkempt forest. Mine" he re
peated. "All that, | suppose, for IL
has the same earmarks OF neglect.
Between those cultivated stretches IL
looks like "A wedge OF Sahara gone
astray.' His gaze returned 10 the
house. Yet what place IL must
have been in its time II had not
sprung into being al the -Mhim OF any
one man: il had grown mellowlX and
deliberately. expressing the multi
form life and culture OF stock. Gen
Grafton after generation. father and
son. had lived there and loved 1t, and
ministering 10 all, II had given TO
each OF itself. The wild weird beauty
was injecting him and the pathos OF
the desolation caught al his heart.
lie went slowly back TO where his
conductor sat on the lichened horsS-
block
Yves heah," called Uncle jefferson
cheerfuly. Whit We gwineter do
mex, subj Reckn Ali bettah go ovah
ter Miss Dandridges place fer ~
crow bah. Lord" he added. eff he
ain got de key Whut yo' think 90
dat now"
John Valiant was looking closely
at the big key, for there we're words,
which he had not noted before, en-
srared in the massive tiange: Friends
all hours. lie smiled The sentiment
sent warm current OF pleasure to
his inger.tips. Here was the very
text OF hospitality,
A Lilliputian spider-web was
stretched over the pre-empted key
hole, and he fetched a grass stem and
poked out its tiny gray-striped den.
zen before he inserted the key in the
rusted lock. He turned IL with a Gu
rions sense OF timidity. All the
strength of his fingers was necessary
before the massive door swung open
and the leveling sun sent its late red
rays into the gloomy interior
He stood In a spacious hall, his nos
trils filled with curious but not I'M
pleasant aromatic odor with which
the place was strongly impregnated.
The hall run the full length OF tine
building. and in it's center wide.
balustrated double staircase led to
upper darkness. The floor, where his
footprints had disturbed the even
gray film OF dust. was OF fine close
Darquetry and had been generously
strewn everywhere with mica-like
powder He stopped and took up a
pinch in his fingers, noting that II
gave forth the curious spicy scent.
Dim paintings in furnished frames
hung on the walls. From niche on
the break OF the stairway looked
down the round face of tall Dutch
clock. and on one side protruded a
huge bullying something draped with
a yellowed linen sheet From It's
shape he guessed this to be an elk's
head. Dust, undisturbed. lay thickly
on everything, ghostly floating cob
webs crawled across his face. and 4
bat HI ed out of fireplace and van
ished soueaking over his head With
Uncle Jefferson's help he opened the
rear doors and windows, knocked up
the rusted belts Of the shutters and
flung them wide
But for the dust and cobwebs ana
the strange odor, mingled with the
faint musty smell that pervades
sunless interior. the former owner OF
the house might have deserted ii
week ago. On a wallrack lay two
walking-sticks and gold-mounted
hunting crop. and on great carved
chest below it had been flung an
open book bound in fooled leather.
John. Valiant picked this up curiously
IL was Lucille. He noted that here
and there passages we're marked with
penciled lines-some light and femi-
ninety delicate, some heavier. as
though two had been reading IL to-
gether. noting their individual pref
erences.
He laid II back musingly. and open
ing q door. entered the large room II
disclosed. This had been the dining
room. The walls were white. in alter
nate panels, with small oval mirrors
whose Undiscovered surfaces looked
like ground steel AT one end stood
a crystal-knobbed mahogany sideboard
holding glass candlesticks in the
shape OF Ionic columns-above II a
quaint portrait OF lady in hoops and
at the other end was
a huge fireplace with rust-red fire.
dogs and furnished brass fender. AL!
these, with the round centipede table
and the Chippendale chairs set in or
der against the walls, we're dimmed
and grayed with a thick powdering OF
dust.
The Next room that he entered was
Dig and wide, a place OF dark colors,
nobly smutched OF time. II had been
at once library and living-room.
Glass-iaced book-sheives ran along one
side--well-stocked,a as the dusty panes
showed--and huge pigeon-holed
desk glowered in the big bow-Window
that opened on to what had been the
garden On the wall hung an Old
map of Virginia Al one side the
dark wainscoting yawned to cav
ernous fireplace and inglenook with
seats in black leather BY 1t STOOD
great square tapestry screen. show
ing a hunting scene, set In heavy
frame A great leather settee was
drawn near the desk and beside this
stood a reading stand with smah
china dog and a squat bronze lamp
upon " In contrast to the orderly
dining.room there was about this
chamber a sense of untouched disor-
der---a desk-drawer jerked half open.
yellowed newspaper torn across
and flung into corner. books tossed
on desk and lounge. and in the fire.
place a little heap OF whitened ashes
in which charred fragments told OF
letters and papers burned IN haste.
A bottle that had once held brandy
and grimy goblet stood on the
desk. and In a metal ash.tray on the
reading stand lay a halfsmoked cigar
that crumbled TO dust In the intru-