The Detroit times. [volume] (Detroit, Mich.) 1903-1920, 1913-11-13

puutS lu uis seau to"uty' w -"
reck'n Mars Valiant sho' 'stst on 20
samplin' ct"
"sah.' said the major feelingiy.
turning TO his host, I'm proud to
drink your health in the typical bev-
serage of Virginia." He touched glasses
with Valiant and glared at the doctor,
who Was slipping his own thought.
fully. In my travels" he said.
have become acquainted with drink
called pousse-cafe, which contains all
the colors Of the rainbow. But Tor
chaste beauty. sab. give me this. NO
garish combination. you will observe.
A frosted goblet golden at the DOT
tom as an autumn corn-ear, shading
into emerald and then into snow. ON
top q white rim OF icebergs with the
mint sprigs like fairy pine-trees.
| Poems have been written on the Ju-
lep. sab"
They make good epitaphs. too.
observed the doctor.
Il noticed your glass isn't soine
, begging" the major retorted. "unc
Jefferson. that's as good mint as grew
| In the garden OF Eden. See that
those lazy niggers of yours don't grub
the patch out by mistake.
"Yas. sub" said Uncle Jefferson,
A. he retired with the tray An
gwfneter put er fence eroun' dat ar
bald 70 shutdown.
The question that had sprung 10
Valiant's lips now found utterAnce:
Il saw you look at the portrait there"
he said to the major. Which OF my
ancestors Is IT."
The other got up and stood before
the mantelpiece In q Napoleonic atti-
tude. That" he said. fixing his eye
glasses. lis your great-grandfather.
DevflJohn Valiant"
.'DeviLJohn," echoed his host.
"Yss, I've heard the name"
The doctor guffawed. He earned
Il, / reckon. never realized what
sinister expression that missing
optic gives the old rufnan. There
was a skirmish during the war on the
hillside yonder and bullet put 1t out.
When we were boys we used to call
him Old One-Eye."
1T interests me enormously. john
valiant spoke explosively.
The stories OF Devil,John would
all q mighty big book" said the
map0r by all accounts he ought to
have lived In the middle ages" Cross
ing the library. he looked into the din
ing-room. II thought remembered.
The portrait over the console there
n liis wife, your great-grandmother.
She was q wonderful swimmer, By
the way" he went ON, returning TO
his seat. ct was said she had swum
across the Potomac In her hunting
togs. When Devil-John heard OF the
feat, he swore he would marry her
and he did. n was q love-match, no
doubt, on her side: he must have
been one to take with women. Even
In those days, when men still lived
picturesQuely and weren't all cut to
the same pattern. he must have been
unique. There wns something satan
ically splendid and savage about him.
MY greatuncle used to say he stood
.. six feet two, and walked like an en-
peror on q love-spree. He was man
Of sky-high RACES, with fingers that
could bend gold coin double.
They say he bet that when he
brought his bride home. she should
walk into DamOry Court between
rows of candlesticks worth twenty
thousand dollars. He made the
wager good. too. for when she came
up those steps out there, there was a
row Of ten candles burning on either
side Of the doorway each held By q
young slave worth " thousand dol
lars In the market The whole state
talked OF the wedding and for time
DAmory Court was abiaxe with tea
parties and dances. That was In the
old days Of coaching and red-heeled
slippers, when Virginia planters lived
like viceroys and money was only to
throw to the birds. They were fast
'livers and hard drinkers. and their
passions ran away with them. Devil
Johns knew neither saddle nor
bride. Some say he grew Jealous OF
bis wife's beauty. There were any
number Of stories told Of his cruel
ties to her that aren't worth repeat
Ing. She died early--poor lady-and
your grandfather was the only issue.
Devil-John himself lived to be past
seventy. and ut that age, when most
men were stacking their sins and
groaning with the govt, he was die
ing and fox-hunting with the young
est OF them. He always swore he
would die with his boots on. and they
say when the doctor told him he had
only q few hours leeway. he made his
slaves dress him completely and prop
him on his horse. They galloped out
90. Q Negro on either side OF him. 1t
was q stormy night. black as the Earl
of Helrs riding boots. with wind and
rl~.ax .s,A hA 10 .ttRa al
both. There's an old black-gum tree
a mile from here that they still call
tree. They were just
passing under II when the lightning
struck It. Lightning MSS no effect
on the black gum, you know. The
bolt glanced from the tree and struck
him between the two slaves without
either Of them. II killed his
horse, too That's the story. To be
sure at this date nobody can separ-
ate fact from fiction. Possibly he
wasn't 80 nsnch worse than tn rest
Of his neiehbors--not excepting even
the parsons. Other times, other man.
ners.
They weren't any worse than the
present generation said the doctor
Your four bottle men
then knew only claret: now they pun
ish whisky-straight. They still trice
up their equity legs TO take after
foxes. And dare say the
women will be wearing red-heeled
slippers again next year
The major buried his nose In his
julep ,for a long moment before he
looked at the doctor blandly. Il agree