Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1913-08-04

niece had landed from a sailing yes
sci at jamestown wharf with inc
household goods of that English Gar
land who had adopted the old Middle
Plantation when Dunmore was royal
governor under George III. Framed
portraits and engravings lent tints OF
furnished silver, old-rose and sunset
golds-colors time-toned and remlnis..
cent, carrying a charming sense OF
peaceful content, of gentleness ana
long tradition. The dark polished
stairway had at its turn a square
dormer- window, which looked out
upon one of the rose arbors.
Down this stair, somewhat later
that afternoon, came Shirley DAN
bridge, booted and spurred, the re-
bellious whorls of her russell hair
now as closely filleted as Greek
boys, in a short divided skirt OF
yew-green and a cool white blouse
and swinging by its ribbon green
hat whose rolling brim was caught
up at one side by a crisp blue-black
hawks feather. She stopped to peer
out of the dormer window to where,
under the latticed weave of bloom,
beside a round iron table holding a
hoop of embroidery and a book or
two. lady sat reading.
The lady's hair was silver, but not
with age. 1t had been so for many
years, refuted by the transparent
skin and color as soft as the cheek
of an apricot. 1t was solely in her
dark eyes, deep and strangely lumi-
nous, that one might see lurking the
sombre spirit of passion and of pain.
But they were eager and brilliant
withal, giving the lie to- the cane
whose crook one pale, delicate hand
held with a clasp that somehow con-
veyed a sense of exasperate If semi
rebellion. She wore nuns gray; soft
old lace was at her wrists and
throat. and she was knitting scar
let silk stocking.
She looked up at Shirleys voice,
and smiled brightly. "Off for your
ride. dear?"
Eyes. I'm going with the Chal-
mers."
"Oh, of course, Betty Page is visit
ing them, isn't she?"
Shirley nodded "She came yester.
day. I'LL have to hurry. for saw
them from my window turning into
the Red Road" She waved her hand
and ran lightly down the stair and
across the lawn to the orchard.
She pulled green apple from
bough that hung over a stone wall
and with this in her hand she came
close to the pasture fence and whlstled
a peculiar call. 1t was answered by
a low whinny and a soft thud of
hoofs. and a golden-chestnut hunter
thrust a long nose over the bars.
flaring f1ame-lined nostrils to the
touch of her hand. She laid her
cheek against the white thorough
bred forehead and held the apple to
the larger reaching lip, with several
teasing withdrawings before she gave
it to its juicy crunching.
mo, Selim," she said as the wide
nostrils snuffled over her shoulder,
the begging breath blowing warm
against her neck. mo more-and no
sugar today either. Sugar has gone
up two cents pound"
She let down the top bar of the
fence and vaulting over, ran to a
stable and presently emerging with
a saddle on her ARM whistled the
horse to her and saddled him. Then
opening the gate, she mounted and
cantered down the lane to meet the
oncoming riders-a kindly-faced, mid
dle-aged man, younger one with
dark features and coal black hair,
and two girls.
Chisholm Lusk spurred in advance
and lifted his hat. II held up the
Judge, Shirley" he said. land made
him bring me along. He tells me
there's fox-hunt on tomorrow; may
1 Gomez"
"Pshaw! Chilly" said the judge.
Il don't believe you ever got UP at
five o'clock in your born days.
You've learned bad habits abroad
You'll see," he answered. IF my
man Friday doesn't rout me out to-
morrow, I'll be up for murder"
They rode an hour, along stretches
OF sunny highways or on shaded
brldle-pathS where the horses hoofs
fell muffled in brown pine-needles and
dropping branches flicked their faces.
Then. by murky way gouged with
brusk gullies, across shelving fields
and turn-rows" in a long detour
around Powhattan Mountain, a rough
spur in the shape of an Indians head
that wedged itself forbiddingly be-
tween the fields of springing corn and
tobacco. They approached the Red
Road again by crazy bridge whose
adze-hewn flooring was held in
place by wild grape vines and
weighted down against cloudburst
and freshet by heavy boulders till it
dipped its middle like an overload I'd
buckboard in the yellow waters Of
the sluggish stream beneath. On tha
$40 eiiCN Pulleu GOWN TO
breathe their horses Here the road
was like narrow ruler dividing a
desert from promised land On one
hand a guttered slope of mari and
pebbles covered with a characterization
forest-on the other acre upon acre
of FURNISHED grain.
"Ah never saw such a frowsley-
looking thing in NAH life," said Betty
Page, In her soft South Carolinian
drawl that was all vowels and LIQUIDS.
as that wild hill beside those fields.
For all the world like a disgraceful
tramp leering across the wall at a
dandy"
Shirley applauded the smile, and
the Judge said. This Is a boundary,
That Landscape is part of the
deserted Valiant estate. The hill
hides the house,
She nodded "Damory Court. It's
still vacant, All suppose"
Yes. and likely to be. Valiant Is
dead long ago, but apparently there's
never been any attempt to let it.
suppose his son is 50 rich that one
estate more or less doesn't figure
much to him.
Ito Be Continued Honorary