Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1913-12-06
CHAPTER XII Continued

How much do you earn, driving
that hack?"
Uncle Jefferson ruminated. well,
sub. pens on de weddah Mighty
lucky sometimes dis yeah eff All kin
pay de grocery man."
How would you both like to live
here with me for while? She could
cook and you could take care of me-"
Uncle Jefferson's eyes seemed to
turn inward with mingled surprise and
introspection. He shifted from one
foot to the other, swallowed diff
Guilty several times, and said, "Ah
ain nebbah seed yo' befo', sub"
well haven't seen you either,
have II"
bats de trufe, sub, deed ct is!
Hyuh, hyuh! Whut All means ter say
Is dat de OIL CONAN kahn cook no
fancy didoes like what dey eats up
Norf. She kin jes' cook de Ferginey
STYLE"
That sounds good to me- quoth
Valiant. 'I'll risk it. Now as to
wages"
"Ah ain specticulous as ter de
wages" said Uncle Jefferson. "Ah
knows er gemman when All sees one.
Sides, ter-day's Friday en- cts bald
luck. All sho' is troubled in nah min
wheddah veal kin suit yo' perpensi-
ties. but All reckn we kin take er try
eff yo' kim"
"Then it's a bargain" responded
Valiant with alacrity. Can you come
at once?"
Eyes, sub, me en- Daph gwineter
come ovah fus' thing in de mawnin'.
Whut yo'-all gwineter to TO- yo'
suppah?"
:T'n get along" Valiant assured him
cheerfully. Here is five dollars. You
can buy some food and things to cook
with, and bring them with you. Do
you think there's stove in the
kitchen?'
"Ah reck'n," replied Uncle Jeffer-
son. EN- eff dar ain Daph kin cook
er Chris mus dinnah wild TO- stones en-
err tin skillet. Yah. subj"
He trudged away into the shadows,
but presently as the new master Of
Damory Court stood In the gloomy
hall, he heard the stumbling step
again behind him. ''Ah done
neglectuated ter ak yo' name, sub. All
did, TO- e" fac'.'
my name is Valiant. John Valiant
Uncle Jefferson's eyes turned up
ward and rolled out Of orbit. NAH
Lawd!" he calculated soundlessly.
And with his wide lips still framed
about the last word, he backed out OF
the doorway and disappeared.
CHAPTER XII.
The Case Of Morocco Leather.
Alone in the ebbing twilight, John
Valiant found his hamper, spread a
napkin on the broad stone, steps and
took out glass, spoon and part OF
a loaf of bread. The thermos flask
was filled with milk. 1t was not a
splendid banquet, yet he ate 1t with
as great content as the bulldog at his
feet gnawed his share Of the crust. He
broke his bread into the milk as he
had done since he was a child, and ate
the luscious pulp with keen relish
bred Of the long outdoor day. When
the last drop was gone he brushed up
the very crumbs from TIE cloth, laugh
ing to himself as he did so. 1t had
been long time since he remembered
being so hungry!
It was almost dark when the meal
was done and, depleted hamper in
ing house. He went into the library,
lighted the great brass lamp from the
motor and began to rummage. The
drawers of the dfning-room side-board
yielded nothing; on shelf OF the
buffers pantry, however, was a tin
box which proved to be half full OF
wax candles, perfectly preserved.
"The very thing" he said trium-
,hantly. Carrying them back, he
fixed several in the glass-candlestick
and set them, lighted, all about the
somber room till the soft glow flooded
is every corner. There" he said,
that is as 1t should be. No big
blatant search-light here! And no
glare of modern electricity would suit
that old wainscoating, either" He
looked up at the painting on the wall:
it seemed as if the sheer had smoothed
out, the hard cruel eye softened
"You needn't be afraid" he said, nod
ding. "I understand"
He dragged the leather settee to the
porch and by the light of the motor
lamp busted it thoroughly, and wheel
ing it back, set it under the portrait
He washed the glass from which he
had dined and filled 1t at the cup of
the garden fountain, put into 1t the
rose from his hat and set it on the
|reading-stand. The small china dog
caught his eye and he picked it up
Casually. The head came off in his
hands. It had been bon-bon box
and was empty save for a narrow
strip Of yellowed paper, on which were
written some meaningless figures:
|17-2S-94-0. He pondered this mo-
ment, then thrust it into one of the
empty pigeonholes Of the desk. On the
latter stood an old-fashioned leaf
calendar the date it exposed was
May H. Curiously enough the same
date would recur tomorrow The
page bore a quotation: Every man
carries his fate on a riband about his
neck" The line had been quoted in
his fathers letter. May 14th!-how
much that date and that motto may
have meant for him!
He put the calender back, filled his
pipe and sat down facing the open
Ibow-window The dark was mysteri-
cusly lifting, the air filling with soft
|silver-gray translucence that touched
the wild growth as with a fairy gOSsa-