Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1913-08-08
THF VAIANTS OF VIRGINIA
AZ HALLE ERMINlE RlVEs
moonlight laid like placid benedie
ron.rirht by BObbs- Merrill co.

moonlight laid like placid peheoie-
ton over all. zt,,,++o, wider
- in fbe movement his elbow sent
sba1Iow case of morocco leatner
that had lain on the desk erasmus
~ a. floor. It opened and hedNy
metallic object rolled almost 10 ms
feet He saw at glance thal ~
was an old-fashioned rusted duel-
The box had originally held TWO
nietoIs He shuddered as he stopped
r. nicl, up the weapon, and with the
crawling repugnance mlngieu
banging anger and humlllaIloi'
From his very babyhood 1t hao az
WAYS been so-that uncohq uel aplo
aversion to the touch of hrearl u,
There had been moments IN ms youth
when this unreasonlng shrliin nm
had filled him with blind fury, mao
driven him to strange self-tests OF
courage. He had never been aple 10
overcome it. He had always had q
natural distaste for the taking OF
life: hunting was an unth1nkaple
sport to him, and he regarded the
lusty pursuit of small feathered or
furry things for pleasure with
mingled wonder and contempt. But
analyzation had told him that his
pec1liar adherence was no mere
outgrowth of this. 1t lay far deeper.
He had rarely, Of recent years, met
the test. Now, as he stood In these
unaccustomed surroundings, with lne
cold touch of the metal the old shud-
dering held him, and the sweat
broke in beads on his forehead. SET
ting his teeth hard, he crossed the
1aa
between the volumes of the book
case, and returned to his seat.
The bulldog, aroused from nap,
thrust a warm muzzle between his
knees. TITS uncanny, Chum" he
said, as his hand caressed the vel
vety head. "Why should the touch
of that fool thing chill my spine
and make my flesh tiptoe over my
bones? Is it a mere popularity OF
temperament? Some men hate cats =
eyes. Some can't abide sitting on
plush. | knew chap once VINO
couldn't see milk poured from a
pitcher without getting goose-fiesh.
People are born that way, but there
must be a cause. Why should |
hate a pistol? Do you suppose L
was shot in one of my previous ex-
istences?"
For a long while he sat there, his
pipe dead, his eyes on the moon
lighted out-of-doors. The eery feel
ing that had gripped him had gone
as. quickly as it had come. At last
he rose, stretching himself with a
great boyish yawn, put out all save
one of the candles and taking path
robe, sandals and huge fuzzy towel
from the steamer-trunk, stripped
leisurely He donned the bath-rob
and sandals and went out through
the window to the garden and down
to where lay the little lake ruff1ing
silverly under the moon. On its
brink he stopped, and tossing back
his head, tried to initiate one of the
With a rueful laugh he threw off
the bath-robe and stood an instant
glistening, poised in the moonlight
like a marble fawn, before he dove,
straight down out of sight.
Five minutes later he pulled him
self up over the edge, his flesh
tingling with the chill of the water,
and drew the robe about his cool
white shoulders. Then he thrust his
feet into his sandals and sped quick
ly back. He rubbed himself to a
glow, and blowing out the remaining
candle stretched himself luxuriously
between the warm blankets on the
couch. The dog shifted inquiringly
at his hand, then leaped up and
snuggled down close to his feet.
The soft flooding moonlight sent it's
radiance into the gloomy room
touching lovingly its dark carven fur
niture and bringing into sharp relief
the 1.-THE contour of the figure under
the fieecy coverlid, the crisp, damp
hair, the expressive face and the
wide-open, dreamy eyes.
John Valiant's thoughts had fled a
thousand miles away, to the tall girl
who all his life had seemed to stand
out from his world, aloof and I'M
rpassed-Katharine Fargo. He tried
to picture her, a perfect chatelaine
graceful and gracious as a tall, white
splendid lily, in this dead house that
seemed still to throb with living pas
sions. But the picture subtly eluded
him and he stirred uneasily under the
blanket.
After a time his hands stretched
out to the reading-stand and drew
the glass with it's vivid blossom
nearer, till, in his nostrils, its musky
odor mingled with the dew-wet seen
of the honeysuckle from the garden
At last his eyes closed Every mar
carries his fate on a ribant
about his neck" he muttered drow
silly, and then, Roses ret
roses ~
And so he fell asleep