Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1913-08-26
CHAPTER XXI.

ST UNE in Virginia is something to
remember" Today the master
of Damory Court deemed this a true
saying. For the air was like wine,
and the drifting white wings of cloud,
piled about the amethystine RAM
parts of the far Blue Ridge, looked
down upon a violet world bound in
green and silver.
In the bedroom Valiant stood look
ing into the depths of an ancient
wardrobe. Presently he took from
hook a suit of white flannel in which
he arrayed himself Over his soft
shirt he knotted a pale gray scarf.
The modish white suit and the rolling
Panama threw out in fine contrast
the keen sun tanned face and dark
brown eyes.
In the hall below he looked about
him with satisfaction. For the last
three days he had labored tirelessly
to fit the place for the evenings
event. The parlor now showed walls
trimmed with straight-back chairs and
the grand piano-long ago put in or
der-had been relegated to the library.
That instinct for the artistic, which
had made him last resort in the
vexing problems of club entertain
ments had aided him in the courts
adornment. Thick branches of holly,
axed from the hollows by Uncle JEFF
ferson, lined the balustrade of the
stairway, the FURNISHED green of ivy
leaves was twined with prisms of the
chandelier in the big yellow hung par
lor, and bands of twisted laurel were
festooned along the upper walls. The
massed green was a setting for
prodigal use of flowers. Everywhere
wild blossoms showed their spreading
clusters, and he had searched every
corner of the estate, even climbing the
ragged forest slope, to the tawdry
edge of Hell's Half-Acre, to plumber
each covert of its hidden blooms.
He had intended at first to use only
the wild flowers, but that morning
Ranston had arrived from Rosewood
with load of red roses that had
made him gasp with delight. Now
these painted the whole splendid rio
tous crimson. They stood banked in
windows and fireplaces, Great clumps
nodded from Swallowed corners and a
veritable bower of them waited for
the musicians at the end of the hall.
Through the whole house wreathed
the sweet rose-scent, mingled with
the Trailer fragrance of the wildings.
John Valiant drew a single great red
beauty from its brethren and fastened
it in his button-hole.
Out in the kitchens Cassandra's
egg beating clattered like a watch
mans rattle, while Aunt Daphne put
the finishing touches to an array of
lighter edibles destined to grace the
long table on the rear porch, now
walled in with snow-white muslin
and hung with candle-lustres. I'm
der the trees Uncle Jefferson was
even then experimenting with va
rious punch compounds, and a de-
licious aroma of vanilla came to VAL
iant's nostrils together with Aunt
Daphne's wrathful voice:
''Heah, yo' GREENE Simms. Whah
yo' gwine?"
Ain gwine nowhah. Abs done
been whah's Abs gwine."
"Yo' set down dat o'ange er Ah'll
smack yo' bardaciously ovah. Eff
yo' steals what gwinter become OBJ
yo' soul?"
Don't know muffin bout nah
SOUL responded the ebony MATERIAL
ist. But All knows All got er body,
cause All buttons it up e'vy day,
en- All lakes ct plump"
"Yo' go back en- wuk fo' yo' quar-
tab yankin' on dat ar ice-cream
freezah," decreed Aunt Daphne ex-
asperatedly, "er yo' don git err smell
ternight. Yo' heah dat?''
The threat proved efficacious, for
Greene, muttering sullen1y that she
"didn' nebbah feel no skylark in de
ebenin'," returned to her labors.
ITO BE Continued Tomorrow