The Detroit times. [volume] (Detroit, Mich.) 1903-1920, 1913-11-18

sued the major. II remember once,
your father
He cleared his throat and stopped
dead
Please" said John Valiant. II
like 10 hear about him.
III was only that struck my head
on rock on the bottom and-stayed
down. The Others were frightened.
but--he dove down again and again
till he brought me out. II was mar
row squeak. reckon
silence fell Locking at the tall
muscular form beside her, Shirley had
a sudden vision of a determined little
body cleaving the dark water, over
and over, now rising painting for
breath. now plunging again. never Civ
ing up. And she told herself that
the son was the same sort. Tha.
hard set Of the jaw. those Arm lips.
would know no fiinching. He might
suffer, but he would be strong Sub
consciously her mind was also swift
ly contrasting him with Chilly Lusk:
the same spare 1.-the frame but set
of by light skin, brown hair and hazel
eyes. the two faces. alike sharply
and clearly chiseled, but this one
purged of the law scorn, the safety,
and reckless indulgence
Half unconsciously she spoke her
thought aloud You look like your
father. do you not?''
Yes he piled. there's a strong
likeness. | have a photograph which
III show you sometime. But how did
you know
Perhaps | only guessed" she said
in some confusion. To cover this she
stopped by the pebbly marge and held
out her hand TO the bronze ducks that
pushed and gobbled about her fingers.
What have You named them" she
asked
Nothing. You christen them
Very well. The light one shall be
Peezletree and the dark one Pilgarlic
l got the names from John Jasper
he was Virginia's famous Negro
preacher l once heard him hold
forth when he read from one OF the
Psalms--the one about the harp and
the psaltery-and he called IL peezle-
tree"
Speaking OF ducks said the ma
jor, tweaking his gray imperial, "re-
minds me OF Judge Chalmers white
mallard He had a pair that were so
much in love they did nothing but
loaf around honeycafuddling with
their wings over each others backs.
1t was a lesson in domesticity Tor
the community, sab Well, the drake
got shot for a wild one. and IL you'll
believe it. the poor little duck was
that inconsolable il would have
brought tears to your eyes. The whole
Chalmers family were affected
Shirley had put one hand over her
mouth to repress smile. Major.
Major" she murmured reprovingly.
But his guilty glance avoided her.
Eyes, sab, nothing would console
her So at last Chalmers got another
drake. the handsomest he could ind,
and trotted him out to please her.
What do you reckon that little white
duck did? She looked at the Judge
once reproachfully and then waddled
down TO black muck-bed and lay
down in 1t. She came out with as
fine a suit of mourning as you ever
saw. And. believe II or not, sab. but
she wouldn't go in the water for ten
days"
valiant's laugh rang out over the
lake-to be answered by a sudden
sharp screech from the terrace, where
the peacock strutted, blaze Of spang-
led purple and gold. They turned to
see Aunt Daphne issue from the
kitchen. twig-broom in hand.
"Heah," she exclaimed. What TO
yo' ,kyahin' on like err will gyraff
wen We got comp'ny, yo' trifiin' oil
fan-tail, yo'. Git outen heah." She
waved her weapon and the bird. with
q raucous shrek of defiance, retired
in ruffled disorder. The master OF
Damory Court looked at Shirley
What shall We name him?"
"Td call him Fire-Cracker II ne
goes OF like that" she said. And
FireCracker the bird was christcned
forthwith.
and now. said Shirley, lets set
out the ramblers."
The major had brought a rough
plan, skctched from memory, OF the
old arrangement of the formal gar.
den. "Ill just 60 over the lines OF
the beds with Unc, Jefferson" he
proposed. while you two potter over
these roses" SO Valiant and Shirley
walked back up the slope beneath the
pergola together. The sun was west
ering fast, and long lilac clcud-traiIs
lay over the terraces. But the bumb-
ling bees we're still busy in the honey
suckle and hawking dragon-flies shot
hitber and thithcr A robin was tilt
Ing On the rim of the fountain. and
IL looked at them with head turned
si6ewise, with a low sweet pipe that
mingled with the trickling laugh OF
tho falliag water.
With Ranston. pufIing and blowing
like black porpoise over his creak- |
ing gocart. they planted the ramb- !
lers--crimson and pink and white
Valiant much OF the time on his
knees, his hands plunging deep into |
the black spongy earth, and Shirley |
with broad hat flung on the grass. her |
fingers separating the clinging thread |
like roots and her small arched foot |;
tamping down the soil about them. !
Her hair-the color OF wet raw wood !
In the sunlight-was very near the |
brown head and sometimes their fin. /
gers touched over the work. Once. |
as they stood up. flushed with the ex.
ercise. a great black and orange bu,. !
terfiy, dazed with the stin-glow. alight. |
ed on Valiant's rolled-up sleeve. he I
held his arm perfectly still and blew |
gently OH the wavering pinions TIL
II swan away. When a redbird flirt- !
ed by, to his delight she whistIed
its call so perfectly that II wheeled
In mid-fight and tilted inquirinely
back toward them.
As they descended the terrace
again ITO the pergola, he said
There's only one thing Iacbins at