The Detroit times., 1913-11-01


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. a younger one with
dark features and coal-black hair, and
two girls.
Lusk spurred In advance
and lifted his hat. IL held up the
Judge, Shirley" he said, "and made
him bring me along. He tells me
there's a box.hunt on tomorrow may
Gomez"
"Pshaw. Chilly" said the Judge.
II 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 a murky way gouged with
brusk gullies, across shelving fields
and "turn.rOws" In 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
aG>-,hewn flooring was held In place
by wild grape-vines and weighted
down against cloudburst and treshet
by heavy boulders till II dipped its
middle like an overloaded blackboard
in the yellow waters Of the sluggish
stream beneath. On the farther side
they pulled down to breathe their
horses. Here the road was like
narrow ruler dividing desert from a
promised land On one hand gut
tered slope OF mari and pebbles COW
cred with a tatterdemalion 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 dis
graceful tramp leering across the
wall at a dandy"
Shirley applauded the smile, and
the judge said, This is a boundary.
That hobo landscape Is part OF the
deserted Valiant estate. The hill
hides the house
She nodded. "Damory Court. It's
still vacant, Ain suppose"
Yes, and likely to be. Valiant is
dead long ago. but apparently there's
never been any attempt to let 1t.
suppose his son Is 80 rich that one
estate more or less doesn't figure
much to him,
Il got a letter this morning from
Dorothy Randolph said Shirley.
THE Valiant Corporation Is being
investigated. you know. and her
uncle had taken her to one of the
hearings. when John Valiant was In
the chair. From her description. they
are making 1t sufficiently hot for that
silverspooned young man."
II don't reckon he cares" said
Lusk satirically. Nothing matters
with his set II you have enough
money"
The Judge pointed with his crop.
That narrow wagon-track," he said,
goes to Hell's.Half.Acre."
"Oh. yes" said Betty. That's that
weird settlement on the Dome where
Shirley's little protegee, Hickey Sny-
der came from" It was all she said,
but her glance at the girl beside her
was one Of open admiration. For,
as all In the party knew. the lonely
road had been connected with an act
OF sheer impulsive daring In Shirley's
girlhood that she would never hear
spoken Of.
Judge Chalmers hicked his horses
ears gently with his rein and they
moved slowly on. presently coming in
sight Of humble patch of ground,
enclosed in a worm.fence and hold.
ing q white-washed cabin with a we'll
shaded by varicolored hollyhocks.
Under the caves clambered q gourd.
vine. beneath which dangled strings
Of onions and bright red peppers. DO
let us get drink" said Chilly Lask.
I'm as thirsty as q otton-battinR
camel"
"All right, we'll stop" agreed the
Judge. land you'll have q chance to
see another local lion, Betty. This is
where Mad Anthony lives. You must
have heard Of him when you were
here before. He's almost as cele.
brated as the Reverend John Jasper
OF Richmond"
Betty tapped her temple. Where
have All heard of John Jasper?"
He was the author Of the famous
sermon on THE Sun 10 Move" He
used to prove 1t by q bucket of wa.
ter that he set beside his pulpit Sat.
urday night. As II hadn't spilled IN
the morning he knew 1t was the earth
that stood STILL"
Betty nodded laughingly. "Ah re-
member now. He's the one who said
there were only four great races: the
Huguenots. the Hottentots. the Abys-
sinians and the virginians. To Mad
Anthony really mad?"
only harmlessly." said Shirley.
Hes stone blind. The Negroes all
believe he conjures-that's voodoo.
you know. They put a lot of stock
In his 'prophecisms.' He tells for
tunes, too. SSH" she warned. "HcS
sitting on the doorstep. He heard
u.s."
The old Negro had the torso NJ A
nlack patriarch. He sat Dol, upright
w'qh long straight arms resting on
ais lnees, and nir face had that pe- y
ca.isr expressio6.ess immobIlity seen
IL Egyptian carvings. He. had slight.
ly t-rned his lad In their direction.
his brow. under ifs shock Of perfectly
xs~t.t t.L hall