Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1913-08-07
THE VALIANTS OF VIRGINIA
BY HALLE ERMlNlE RlVEo
Copyright by Bobbs- Merrill co.

| The next room that he eftereu was
big and wide, place of dark colols,
nobly smutched of time. II had peep
at once library and EVlng-root>
/ Glass faced book Shelves ran aioiak
one side-well- stocked, as the GUS
panes showed-and a huge pigeon
holed desk glowered in the big DOW,
window that opened on 10 what iiau
been the garden. On the wall nuns
| an old map of Virginia. AT one sue
| the dark wainscoting yaWned 10
cavernous fireplace and lnglehook
with seats in black leather. by IL
stood a great square tapestry SCREEN
| showing hunting scene, set IN
heavy frame. A great leather settee
was drawn near the desk and beside
this stood reading stand with
small china dog and a squat bronze
! lamp upon 1t. In contra st to the or
derby dining-room there was about
| this chamber a sense of untouched
| disorder-a desk-drawer jerked half
open, yellowed newspaper torn
across and flung into a corner, books
tossed on desk and lounge and in the
| fireplace a little heap of whitened
ashes in which charred fragments
told of letters and papers burned in
haste bottle that had once held
brandy and grimy goblet stood on
the desk, and in a metal ash tray on
the reading stand lay half-smoked
cigar that crumbled to dust in the
intruder's fingers.
One by one Valiant forced open the
tall French windows, till the fading
| light lay softly over the austere dig
nifty of the apartment. In that SOM
Der room, he knew, had had place
whatever was most worthy in the
lives of his forebears. The thought
of generation upon generation had
STEPPED it in human association.
Suddenly he lifted his eyes. Above
the desk hung a life-size portrait of
man, in the high soft stock and
velvet collar of half a century be-
fore. The right eye, strangely, had
been cut from the canvas. He stood
straight and tall, one hand holding
an eager hound in leash, his face
proud and f1orid, his single cold,
steel-blue eye staring down through
its dusty curtain with certain ma
licious arrogance, and his lips set in
Sardonic curve that seemed about
to sneer. 1t was for an instant as IL
the pictured figure confronted the
young man who stood there, mutely
challenging his entrance into that
tomb-llke and secret-keeping quiet,
and he gazed back as fixedly, re-
PEELED by the craft of the face yet
subtly attracted. IT wonder who you
were,'' he said. you were cruel.
Perhaps you were wicked. But you
were strong, too"
He returned to the outer hall to
find that the negro had carried in his
trunk, and, he babe him place it. with
the portmanteau, in the room he had
just left. Dusk was falling. The air
was full of a faint far chirr of night
insects, like an elfin serenade, and
L, f,-nA l1o1
the greenish-yellow spark of a fire.
fly.
Uncle Jefferson" said Valiant
abruptly. have you a family?"
mo. sub. Jes' me en- nah OF
CONAN"
Can she cook?"
Cook" The genial litter again
captured his dusky escort. When
she got de fixens, All reck'n she de
beaten'es cook in his heah county"
How much do you earn, driving
that hack?"
Uncle Jefferson ruminated. We'll,
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 a while? She could
cook and you could take care of
me-"
-HOnCle eyes seemed IG
turn inward with mingled surprise
| and introspection. He shifted from
one foot to the other, swallowed diff,
ficulty several times, and said, "Ah
ain nebbah seed yo' befo', sub
well, 1 haven't seen you either
have II"
Oats 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 Fer
giney style"
That sounds good to me- quoth
Valiant. "Ill 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 terday's Friday en- cts bald
luck. All sho is troubled in nah
min wheddah we-all kin suit you
perpensities, but All reck'n we kin
take. er try eff yo' kim
Then it's a bargain" responded
Valiant with alacrity. Can you
come at once?'
"Yas, sub, me en- Daph gwineter
come ovah fus' thing in de mawnin',
Whut yo'-all gwineter do TO yo' sup
pah?"
''I'll 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 a stove in
the kitchen?"
"Ah reck'n," replied Uncle Jeffer.
son. En- eff dar ain Daph kin cook
er Christmas dinnah wild 70 stones
en- err tin skillet. Vas, subj
He trudged away into the shadows,
put presently, as the new master OF
Damory Court stood in the gloomy
hall, he heard the shambling step
| again behind him. "Ah done ne
calculated ter ak yo' name. sub. All
did, fo' err fac
MY name is Valiant John
Valiant"
ITO Be Continued Tomorrow)