Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1913-12-02

tered slope of mari and pebbles COW
cred with tatterdemalion forest
on the other acre upon acre Of burn
ished grain.
"Ah never saw such frowsley-look-
ing thing in nah life said Betty Page,
in her soft South Carolinan drawl that
was all vowels and liquids, las that
Wild hill beside those fields. For all
the world like a disgraceful tramp
leering across the wall at a dandy
Shirley applauded the smile, and
the Judge said, This is boundary.
That hobo-landscape Is part OF the de-
serted Valiant estate. The hill hides
the house"
She nodded. "Damory Court. It's
still vacant, All suppose"
Eyes, and likely to be. Valiant Is
dead long ago, but apparently there's
never been any attempt to let 1t.
suppose his son is so rich that one
estate more or less doesn't figure much
to him.
ct got a letter this morning from
Dorothy Randolph" said Shirley.
"The Valiant corporation is being In
vestigated, 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 MAX
ing 1t sufficiently hot for that silver
spooned young man."
'T 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 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" 1t 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 flicked his horses
ears gently with his rein and they
moved slowly on, presently coming in
sight Of humble patch of ground. en-
closed In a worm-fence and holding a
white-washed cabin>with a we'll shaded
by varicolored hollyhocks. Under the
caves clambered gourdvine, beneath
which dangled strings OF onions and
bright red peppers. do let us get
drink" said Chilly Lusk. Pm as
thirsty as a cotton-batting camel
"All right, We'll STOP agreed the
Judge, "and you'll have a chance to
see another local lion. Betty: This Is
where Mad Antony lives. You must
have heard Of him when you were here
before He's almost as celebrated as
the Reverend John Jasper of Rich
mond"
Betty tapped her temple. where
have All heard Of John Jasper?'
"He was the author Of the famous
sermon on The Sun do Move. He
used to prove it by bucket of water
that he set beside his pulpit Saturday
night. AS it hadn't spilled in the
morning he knew it was the earth
that stood still"
Betty nodded laughingly. "Ah rem
ember now He's the one who said
there were only four great races: the
Huguenots the Hottentots. the Abys-
sinians and the Virginians. Is Mad
Anthony really mad?"
"Only harmlessly," said Shirley.
"He's stone blind The negroes all
believe he conjures-that's voodoo,
you know. They put lot of stock in
his 'prophecisms.' He tells fortunes,
too. SSH" she warned. Hes sit
ting on the doorstep. He's heard us
The old negro had the torso OF a
black patriarch. He sat bolt upright
with long straight arms resting on his
knees, and his face had that peculiar
expressionless immobility seen in
Egyptian carvings. He had slightly
turned his head in their direction, his
brow. under it's shock Of perfectly
white crinkly hair, twitching with a
peculiar expression Of inquiry. His
age might have been anything Judging
from his face which was so scanned
and creviced with innumerable tiny
wrinkles that it most resembled the
tortured glaze Of some ancient btu
men pottery unearthed from tomb of
Kor. Under their heavy lids his sight
less eyeballs, whitley Opaque and lus-
terless. turned mutely toward the
sound of the horse hoofs.
The fudge dismounted, and tossing
his bride over a fence-picket, took
from his pocket a collapsible drinking
cup. "Howdy do, Anthony" he said.
ave just stopped for drink Of your
good water"
The old negro nodded his head.
Good watah," he said in the gentle
quavering tones Of extreme age. "Yas,
Mars. Hep yose'f. Come f'om de
centah OBJ de yerf, dat watah. En-
dah's folks say de centah Of de yerf
Is all fab. Yo' reck'n dey's right,
Mars Chahmahs?"
sNow, how the devil do you know
who I am, Anthony" The Judge set
down his cup on the well-curb. II
haven't been by here for year."
The ebony head moved slowly from
side to side.
"Ol' Ant'ny dom need no eyes, he
said, touching his hand to his brow.
"He see evything heah."
The Judge beckoned to the others
and they trooped inside the paling.
'Ive brought some other folks with
me, Anthony; can you tell who they
are?"
The sightless look wavered over
them and the white head shook slowly.
Don know young mars,,," said the