The Detroit times., 1913-11-08
CHAPTER XVII.
(Contjnued.)

yCHAPTEt XVII. ~
(Contjnusd.)
"Irr hun'ed dollars, sub? OATS Or
right smart heap o. money. deed et 10.
We'll sub. pens on whut yo' raisos.
Ef 70 raises yo' own gyardensass en-
CHICKENS On aigs. All reck'n 20 kin
live longah dan dat ar MethoosaMm.
on still hab mos Of 1t In de OIL stock
in"
All! can grow all those things
myself. you Think"
"Yo' cert'n'y kim said Aunt
Daphne "Ev'y1body do. De chick'ns
done peck TO- deyselves en- de yuddah
things--yo o'ny gotter courage EN-
en- dey jes' grows"
Valiant ate his dessert with q
thoughtful smile wrinkling his brow.
AS he pushed back his chair he smote
his hands together and laughed aloud.
Back to the soil!' he said, rJohn
Valiant. farmer. The miracle OF II
Is that it sounds good to me. want
to raise my own grub and till my own
soil. I want to be my own man! And
I'm beginning to see my way. Crops
will have to wait for another season.
but there's water and pasture for
cattle now. There's timber-lots OF
ton that hillside, too. must look
into that"
He filled his pipe and climbed the
staircase to the upper floor. Hero
the lower hall was duplicated. He
proceeded slowly and carefully with
the dusty task. Of window-opening.
There. were many bedrooms with
great four-posteds canopied beds and
old-fashioned carved furniture Of ma
hogany and curly-mapls, and In one
he found q great cedar.lined chest
filled with bed-linen and napery. In
these rooms were more evidences OF
decay. They showed In faded hues.
streaked and discolored finishings.
yellow mildew beneath the glass Of
framed engrsvings and unsightly
stains on walls and floors from leaks
In the roof. On dainty dressanS-
table had been left pin-cushion; ~
stufing was strewn IA tiny trickling
trail to q mouse-hole In the base
board. The bedroom he mentally
chose for his own was the platnsgt
Of all, and was above the library,
fronting the vagabond garden. u
had q great black desk with many
giass-knobbed drawers and q book
rack. The volumes this contained
were mostly Of the historical sort;
history of the Middle Plantation"
"Meade's Old Churches and at tho
end q parchment-bou tome In
scribed "The valiants Of Virginia.
He fingered longest IN room over
whose door was painted The Hilar'
ium.' It had evidently been a nur-
sery and schoolroom. Here on the
walls were many shelves wound over
with networks Of cobwebs. and piled
with the oldest assemblage OF toys:
wooden and splintered soldiers that
had once been bravely painted. dolls
In various states OF worn-cutness
one rag doll In q calico dress with
shoeIbutton eyes and q string OF
bright glass beads round her neck
wooden box OF marbles, q tattered
bpxins-glove. There were school
books, too, thumbed and dog-eared.
from First Reader to Caesars Gallo
Wars, with names of small Valiants
scrawled on their ny-lsavss. Il He
carefully relocked the door Of this
room: he wanted to dust those toys
and books with his own hands.
In the upper hall again he leaned
from the window sniffiing the far
flung scent of orchards and peach
blown fence-rows. The soft whirring
sound Of birds wing went past. al.
most brushing his startled face, and
the old oaks seemed to stretch their
bent limbs with faithful brute-like