The Detroit times., 1913-10-29
~ CHARTER III.
The Never.Never Land.

Dusk had fallen that evening When
John Valiant's Panhard turned into
a cross-street and circled into the
yuwnfng mouth of his garage Here,
before he descended. he wrote a check
OF his knee with SOLDERING foun-
tain-pen.
Liars" he said to the chauffeur
"as | dare say you've heard. things
haye not gone exactly smoothly with
me lately. and I'm uncertain about M
plans. I'VE made arrangements to
turn the car over to the manufac-
turers, and take back the old one.
must drive myself hereafter. I'm
sorry, but. you must look. for another
place" !,
The dapper young Swcde touched
his cap. gratefully as he looked az the
checks figures. Embarrassment was
burning his tongue. 1--we heard.
sir. I'm sure it's very kind, sir. and
when you need another
THANK you. lars said Valiant,
as he shook hands. and good luck.
IN remember
Lars, the chauffeur. looked after
him. Going to skip out, he is |
thought SO when he brought that
stuff out Of the safe-deposit. Afraid
they'll try to take the Doodle away
from him. guess. The papers seem
TO think he's rotten, but he's been a
mighty good boss to me. He's dead
swell, all right, anyhow" he added
pridefully. as he slid the car TO its
moorings, "and they'll have to get
up early to catch him asleep"
A little later John Valiant, the
bulldog at his heels, assembled the
steps Of his club. where he lodged
he had disposed OF his bachelor apart
ment a fortnight ago. The cavern
Gus seats Of the lounge we're all &C.
cupied. but he did net pause as he
strobe through the hall. He took the
little pile OF letters the boy handed
him at the desk and went slowly up
the stairway.
He wandered into the deserted H.
brAry and sat down. tossing the let.
ters on the magazine.littered table.
He had suddenly remembered that II
was his twenty-flfth birthday.
In the reaction from the long strain
he felt physically spent He thought
Of what he had done that afternoon
with a sense OF satisfaction. A re-
versal OF public Judgment. in his own
case. had not entered his head. He
knew his world-its comfortabfe fac
ulty OF forgetting, and the multitude
OF sins that wealth may cover. To
preserve at whatever personal cost
the one noble monument his fathers
genius had reared. and to right the
wrong that would cast It's gloomy
shadow on his name-this had been
his only thought What he had done
would have been done no matter what
the outcome Of the investigation. But
now, he told himself. no one could
say the act had been wrung from
him. That, he fancied, would have
been his fathers way.
Fancied-for HIS recollections OF his
esther were vague and fragmentary
they belonged wholly to his pinafore
years. His early memories of his
mother were, for that matter, even
more unsubstantial. They we're OF
creature of wonderful dazzling gowns
and more wonderful shining Jewels
who lived for the most part in an
0ver-ses city a. far away az the moon
Che was later to identify this "A
Psrs) and who. when she came homo
which vas not often--took him
driving In the. park and gave him
c40colate macaroons. He had al.
wqys held her In more or less awe
and had breathed easier when she
had departed. She had died in Rome
a'year later than his father. He bad
beeu left Then without a near reIa.
NE q the world and his- growing
y4aFD had been n epic OF nurses and
Z epfetakers, . boys' schoob on the con.
Goent, an1~A university ~co,rrse ~
1870. A. fir - his father was con.
S1entd, - ~ had only his own child.
- roce1lVctions. - 90 "a. -.
" ~ oDiled--s slow smile OF rcmin.