The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1914-04-18
CHAPTER XIV.
Katharine Decldoe.

"'hoii iho ieil lne uelu or Runny-
mede with John Valiant in the dun.
colored motor. She sat in the drivers
seat beside him, while the bulldog ca
pered, ecstatically barking, from side
to side Of the rear cushions. Her
father had declined the honor. remark
ing that he considered a professional
chauffeur sufficient risk of his valua-
bic life and that the Chalmers grays
were good enough for him-a decision
which did not wholly displease Katha.
rine.
The car was not the smart Pan
hard in which she had 30 often spun
down the avenue or along the she'll.
roads OF the north shore. 1t lacked
those fin-de-siecle appurtenances which
marked the ne plus ultra Of it's kind,
as her observant eye recognized; but
1t ran staunch and true. The powerful
hands that gripped the steering.whee
were brown with sun and wind, and
the handsome face above IL had a look
OF keenness and energy she had never
surprised before They passed many
vehicles and there were few whose oc.
cupants did not greet him. In fact.
AZ he presently remarked, 1t was a
saving OF energy to keep his hat Off:
and he tossed the Panama into the
rear scat. On the rim of the village
group raised cheer to which he
nodded laughingly. and further OH 2
little old lady on timid vine.colored
I0-itln a 81
m!tted hand to him with q sweet old
time gesture. Katharine noted that he
bowed TO her with extra care.
That's Miss Matte Sue Mabry," he
said. the quaintest, dearest thing you
ever saw. She taught my father his
letters"
Where the Red Read stretched level
before them, he threw the throttle
open for n long rush through the
thymy-scented air. The light, late
afternoon breeze drew by them, sweep
Ing back Katharine's graceful sinuous
veil and spraying them with odors OF
clover and sunny fruit. They passed
orchard clumps bending with young
apples, boundless aisles Of green,
young-tasseled corn and shadowy
groves that smelled OF fern and sassa-
fras, opening out into more sunlighted
vistas oyerarchcd by the intense pene-
trable of the June sky.
John Valiant had never seemed TO
her so wholly good TO see, with his
waving hair ruffling In their flight and
the westering sun shining rodly on his
face. Midway of this squirt he looked
at her TO say: Did you ever know q
more beautiful countryside? See how
the pink-andyellow OF those grain
helds fades into the purple of the hills
Very few painters have ever captured
tint like that. It's like raspberries
crushed in curdled milk"
I've quite lost my heart to il all, 4"
she said, her voice jolung with tho
speed OF their course. IT'S perfect
pastoral so different from
our terrific city pace. OF
course 1t must be trine dull at times
seeing the same people al
ways and without the thea
ter and the opera and the whirl about
One-but the kind Of life
one reads about i'm the nov.
els OF the South. YOU know 4"
suppose one doesn't realize that II
actjally exists until one comes to u
southern place like this. And the
heEr" servants. low odd it must be
20 nave "hitc-haired old darky in a
unconstitutional swallowtail for but
Ier' 30 picturesque! At Judge Chal.
heis' nave a feeling all the time that
I'm walking through 4 stage re.
hearsal"
The car slackcned speed as II slid
Oy "hite-Washcd cabin at whose en-.
trance sat dusky gray bearded fig.
ure. Valiant pointed. "Do you SEQ
, him. he asked.