Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1914-03-06
Dz0:
VAIIANTSet VIRGINIA.
81 HALLI TKMLNlI RlVLS .S s2S GUAR
ILLUSTRATED 81 LAUREN STOUT

vibrant tattoo Of . ''pecker.wood" on
. faraway tree, and the timorous wet
whistle of bob-white. The whole
place was very quiet now. For Just
one thrilling moment It had burgeoned
into sound and movement: when the
sweaty horses had stood snorting and
stamping In the yard with the hounds
ecampering between their legs and the
riding-coats wtnking like rubies In the
early sunshine!
Had she recognized him az the
smudged tinkerer Of the stalled car?
"She saw me drop that wretched brute
through the window" he chuckled. Il
could take oath TO that But she didn't
give me away, true little sport that
she was. And she won't. I can't
think Of any reason, but know. Was
she angry? / wonder!"
At length he rose and went back
to the house. With a bunch Of keys
he had found he went to the stables,
after some difficulty gained access.
and propped the crazy doors and win
dows open to the sun. The building
was airy and welllighted and con-
tanned . dozen roomy box-stalls, a
spacious loft and carriage-house.
The straw bedding had been unre-
moved, micegnawed sacking and
rotted hay lay in the managers, and the
warped harness, hanging on its pegs.
was q smelly mass Of mildew and
decay. He found stick. moved away
the festooning cobwebs. and moved
the debris piece-meal.
"There!" he said with satisfaction.
There's q place for the motor-it
Uncle Jefferson ever gets it here"
Il was nom when he returned, after
q wash-up in the lake, to the meal
with which Aunt Daphne, in costume
dimly suggestive Of bran-meal poul-
tee with q gingham apron on, RECALLED
him. Fried chicken. corn-bread 80
soft and fluffy that it had to be lifted
from the pan with q spoon, Drowned
potatoes, and to his surprise, fresh
milk "Ah done druv ouah Oh COW
ovah, suh," explained Aunt Daphne
lease she gotter be MIXED. er she
run dry ez de Red Sea To- de chillon
OBJ Izril"
Aunt Daphne" inquired Valiant
with his mouth fun. "what do you call
this green thing?"
Dat? OATS jes' tu1nip-tops, sub.
wid er hunk er bacon in de pot Laws
er.me. ct cer'n'y do mo good ter zee
20 git AFTER It dat way, sub. Reck'n
yo' got er appetite! Hyuh. Hyuh!"
Il have. I never guessed it before
and it's MAGNIFICENT discovery. How
ever, It suggests unwelcome refec
lions. Aunt Daphne, how long do you
estimate q man can dine like this Q.
well, say on hundred dollars?
Ter hun'ed dollahs. sub? OATS q
right smart heap o money. deed-et h!
Well sub, pens on whut 20 raises
Ell 20 raises 70 own gyarden-sass 81
chick'ns en- aigs. All reck'n 70 ktr
live longah dan dat ar Methoosalum
en- stu hat mos Of 1t in de Oh stock
In"
"Ah! I can grow all those thing.
myself, you think?"
"Yo certn'y kin" said Aunt Daphne
.Ev'ybody do. De chick'ns done peel
TO- deyselves en- de yuddah things 70
ony Eotter courage 'em en- dey jes
grows"
Valiant ate his dessert with I
thoughtful smile wrinkling his brow
Az he pushed back his chair he smot<
his hands together and laughed aloud
Back to the soil!" he said. "Johl
Valiant, farmeri The miracle Of It q
that It sounds good to me. ! want Z
raise my own grub and TIL my ovz
son. want to be my own man! Aot
I'm beginning to see my way. Crop
wfu have to wait for another season
but there's water and pasture for cat
tie now. There's timber-lots Of ~
on that hillside, too must look Init
that"
He filed his pipe and climbed <hs
staircase to the upper floor. Their
were many bedrooms With great -four
posted, canopied beds and old-fash
toned carved furniture Of mahogan,
and curiy.maple, and In one he souns
q great oedarlined chest filed viii
bed-linen and napery. In these rooml
were more evidences Of decay. TIL
bedroom he mentally chose for bill
own was the plainest Of all, and va.
above the library, fronting the vaga
bond garden. It had great blacl
desk with many glass.knobbed draw
ters and q book-rack.
He fingered longest in . room
whose door was painted The Hilarium
It had evidently been . nursery ant
,schoolroom. Here on the walls wer,
many shelves wound over with net
works Of cobwebs, and piled with the
oldest assemblage Of toys. There
were school.books. too, thumbed and
dog-eared, from First Reader t.
Caesars Gallo Wars, with names o.
small Valiants scrawled on their fly
leaves He carefully relocked the dool