The herald-advance. (Milbank, S.D.) 1890-1922, 1914-09-18

when We were little shavers,' pursued
the major. Il remember once, your
father"
He cleared his throat and stopped
dead.
Please" said John Valiant. II
like to hear about him"
1t was only that | struck my head
on a rock on the bottom and-stayed
down. The others were frightened.
but he-he dove down again and again
till he brought me out. 1t Vas a mar
row squeak, | reckon"
A silence fell. Looking 1t the tall
muscular form beside her, Shirley had
body cleaving the dark water. over
and over. rising painting for
breath. now %plunging again. eve Civ
ing up. And she told herself that the
son was the same sort. That hard
set of the jaw, those firm lips. would
know no 1inching. He might suffer,
but he would oe strong.
Half unconsciously she spoke her
thought aloud. You look like your
father, do you not?"
Yes" he replied. there's a strong
likeness. | have a photograph which
YOU know"
Perhaps | only guessed" she said
in some confusion. To cover this she
stopped by the pebbly marge and held
out her hand to the bronze ducks that
pushed and gobbled about her fingers.
What have you named them?" she
asked.
Nothing. You christen them"
Very well. The light one shall
be Peezletree and the dark one P1lgar-
lie. | got the names from John Jasper
he was Virginia's famous negro
preacher. | once heard him hold forth
when he read from one OF the Psalms
the n about the harp and the
psaltery-and he called it peezletree.'
Valiant's laugh rang out over the
lake-to be answered by a sudden
sharp screeeh from the terrace. where
the peacock strutted, a blaze of span
gled purple and gold. They turned to
see Aunt Daphne issue from the
kitchen. twig- broom in hand.
"Heah," she exclaimed. What TO
yo' kyahin' on like er viii gyraff ven
we got compny, yo trifin' oil fam
tail. 70, Git outen heah," She
waved her weapon and the bird. with
a raucons shrek Of defiance, retired
in ruffled disorder. The master OF
Damory Court looked at Shirley.
What shall we name him.
I'D call him Fire-Cracker il he
goes off like that she said. And Fire
Cracker the bird was c%hristened forth
with.
And now" said Shirley. lets set
out the ramblers.
The major had brought a rough plan,
sketched from memory, of the old ar
rangement Of the formal garden. I'll
just go over the lines Of the beds with
Unc' Jefferson he proposed. while
you two potter owe these roses" So
Valiant and Shirley walked back up
the slope beneath the pergola to-
gether.
With Ranston. putting and blowing
like a black porpoise over his creak-
ing go-cart. they planted the ramblers
crimson and pink and white-Va-
liant much of the time on his knees,
his hands plunging deep into the black
spongy earth. and Shirley with broad
hat flung or the grass. her fingers
separating the clinging thread like
rnntc and har g ~ "a ~ q rnhnI f~at ,~,r
ing down the soil about them Her
hair-the color of wet raw wood il
the sunlight-Was very near the brown
head and sometimes their fingers
touched over the work. Once. as they
stood up, flushed with the exercise. a
great black and orange butterfly.
dazed with the glow, alighted on
Valiant's rolled-up sleeve. He held his
arm perfectly still and blew gently
on the wavering pinions till it swan
away. When a redbird hirted by, to
his delight she whistled its call SO
perfectly that it wheeled in mid-fight
and tilted inquiringly back toward
them.
AS they descended the terrace again
to the pergola, he said, There's only
one thing lacking at Damory Court
a sun-dial."
Then you haven't found it," she
cried delightedly. Come and let me
show YOU"
She led the way through the maze
OF beds at n side till they reached
a hedge laced thickly with Virginia
creeper. He parted this leafy screen.
bending back the springing fronds
that thrust against the flimsy muslin
of her gown and threatened to spear
the pink-rosed hat that cast an ador-
able warm tint over her creamy face.
thinking that never had the old place
such a picture as she made
framed in the deep green.
Some such thought was in the ma
jor's mind. too. as he came slowly up
the terrace below. He paused. to take
off his hat and wipe his brow.
With the place all fixed up this
he sighed to himself, II could
believe 1t was only last week that
Valiant and Southall and |
x,-.- n-.~ 49, .-...3 --