The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1914-05-20

buOuluor through tn0 WluuOW. IL IL.
takes root" she said aloud, "my sweet;
heart loves me-" She leaned from the
sill to peer down into the misty gar
den, but could not follow its fall.
Long ago her visitor would have
reached Damory Court. She had
vision Of him wandering, candle in
hand, through the empty echoing
rooms, looking at the voiceless por-
traits on the walls, thinking perhaps
Of his father, Of the fatal duel Of which
he had never known. She liked the
way he had spoken Of his father!
AS she leaned, out Of the stiffness
1t was the bell of the courthouse in
the village. She counted the strokes
falling clearly or family as the slug
gish breeze ebbed or swelled. 1t was
eleven.
She drew back, dropped the curtain
to shut out the wan glimmer, and in
the darkness crept into the soft bed
as if into hiding-place.
Il warm sun and an air mildly mel
low. A faint gold.shadowcd mist over
the valley and q soft lilac haze blend
ing the rounded outlines of the hills
Through the shrubbery at Damory
Court cardinal darted like Grim
son shuttle, to rock impudently from
neering limb and here and there
on the bluish-ivory sky, motionless as
pasted wafer hung a hawk; from
time to time one Of these wavcred and
slantcd swiftly down, to climb once
more in a huge spiral to it's high tower
Of sky.
Perhaps it wondered, as it's tele-
scopic eye looked down. That had
been it's choicest covert, that dishev-
elcd tangle where the birds held per-
pctual carnival, the weasel lurked in
the underbrush and the rabbit lined
his windfaIl. Now the wildness was
gone. pergola. glistening white, now
upheld the runaway vines, making q
sicltle-likc path from the upper ter
race to the lake In the barn loft the
pigeons still quarrcllcd over their new
cotcs OF fresh pine, and under clump
Of locust trees at little distance from
the house, half-doZcn dolls cabins
on stills stood waiting the honey-stor-
age Of the black and gold bees.
There were now denizens, also.
These had arrived in Il dozen zinc
tanks and willow hampers, to the
amaze Of Il sleepy express clerk at the
railroad station: two swans now sailed
majcstically over the lily.ponds Of the
lake, along its gravel rim and pair
Of bropZc-colored ducks waddled and
preened and its placid surface rippled
10 no c1, tch re
goldfish and the flirting fins Of red
Japanese carp.
The house itself wore another air.
It's look Of unkemptness had largely
vanished. The soft gray tone Of age
remained, but the bleakness and for
lornness were gone; there was about
all now a warmth and genial bearing
that limited at mellowed beauty, fire.
light and cheerful voices within.
Valiant heaved a long sigh of salts
faction as he stood in the sunlight gaz-
ing at the results Of his labors. He
was not now the nippant boulevardior
to whom money was the sine qua non
of existence. He had learned sover-
eign le:,aon-one gained not through
the push and fight of crowds but in
the simple peace Of countryside, un-
vexed by the clamor Of gold and the
complex problems Of competitive ex-
istencc--that he had inherited need
Of activity, Of achievement that he had
been born to do.
"Chun," he said, to the dog rolling
on his back in the grass, what do
you think Of it all, anyway" He
reached down, seized q hind leg and
whirling him around like teetotum,
sent him flying into the bushes,
whence Chum launched again upon
him, like catapuit. He caught the
white shoulders and held him wise. like.
Just about right. Ell? But wait till
we get those ramblers!"
Continued Next Week.)