Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1914-03-12

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lSivss ne Old rulan. There 49, .
slEirnish during he war on ~ hill
sado yondef and I bullst cut e ost
when We were boys W used - call
him Old One-Nys.'"
'It Interests me enoemously.s Joh1
valiant spoke explosivsly. ~
"The stories Of DsvilJoh would mn
. mighty big book" said the major.
by oil accounts he ought TO have
lived IN tho middle ages" Crossing
the library, he looked into the dining
room. IT thought remembered. The
portrait over the console there II his
wife, your great.grandmother. They
say he bet that when no brought his
bride home, she should walk into d.
mory Court between rows Of candle
sticks worth twenty4housand dollars.
He made the wager good. too. for
whom she came up those steps out
there. there was / row OF ten candles
burning on either side Of the doorway,
each held by . young slave worth .
thousand dollars In the market.
Some say he srsw Jealous Of his
wifs's beauty. There were any num-
ber OF stories told q his cruelties to
her that aren't worth repeating. she
died early poor lady and your
grandfather was the only issue. Devil
John himself lived TO b past ssventy,
and at tAa& sge. when most men were
stacking their sins and groaning with
Az >>.>A - 600 I&aAAa~ o~A 49,, is,srt.
Ing with the youngest Of them. He
always sWore he would die With his
boots on, ana they ~ when the doc.
tor told HIM he had only e'fev hours
leewsy, he made his slaves drsas him
completely and prop him on bic horse.
They Gallopsd out %. negro on
either side Of him, II WAS . stormy
night. black - the Earl of HeIl's I'd.
IND. boots, with wind and lightning
and he rode cursing. ut both. There's
an old bIackgum tree q mfIs from
hsre that they SIN ealf Dsvt,John's
tree. They were Just passing under
It whom the lightning struck It Light
ming has no effect on the black-gumI
you know. Tho bolt glanced iron the
tree and struck him between the two
slaves without hafming either Of
them. Il killed his horSe. too. That's
the story. To Be sure ut this date
nobody can separate fact from 11c-
ton. Possbly he wasn't % much
worse than tho rest d his neighborS
excepting the parsons. Other
times, other menners's
"They weren't any worse than the
present generation," said the doctor
malevolently. "Your four bottle men
then knew only clarst: now they pun
ish whiskey.straight." 80
The major buried his nose In HE
julep for . long moment before he
looked At the doctor blandly. Il agree
with you. Bristow." be said: ''but it's
the first time I ever heard you admit
that much good Of your ancestors"
Good" said the doctor belfig6rent-
ly. me? don't! said people now
were no better. Al for the men Of
that time, they were cheap swagger-
ing lot Of bulliss and swash-bucklers.
When I read history I'm ashamed to
be descended from them"
Il desire TO inform you. sah." said
the major, stung. "thst too am . do.
scendant Of those DULLES and swash-
bucklers, a. you call them. And I
wish from my heart thought We, now
adays. could hold . tallow-dip to
them"
you refer. no doubt said the, ooc-
tor with sarcasm. Ito our friend Devil
John and his ideal treatment Of his
wife!"
mo, sah." replied the major warm
~. I'm not referring tor DevilJohn.
There were exceptions, no doubt. but
for the most part they treated their
women folk a. believe their Maker
made them to be treated! The man
who failed in his courtesy there, sab.
was called to account for It. He was
mighty apt to ind himself standing IN
the cool dawn at the butt-end Of A."
. He broke OF and coushed. There
was an awkward pause In which he
set down his glass noisily and rose
and stood before tho open bookcase.
II envy you this, sah," he said with
somewhat Of haste. "A hne old col
lection. Bless my soul, what . curious
ivolume!"
AZ he spoke. his hand jsrksd out .
,heavy-looking lesthsE-bsck Valiant.
who had risen and stood beside him.
saw instantly that what ho hsd drawn
from the shelf was the morocco case
that held tho rusted dueling-pistol! In
the majors hands the broken boz
opened. A sudden startled look dAftsd
across his leonine face. With smoth'
cred exclamation he thrust It back
between tho books and closed the
glass door.
Valiant had paled. His previous
finding Of tho weapon had sscapsd his
mind. Now he read, - clearly - II
It had been printed in hlacklettes
across the sunny wall. ths sfgnihcancs
lot the majors confusion. That weap
on had been In his fathers hand whsu
hs faosd his opponent In that fatal
duel! Il flashed scruss hiDAmtnd %
the doctor lungsd for his hat and STICK
and got to his fest. -. ~ ~
Come. Bristow," said the la&tsr iE1s'
!tably. 'sYour feet Win grow last TO
M " -