Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1914-01-10

ward to new career or prosperity.
But he thought of this now with no
thrill The old life no longer called.
There were still wide unpeopled
spaces somewhere where a mans hand
and brain were no less needed, and
there was work there that would help
him to bear, if not forget.
He paced up and down the porch
under the great gray columns, his
steps spiritless and tagging. The
Virginia creeper, trailing over it's end.
waved to and fro with sound like a
sigh. How long would it be before the
lawn was once more unkempt and
draggled? Before burdock and thistle,
mullen and Spanish-needle would re-
turn to smother the clover? Before
Damory Court, on which he had spent
such loving labor, would lie again as
it lay that afternoon when he had rat
tied thither on Uncle Jefferson's crazy
hack? Before there would be for him,
In some far-away corner Of the world,
only Wishing House and the Never
Never Land? -" -
In the hall he stood a moment be-
fore the fireplace, his eyes on it's
carven motto, clinge: the phrase was
like a spear-thrust. He began to
wander restlessly through the house,
up and down, like prowling animal.
The dining-room looked austere and
chill-only the little lady in hoops and
love-curls who had been his great
grandmother smiled wistfully down
from her gilt frame above the con-
sol-and in the library melancholy
deeper than that of yesterdays TRACE
dy seemed to hang, through which
Devil.John drawing closer the leash
of his leaping hound, glared sardonic-
ally at him from his one cold eye.
The shutters of the parlor were closed,
but he threw them open and let the
rich light pierce the yellow gloom,
glinting from the figures in the cabi-
net and weaving a thousand tiny rain
bows in the prisms of the great
chandelier.
He went upstairs, into the bed
rooms one by one, now and then pass
ing his hand over a polished chair
back or touching an ornament or
frame on the wall: into The Hilarium
with it's records of childish study and
play. The dolls stood now on dress
parade in glass cases, and prints In
bright colors, dear, to little people,
were on the walls. He opened the
shutters here, too, and stood some
time on the threshold before he
turned and went heavily downstairs.
Through the rear door he could see
the kitchens, and Aunt Daphne sitting
under the trumpet-vine piecing nine
patch calico quilt with little squares
of orange and red and green cloth.
Two diminutive darkies were sprawled
on the ground wary bantam pecked
industriously about their bare legs.
EN- den whut de roostah say, Aunt
Daph?" ....
cor roostah he hollah ter all he
wifes, 10000! 10000! Young
Mars come!-Young Mars come.
Young Mars comet En- dey all mighty
skeered, case Mars John he cert'n'y
fond OBJ fried chick'n. But de big
turkey gobbler he don b'leeve ct tall.
oubtful-doubtful! he say
lax dat. Den de drake he peep enroun'
de cornah, en-, he say, Hash! Hash!
Haish' Fo' he done seed Mars John
comm, sho' huff. But ct too late by
den, TO- Aunt Daph she done grab
Mis- Pullet, en- Mars John he gwineter
eat huh dis berry evenin' TO he sup
pah. Now you chillun runs erlong
home ter yo' mammies, en- don yo'
pick none OBJ dem green apples on
way, neidar." ~. '.a
It was not till after dark had come
that Valiant said good-by to the gar
den. He loved it best under the star
light He sat long hour under the
pergola overlooking the lake, where
he could dimly see the green rocks,
and the white froth of the water bub-
bling and chuckling down over their
rounded outlines to the shrouded level
below. The moon lifted finally and
scared through the sky, blowing out
the little lamps of stars. Under its
light a gossamer mist robed the land
scape in shimmering opalescence
in which tree and shrub altered their
values and became transmitted to sill
yer sentinels. watching over demesne
of violet-velvet shadows filled with
sleepy twitterings and stealthy rust
lings and the odor of wild honey
suckle.
At the last he stood before the old
sun-dial rearing It's column from its
pearly clusters Of blossoms. II count
no hours but the happy ones: he read
the inscription with an. indrawn breath.
Then, cropping at it's base, he lifted the
ivy that had once rambled there and
drew up the tangle again over the
stone disk. His Bride's-Garden!
In the library, an hour later, sitting
at the big black pigeonholed desk, he
wrote to Shirley:
81 am leaving tonight on the mid
night train. Uncle Jefferson will give
you this note in the morning. will
not stay at Damory Court to bring
more pain into your life. I am going
very far away. I understand all you
are feeIing-and SO, good-by, good-by.
God keep you! | love you and /
shall love you always, always!" So
CHAPTER XVI
The Voice From the Past.
Though the doctor left the church
with Shirley and her mother, he did
not drive to Rosewood, but to his Of.
fee. There, alone with Mrs. Dandr-
ridge while Shirley waited in the car
riage, he unlocked the little tin box
that had been the majors with the
key Mrs. cambridge gave him, and put