Gilpin observer., 1914-05-28

|
I'VE used to have diving-board
when we were little shavers." pursued
the major. II remember once. your
| father"
He cleared his throat and stopped
dead.
Please" said John Valiant. Il
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 was mar
row squeak. l reckon"
silence fell Looking at the tall
muscular form beside her, Shirley had
a sudden vision of a determined little
body cleaving the dark water. over
and over. now rising painting for
breath, now plunging again, never 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 fiinching. He might suffer.
but he would be strong.
Half unconsciously she spoke her
thought aloud: You look like your
father. do you not?"
Yes" he replied. there's strong
likeness have photograph which
I'll show you sometime. But how did
you know"
Perhaps l 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 Pilgar-
| lie. got the names from John Jasper
he was Virginias famous negro
preacher. once heard him hold forth
when he read from one of the Psalms
the one 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 screech from the terrace. where
the peacock strutted. blaze of span
gled purple and gold. They turned to
see Aunt Daphne issue from the
| kitchen, twig- in hand.
'Heah!" she exclaimed. What TO-
yo' kyahin' on like er viii gyraff wen
we got comp'ny. yo' triflin' OIL fan
tail. yo, Git outen heah!" She
waved her weapon and the bird. with
raucous 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 II he
goes of like that" she said. And Fire
Cracker the bird was christened 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 TN
| Just go over the lines of the beds with
| Unc' Jefferson" he proposed. while
you two potter over these roses" So
! Valiant and Shirley walked back up
the slope beneath the pergola to-
| gether.
| With Ranston. pufing and blowing
like a black porpoise over his creak-
ing go-cart. they planted the ramblers
crimson and pink and white-va-
1 liant much OF the time on his knees,
spongy earth. and Shirley with broad
hat flung on the grass. her fingers
separating the clinging thread-like
roots and her small arched foot tamp-
Ing down the soil about them. Her
hair-the color OF wet raw wood in
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 sun-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 redbird fiirted by. to
his delight she whistled Its call 30
perfectly that 1t wheeled In mid flight
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
sun-dial.'
Then you haven't found TT" she
cried delightedly. Come and let me
show you
She led the way through the maze
OF beds at one side till they reached
hedge laced thickly with Virginia
creeper. He parted this leafy screen.
bending back the springing fronds
that thrust against the fiimsy muslin
OF her gown and thseatened to spear
the pinkrosed hat that cast an ador-
able warm tint over her creamy face,
thinking that never had the old place
seen such 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
way" he sighed to himself. "I could