Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1914-06-11

DO it," exclaimed the former. And
let NE say, sab. that the neighbor-
hood is not unaware Of the splendid
generosity which is responsible for
the present lack of which you speak"
Valiant put out his hand with a
little gesture Of depreciation, but the
other disregarded it. "Confound it,
sab, it was to be expected of a Va
liant Your ancestors wrote their
names in capital letters over this
country. They were an up and down
lot, but good or bad land, as Southau
says, reckon"-he nodded toward the
great portrait above the couch-"they
weren't all little woolly lambs) they
did big things in a big way"
Valiant leaned forward eagerly,
question on his lips. But at the mo-
ment a diversion occurred in the
shape of Uncle Jefferson, who re-en-
tered, bearing a tray on which set sun
dry jugs and clinking glasses, glow
ing with white and green and gold.
You old humbug," said the doctor,
don't you know the majors that poi
sOned with mint-juleps already that he
can't get up before eight in the morn
ing?"
Well, subj" Uttered Uncle Jeffer-
son, "Ah done fpun' er mint-baid down
below de kitchens dis mawnin'. Yo'-
all gemmun' bout dc bigges' expuhts
in dis yeah county, en- All reck'n
Mars Valiant sho' 'sist on yo' sam
pIin' ct"
Sab" said the major feelinglg,
turning to his host, I'm proud to
drink your health in the typical bev-
erage of Virginia." He touched
glasses with Valiant and glared at the
doctor, who was slipping his own
thoughtfulIy. Poems have been writ
ten on the julep, sab"
They make good epitaphs, too" OBJ
served the doctor.
Il noticed your glass isn't going
begging" the major retorted. "Unc'
Jefferson, that's as good mint as grew
in the gyarden of Eden. See that
those lazy niggers of yours don't grub
the patch out by mistake"
Vas, sah,'' said Uncle jefferson, as
he retired with the tray. "Ah gwine-
ter put er fence eroun' dat ar bald TO
SHUTDOWN"
The question that had sprung to
Valiants lips now found utterance. 81
saw you look at the portrait there"
he said to the major. Which of my
ancestors is it?"
The other got up and stood before
the mantel-piece in a Napoleonic atti-
tude. That" he said. fixing his eye
glasses, is your great-grandfather
Devil-John Valiant"
",Devil-John!" echoed his host. Yes,
I've heard the name"
The doctor guffawed. He earned
it, I reckon. never realized what a
sinister expression that missing optic
gives the old rufian. There was a
sllirmish during the war on tie hill
side yonder and bullet cut it out.
When we were boys we used to call
him Old iOne-Eye.
1T interests me enormously" John
Valiant spoke explosively.
THE stories of DeviI-John would fill
a mighty big book" said the major
BY all accounts he ought to have
lived in the middle ages" Crossing
the library, he looked into the dining
room. I thought l remembered. The
portrait over the console there is his
wife, your great-grandmother. They
say he bet that when ne brought his
bride home, she should walk into Da-
mory Court between rows of candle
sticks worth twenty-thousand dollars
He made the wager good, too for
/ when she came up those steps out
there, there was a row of ten candles
burning on either side of the doorway,
each held by young slave worth a
thousand dollars in the market.
Some say he grew jealous of his
wife's beauty. There were any num-
/ Der of stories told Of his crueIties to
her that aren't worth repeating. She
| died early - poor lady and your
I grandfather was the only issue Devil
! John himself lived to be past seventy.
and at that age, when most men were
/ stacking their sins and groaning with
| the govt, he was dicing and fox-hunt-
/ ing with the youngest of them. He
| always swore he would die with his
| boots on. and they say when the doc
/ tor told him he had only a few hours
| leeway, he made his slaves dress him
/ completely and prop him on his horse.
/ They gaIloped out so, a negro on
/ either side of him. 1t was a stormy
night, black as the Earl of Hell's rid
ing-boots, with wind and lightning,
and he rode cursing at both There's
| an old black-gum tree a mile from
here that they still call DeviI-John'T
tree. They were just passing under
It when the lightning struck it. Light
| ming has no effect on the black-gum,
you know. The bolt glanced from the
tree ard struck him between the two
slaves without harming either of
them. 1t killed his horse, too. That's
the story. To be sure at this date
/ nobody can separate fact from f1c-
ton Possibly he wasn't so much
worse than the rest % his neighbors
not excepting the parsons. Other
| times. other manners
They weren't any worse than the
present generation" said the doctor
malevolently Your four bottle men
then knew only claret: now they pun
ish whiskey- straight
The major buried his nose in his
julep for q long moment before he
| looked at the doctor blandly Il agree
with you, Bristow," he said: but It's
tutions found it as impossible to com.