Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1914-03-04
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ILLUSTRATED 81 LAUREN STOUT
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covers Of faded SOFT toned tapestry.
window-hangings Of dull sreen-all
with tobacco-leaves laid between the
folds and sifted thickly over with the
sparkling white powder. At the bot
tom. rolled in tarry.smelling paper, he
found q half.dosen thin, Persian pray
errugs.
"Phew!" he whistled. II certainly
ought to be grateful to that law Arm
that inspected the place. Think Of
the things lying hero all these years!
And that powder everywhere! It's
done the work, too, for there's not a
sign Of moth. II I'm not careful, I'll
stumble over the family plate-it
seems to Be about the only thing want.
ing"
He thought Q moment. then went
quickly into the library and began to
ransack the trunk. At length he found
. small box containing keepsakes of
various kinds. He poured the medley
on to the table-an uncut moonstone,
an amethyst-topped pencil that one OF
his tutors had given him as boy, q
tigers claw, Q compass and what-not.
Among them was mans seal-ring
with . crest cut in cornelian. He
looked at It closely. It was the same
device. ~
The ring had been his fathers.
Just when or how It had come into
his possession he could never remem-
Der. It had lain among these keep
sakes 20 many years that he had al
most forgotten it's existence. He had
never worn Q ring, but now. as he
went back to the hall. he slipped it
on his finger. Tho motto below the
crest was worn away. but 1t showed
clear in the marble Of the hall-mantle:
I clinge.
His eyes turned from the carven
words and strayed to the pleasant sun
ny foliage outsiis. AZ arrogant boast.
perhaps. yet in the event we'll justi-
fed. valiants had held that selfsame
slope when the encircling forests had
rung with war.whoop and blazed with
tort,ire-fire. They had held on through
Revolution and Civil War. Good and
bad, abiding and lawless. every gener-
alton had cleaved stubbornly to It's
acres. I clinge. His father had chung
through absence that seemed to have
been almost exile. and now he, the last
Valiant, has come to make good the
boast
His xaze wsvered. The tail Of his
eye had caught through the window q
squirt Of something. dashing and vivid,
that grased the corner Of far-on
field. He craned his neck. but 1t had
passed the line Of his vision. The
next moment. however. there came
trailing on the satiny stiffness the
high-keyed ululation Of horn, and an
instant later q long-drawn halloo-o!
mixed with . pattering chorus OF
yelps.
He went close. and leaning from the
sill, shaded his eyes with his hand.
The noise swelled and rounded in vol
ume; it was nearing rapidly. As he
looked the hunt dashed into full view
between the tree-boles-a galloping
melee of khaki and scarlet, swarming
across the fresh green Of wheat
field, behind . spotted swirl Of hounds.
"Confound IT," said John Valiant
.belligerently; they're on my land"
They were near enough now for him
to hear tho voices of the men. calling
encouragement to the dogs. and to see
tho white ribbons of foam across the
tanks Of the laboring horses. One
scarlet coated feminine rider, detached
from the bunch, had spurred In ad.
vance and was leading by q clean hun
bred yards. bareheaded, her hat fallen
back to the limit of its ribbon knotted
under her chin, and her waving hair
cleaning like furnished gold.
"How she rides!" muttered the soil.
tary watcher. "Cross-saddle. of course,
the sensible little sport! She'll
never in the world do that wall!-Yes.
by George!" John valiant's admira'
ton turned to delight. Why" he
said, 'it's the I.ady-of-the-Roses!"
He put his hands on the sill and
vaulted to the porch.
fTo ho CopfjpuodN