The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1914-07-01
Katharine Decides.

mede with John Valiant in the dun.
lcolored motor. She sat in the drivers
seat beside him, while the bulldog ca
pered, ecstatically barking, from side
ITO side of the rear cushions Her
father had declined the honor, remark.
ing that he considered professional
chauffeur a sufficient risk OF his valua-
'blc life and that the Chalmers ,.aya
were good enough for him-a decision
which did not wholly displease Katha.
,rine
The car was not the smart Pan
hard in which she had so often spun
down the avenue or along the shell
roads Of the north shore. 1t lacked
those fin-de.siecle appurtenances which
marked the ne plus ultra Of It's kind
as her observant eye recognized; but
at ran staunch and true. The powerful
Hands that gripped the steering-wheel
were brown with sun and wind, and
,the handsome face above it had look
?of kcenness and energy she had never
surprised before. They passed many
vehicles and there were few whose oc
'cupants did not greet him. In fact,
as he presently remarked, 1t was
saving Of energy to keep his hat of:
and he tossed the Panama into the
rear seat. On tho rim of the village
a group raised cheer TO which he
nodded laughngly, and further on
littlo old lady on a timiI vineco!nrna
porch beside church. waved a .blacE,
mit:ed hand to him with sweet old
time gesture. Katharine noted that he
bowed to her with extra care,
That's Miss Matte Sue Mabry," he
said "thc quaintegt, dearest thing you
ever saw. She taught my father his
letters"
Where the Red Road stretched level
before them, he threw the throttle
open for long rush through the
thymy- y-scented air. The light, late
afternoon breeze drew by them, sweep.
ing back Katharine's graceful sinuous
veil and spraying them with odors OF
clover and sunny fruit. They passed
orchard clumps bending with young
apples, boundless aisles Of green,
young-tasseled corn and shadowy
groves that smelled Of fern and sassa-
fras, opening out into moro sunlighted
vistas overarched by tho intense pene-
,IlaUie VI INC june SKY.
John Valiant had never seemed to
her SO wholly good to see, with his
waving hair ruffling in their flight and
the westering sun shining redly on his
face. Midway Of this spurt he looked
at her to say: "Did you ever know q
more beautiful countryside? See how
the pink-and-yellow Of those grain
fields fades into tho purple Of the hills.
Very few painters have ever captured
"a tint like that. It's like raspberries
crushed in curdled milk"
i've quite lost my heart to 1t all"
'she said, her voice jolting with tho
speed Of their course. "It's q perfect
pastoral 80 different from
tour terrific city pace. -" OF
}course 1t must be trihe dull at times
seeing tho same people al.
ways and without the thea
ter and the opera and the whirl about
Ione-but tho kind OF life
ione reads about in the nov.
els OF the South, you know
i suppose one doesn't realize that It
actually exists until one comes to q
southern place like this. And the
negro servants How odd 1t must be
TO have n white-haired old darky in q
ibrass-buttoned swallow-tail for but.
ller! SO picturesque! At Judge Chal.
'mors' have feeling all tho time that
I'm walking through a stage re.
thearsal."
The car slackened speed as 1t slid
by a white-washed cabin at whose en-.
trance sat dusky gray-bearded fig
,ure. Valiant pointed. do you see
him ?" he asked.
Il see a very ordinary old colored
man sitting on the doorstep" Katha.
Pine replied.
That's Mad Anthony our local
mother Shipton. He's a prophet and
lsoothsayer. Uncle Jefferson-that's
my body.servant-insists that he fore
told my coming to Damory Court. If |
we had more time you could have
your fortune told"
How thrilling!" she commented
with half-humorous irony
He pointed to great white house |
tset In grove Of trees. "That is !
|Beeohwood," he told her, "tho Beverly |
homestead. Young Beverley was the
Knight Of the Silver Cross. A fine old
place. isn't It? 1t was burned by the
(Indians during the French and Indian
war. My tgreat-great- -grandfath.
or - He broke off. But then, those
OLD things won't interest you"
They interest you great deal.
don't they?" she asked
0YaaO ha admitted ry...I