The Tucumcari news and Tucumcari times. [volume] (Tucumcari, N.M.) 1907-1921, 1914-07-02


the major. II remember once. your
father"
lie cleared his throat and stopped
dead.
Please" said John Valiant. II
like to hear about him"
1T was only that ! struck my head
on n rock on the bottom and-stayed
down. The others were frightened.
but he-he dove down again and again
I'LL he brought me out II was a mar.
row squeak. ! reckon"
A silence fell. Looking 1t the tail
muscular form beside her. Shirley had
a sudden vision OF a determined little
body cleavinR 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 Arm lips. would
know no ninching. 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 a strong
likeness | have n photograph which
I'll show you sometime. But how did
you know"
Perhaps I 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 we'll The light one shall
be Peezletree and the dark one pilgar.
lie. | got the names from John Jasper
he vas Virginia's 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 II p%eezletree."
V%aliant's laugh rang out over the
lake-to be answered by n sudden
sharp screech from the terrace, where
the peacock strutted, n blaze OF span.
gled purple and gold. They turned to
see Aunt Daphne issue from the
kitchen. twig.broom In hand
"Heah." she exclaimed. What TO
yo' kyahin' on like er VIII gyraff wen
w got comp'ny. yo' triilln' oil fan.
tail. 20! CIT outen heah!" Sho
waved her Weapon and the bird. with
n raucous shrek OF defiance. retired
in ruffled disorder. The master OF
ramory 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
inc 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. pulling and blowing
like IA black p%orDoise over his creak.
ing go.cart. they planted the ramblers
crimson and pink and white Va.
4 liant much OF the time on his knees,
his hands %plunging deep into the black
spongy earth. and Shirley with broad
hat flung on the grass. her fingers
separating the clinging thread.like
roots and her small arched foot lamp.
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 tho exercise. a
great black and orange butterfly,
dazed with the sun glow, alighted or
ValIant's rolled.up sleeve. lie held his
arm perfectly still and blew gently
on the wavering pinions til It swan
away. When u redbird fiirted by. to
his delight she whistlcd It's call so
perfectly that II wheeled In mid flight
and tilted inquiringly back toward
them.
AS they descended the terrace again
to the pergola. he said. There's only
n thing lacking at Damory Court
a sun.dial."
Then you haven't found IT," she
cried delightedly. Come and let mo
show you"
She led the way through the maze
OF beds at one side till they reached
a hedge laced thickly with Virginia
creeper, He parted this leafy screen,
bending back the ~springing fronds
that thrust against the flmsy muslin
OF her gown and threatened 10 spear
tho pink.rosed hat that cast an ador.
able warii tint over her creamy face.
thinking that never had the old place
seen such n picture as she made
framed In the deep green.
Some such thought was In tic aa.
jor's mind. too, as he came slowly up
the terrace below, He paused. to take
on his hat and wipe his brow.
with the place all fixed up this
way" he sighed TO himself. II could
believe II was only last week that
Beauty Valiant and Southall and |
were boys, loafng around this gyar.
den. And to think that now It's Va.
liant's son and Judith's daughterl
$50