The Tucumcari news and Tucumcari times. [volume] (Tucumcari, N.M.) 1907-1921, 1914-06-18

- NV ~ t@a hhhh NV
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 q
little gesture OF depreciation. but the
other d~isregarded II. "Cohfound Il.
sab. II 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. rs Southall
says, ] reckon"-he nodded toward the
great portrait above the .couch-"they
weren't all little woolly iambs) they
did big things in a big way"
Vrliant leaned forward eagerly, n
question on his lips. But at the mo-
ment n diversion occurred In the
shape OF Uncle Jefferson. who re.en.
tered. bearing a tray on which set sur
dry Jugs and climbing glasses. glow.
ing with white and green and gold.
You old humbug." said the doctor.
don't you know the majors that poi.
sone'i with mint.juleps already that he
can't get up before eight in the morn.
Ing"
Well, sub" Uttered Uncle Jeffer.
son. "Ah done foun' or m%int.baid down
below do kitchens dis mawnin'. Yo'.
all Gemmun' bout de- bigges' expuhts
In dis yeah county, en- Ah reck'n
Mars Valiant sho' 'sist on yo' sam.
pin ct"
sab" said the major feelingiy.
turning TO his most. I'm proud to
drink YOU health in the typical bev.
erage Of Virginia." He touched
glasses with Valiant and glared 1t the
doctor, who was slipping his own
~thoughtfully. Poems have been writ.
ten on the iulep. sab"
!, They make good epitaphs. too" OBJ
served the doctor.
i noticed your glass isn't going
begging" the major retorted. "Unc'
Jefferson. that's as good mint as grew
in the garden OF Eden. See that
those lazy niggers OF yours don't grub
the patch out by mistake"
Vas. sah." said Uncle Jefferson. az
he retired with the tray. "Ah gwine-
ter put er fence eroun' dat ar bald To-
shutdown"
The question that had sprung TO
Valiant's lips now found u%tterancs. Il
saw you look at the portrait there"
he said TO the major. which OF my
ancestors Is ~"
The other got up and stood before
the mantel.piece in n Napoleonic atti.
tude. That" he said. fixing his eye
glasses. lis your great.grandfather.
Devil-jOhn Valiant"
"Deyil.John!" echoed his host. yes.
I've heard the name"
The doctor guffawed. "He earned
II. , reckon. | eve realized what a
sinister expression that missing optic
gives the old rufian. There was a
side yonder ana a bullet cut II out.
When we were boys we used to call
him Old One-Eye.'"
1t interests me enormously" John
Valiant spoke explosively.
The stories OF Devil.John would all
n mighty big book" said the major.
by all accounts he ought 10 have
lived In the middle ages" Crossing
the library. he looked into the dining.
room Il thought I remembered. The
portrait owe the console there IL his
wife. your great.grandmother. They
say he bet that when he brought his
bride home. she should walk into Da.
mory Court between rows OF candle
sticks worth twenty-thousand dollars
lie 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 a young slave worth a
thousand dollars In the market.
some a he grew Jealous OF his
wife's beauty. There were any mum.
be- % stories told OF his ~cruelties "a
her that aren't worth repeating. She
died early - poor lsGy and you,
grandfather was the only isuue. Devil
John himself lived TO be past seventy
aud at that age, when most men were
stacking their sins and grooming with
the govt. he was dlcing and fox hunt
ing with the youngest OF them. lie
always swore he would die with his
beots on, and they say when the doc
tor told him he had only. a few hours
lesway. he made HIS slaves drots him
completely and prop him on hts horse
They ealloped OUT SO, a negro on
either side Of him, II was n stormy
night, black as the Earl OF Hell's rid
ing boots, with wind and lightning
and he rode c~ursing at both. There's
an old black.gum tree a mile from
here that they still call DevilJohn'
tree, They were Just passing under
i whom the lightning struck II. Light
ming has no effect on the ~black.gum
you know. The bolt glanced from the
tree AID struck him between the two
'siaves without harming either oil
them. II killed his horse. too. That's
the story. To be sure at this dat,
nobody can separate fact from nc
'tion. Possibly he wasn't 30 much
worse than the rest % his neighbour
lTnot excepting the parsons. Other
Zines. other manners.'s
'T~They weren't any worse than IN,
DrQaaat nanarafian . .alA ,ha Aoo.ni