Five Mile Beach weekly journal., 1914-03-06

with your PERMISSION III lake one
of Them in and See."
see any one else there. For after all,
the Valiants were gentlemen"
Mrs. Clifford shifted. would you
have called Devil-John Valiant a gen.
tleman? Why, he earned the name
by the dreadful things he did. My
grandfather use % say that when his
wife lay sick-he mated her, you know
he would gallop his horse with all
his hounds full,cry after him under
her windows. Then hat CHASTITY story
of the slave he pressed to death in the
hogshead of tobacco"
Il know" acquiesced Mrs. Mason.
HE was a cruel man and wicked, too.
Yet of urs he was a gentleman. In
the South the test of a gentleman has
never been what he does, but who he
is. But his grandson, Beauty Valiant.
who lived at Damory Court thirty
years ago, wasn't his type at all. He
was only twenty-five when the duel
occurred
HE must have been brilliant" said
the visitor, ITO have founded that
great corporation. It's a pity the son
didn't take after him. Have you seen
the papers lately? 1t seems that
though he was to blame for the wreck.
ing of the concern they can't do any.
thing to him. Some technicality in
the law, l suppose. But If a man is
only rich enough they can't convict
him of anything. Why he should sud
denly make up his mind to come down
here l can't see. With that old af-
fair of his fathers behind him, ]
should think he'd prefer Patagonia"
81 take it, then, madam" Doctor
Southall's forbidding voice rose from
the doorway, that you are familiar
with the circumstances of that old af-
fair, as you term it?"
The lady bridled. Her passages at
arms with the doctor did not inyaria-
bly, tend to sweeten her disposition
I'm sure l only know what people
say" she said.
"'People?'" snorted the doctor iras-
chilly. Just another name for a com
munity that's a perfect sink of mean
ness and malice. II n believed all
he heard here he'd quit speaking to
his own grandmother"
You will admit, l suppose" said
Mrs. Clifford with some spirit, that
the name Valiant isn't what it used
to be in this neighborhood?"
Il will. madam" responded the doc
tor. when Valiant left this place Ca
mark of good taste, I've always consid-
cred it) he left it the worse, If posi-
BILE, for his departure. Your remark,
however, would seem to imply de
merit on his part. Was he the only
man who eyer happened to be at the
lucky end Of a battle-ground"
"Then it isn't true that Valiant was
a dead shot and Sassoon in~toxicated?"
Madam" said the doctor, 81 have
no wish to discuss the details of that
unhappy incident with you or anybody
else. l was one of those present, but
the circumstances you mention have
never been descanted upon by me-"
81 see by the papers," said Mrs. Gift
ford, with an air Of resignedly chang
ing the subject, they've been investi-
eating the failure of the Valiant Cor
poration. The son seems to be get
ting the sharp end of the stick. Per
haps he's coming down here because
they've made it SO hot for him in
New York. Well, I'm afraid he'll find
this county Disappointing"
HE will that!" agreed the doctor
savagely. mo doubt he imagines he's
coming to a kindly countryside of gen.
tle-born people with souls and imagi-
nations; he'll find he's lit in a section
that's entirely too ready to hack at his
fathers name and prepared in adj
vance to call him Northern scum and
turn up its nose at his accent-a COM
munity so full of dyed-in-the-wool
snobbery that 1t would make Boston
look like a poor-white barbecue. I'm
sorry for him!"
Just then from the e of the house
came a strident voice:
"Yo', Raph'ell Take yo' hans
an.Aow d.un nhawrfaof nous nog huou of