The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1914-06-03

'oueheu over lne work. OnCc, as they
stood up, flushed with the exercise, a
great black and orange butterfly.
daZed with the sun-glow, alighted on
Vailants rolled-up sleeve. He held his
arm perfectly still and blew gently
on the waverng pinions till it swan
away. When a redbird nirtcd by, to
his delight she whistled its call 80
perfectly that it wheeled in mid-night
and tilted inquiringly back toward
them.
AS they descended the terrace again
TO the pergola, he said, There's only
one thing lacking at Damory Court
a sun.dial."
Then YOU haven't found it?" she
cried delightedly. Come and let me
show YOU"
OF beds at one side till they reached
hedge laced thickly with Virginia
creeper. He parted this leafy screen,
bending back the springng fronds
that thrust against the fiimsy muslin
OF her gown and threatened to spear
the pink-rosed hat that cast an ador-
able warm tint over her creamy face,
thinking that never had the old place
seen such q picture as she made
framed in the deep green
Some such thought was in the ma
jor's mind. too, as he came slowly up
the terrace below. He paused, to take
off his hat and wipe his brow.
With the place all fixed up this
way he sighed to himself, II could
believe 1t was only last week that
Beauty Valiant and Southall and |
were boys, loaflng around this gyar-
den And to think that now it's Va
liants son and Judith's daughter!
Why, it seems like yesterday that Shir-
ley there was only knee high to q
grasshopper--and l used to tell her
her hair was that color because she
ran through hell bareheaded. I'm
about a thousand years old, reckon!"
Meanwhile the two figures above
had pushed through the tangle into
circular sunny space where stood 6
short round pillar Of red onyx 1t was
sun.dial, its vince clad disk cut Of
gray polished stone in which it's metal
tongue was socketed Round the outer
edge Of the disk ran an inscription
in archaic lettering. Valiant pulled
away the clustering ivy leaves and
read: IL count no hours but the hap
py ones"
IF that had only been true!" he
said
1T is true. See how the vines hid
the sun from it. 1t ceased to mark
the time after the Court was de-
serted"
I'll put moonflowers at It's base and
where you are standing, Madonna
lilies, The outer part Of the circle
shall have bridal-wreath and white
iT!ses. and they shall shade out into
pastel colors--mauves and grays and
heliotropes. Oh, shall love this spot!
perhaps sometime the best OF all"
(Which do you love the most now?"
He leaned slightly toward her, one
hand on the dial's time.notched rim.
Don't you know?" he said in lower
voice. Gould any other spot mean to
me what that acre under the hemlocks
means?"
Her face was turned from him, her
fingers pulling at the drifting vine. and
q splinter of sunlight tangled in her
hair like a lace Of frehies.
Il could never forget It," he con-
tinued. The thing that spoiled my
fathers life happened there, yet there
We two first talked, and there you-"
DON'T" she said, facing him.
DON'T"
'Ah. let me speak! I want to tell
You that l shall carry the memory OF
that afternoon, and Of your brave kind
ness, always, always! If were never
| to see you again in this life, should
| always treasure it. If died Of thirst
in some Sahara. it would be the last
thing / should rcmember-your face
would be the last thing should see!
/ If l."
! In the silence there was the sound
of slow football on the gravel walk,
and at the same moment he saw
magical change Shirley drew back.
The soft gentian blue Of her eyes
darkened. The lips that an instant
before had been tremulous, parted in
low delicious laugh. She swept him
a deep curtsey.
81 am beholden to you, SIR" she
said gaily, "for a most knightly com
pliment. There's the major Come
and let us show him where we've
planted the ramblcrs."
Continued Next Week.
Take Plenty ot Timc tl Eat