The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1914-03-18

pinch In his fingers, noting that 1t
gave forth the curious spicy scent.
Dim paintings in tarnished frames
hung on the walls. From a niche on
the break Of the stairway looked down
the face Of tall Dutch clock, and on
one side protruded a huge bulging
something draped with yellowed
linen sheet. From it's shape he
guessed this to be an elk's head Dust,
undisturbed. lay thickly on everything,
ghostly floating cobwebs crawled
across his face, and bat fitted out
of fireplace and vanished squeak
ing over his head. With Uncle JEFF
ferson's help he opened the rear doors
and windows, knocked up the rusted
belts of the shutters and flung them
wide.
But for the dust and cobwebs and
the strange odor, mingled with the
faint musty smell that pervades q sun
less interior, the former owner of the
house might have deserted 1t a week
ago. On wall-rack lay two walking
sticks and gold-mounted hunting
crop, and on great carved chest
below 1t had been flung an opened
book bound in fooled leather. John
Valiant picked this up curiously It
was Lucille" He noted that here
and there passages were marked with
penciled Hnee-sone light and femi-
ninety delicate, some heavier, AZ
though two had been reading it to-
gether, noting their individual prefer.
ences.
He laid it back musingly, and open
ing a toor, entered the large room It
disclosed. This had been the dining.
room. At one end stood a crystal
knobbed mahogany sideboard, holding
glass candlesticks in the shape Of
Ionic columns-above it quaint por-
trait OF a lady in hoops and love-
curls-and at the other end was q
huge fireplace with rust-red fire-dogs
and tarnished brass fender. All these,
with the round centipede table and
the Chippendale chairs set in order
against the walls, were dimmed and
grayed with a thick powdering of dust.
The next room that he entered was
big and wide, place Of dark colors,
nobly smutched of time. 1t had been
at once library and living-room. A
great leather settee was drawn near
the desk and beside this stood read
ing-stand with small china dog and
squat bronze lamp upon it. In con-
trast to the orderly dining-room there
was about this chamber a sense Of
untouched disorder-a desk-drawer
jerked half-open, a yellowed news
paper torn across and flung into cor
ner, books tossed on desk and lounge.
and in the fireplace little heap Of
whitened ashes in which charred frag
ments told of letters and papers
burned in haste.
Suddenly he lifted his eyes. Above
the desk hung life-size portrait Of a
man, in the high soft stock and vel
vet collar Of half a century before.
The right eye, strangely, had been cut
from the canvas. He stood straight
and tall, one hand holding an eager
hound in leash, his face proud and
florid, his single, cold, steel-blue eye
staring down through its dusty curtain
with certain malicious arrogance,
and his lips set in q sardonic curve
that seemed about to sneer. 1t was
for an instant as If the pictured figure
confronted the young man who stood
there, mutely challenging his entrance
into that tomb-likes and secret-keeping
quiet: and he gazed back as fixedly,
repelled by the craft of the face, yet
subtly attracted. II wonder who you
were," he said. "You were cruel.
Perhaps you were wicked But you
were strong, too"
He returned to the outer hall to find
that the negro had carried in his
trunk, and he bade him place it, with
the portmanteau, in the room he had
just left. Dusk was falling.
Uncle Jefferson" said Valiant alb
ruptly, have you family?"
mo, sub. Jes' ne en- NAH ol
'ooman."
Can she cook?"
COOK" The genial litter again
captured his dusky escort. "WheE
she got de fiXens, All reck'n she de
beaten'es cook in his heah county"
How would you both like to live
here with me for while? She could
cook and you could take care of me-"
Uncle Jefferson's eyes seemed to
turn inward with mingled surprise and
introspection. He shifted from one
foot to the other, swallowed difficulty
several times, and said, "Ah ain neb'
bah seed yO' befo', suh."
We'll, haven't seen you either
have II"
Oats de trufe, sub, deed ct is!
Hyuh, hyuh! Whut All means tel
say Is dat de OIL CONAN kahn cook
no fancy didoes like what dey eats uI
Norf. She kin jes' cook de Eel
style"
THAT sounds good to me-" uuoth