Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1914-05-14

look as he sat there, a heavy lonely
figure, that bright morning. 1t had
slipped to his face with the news Of
the arrival at Damory Court. He told
himself that he felt queer
Suddenly he seemed to hear elfn
voices close to his ear:
Which was it she loved? Valiant
or Sassoon?"
1t was so distinct that he started,
vexed and disturbed. Really, it was
absurd He would be seeing things
nexti "Southall may be right about
that exercise" he muttered; I'll walk
more" He began the projected re-
form without delay, striding up and
down the room. But the little voices
presently sounded again, shouting like
gnomes inside hill:
Which was It? Valiant or Sas-
soon?"
81 wish to God I knewi" said the
major roughly, standing still 1t 81
fenced them, but the sound of his own
voice, as though it had been a pre-
concerted signal, drew together a hun
dred inchoate images of other days.
There was the welI-ordered garden of
Damory Court-it rose up, gloomy
with night shadows, across his great
clothes-press against the wall-with
himself sitting on rustic-b9nch
smoking and behind him the candle
lighted library window with Beauty
Valiant pacing up and down, waiting
for daylight. There was sun
lighted stretch between two hemlocks,
with Southall and he measuring the
ground-the grass all dewy sparkles
and an early robin lettering on
thorn-bush. Eight = nine = ten - he
caught himself counting the PAGES.
He wiped his forehead. Between
the hemlocks now were two figures
facing each other, one twitching IN
certainly, the other palely rigid; and
at one side, held screen-wise, a raised
umbrella. In some ghostly way he
could see right through the latter
see the doctors hand gripping the
handle, his own, outstretched beyond
it's edge, holding a handkerchief ready
to fiutter down. A silly subterfuge
those umbrellas, but there must be no
"gentlemen's meeting! A silly code
the whole of it, now happily out
growni The scene blurred into sin
gle figure budding down-huddling
down
Which did she lover" The major
shook his head helplessly 1t was,
| after all, only the echo, become all
| at once audible on a shallow woman's
lips, of a question that had always
haunted him. 1t had first come to him
on the heels of that duel, when he
had stood somewhat later that hate
full morning, holding saddled horse
before the big pillared porch. 1t had
whispered itself then from every NOV
ing leaf "Sassoon or Valiant?" If
she had loved Sassoon. of what use the
letter Valiant was so long penning in
the library? Buff it were Valiant
she loved? The man who, having
sworn not to lift his hand against the
other, had broken his sacred word to
her! Who had stained the unwritten
code by facing an opponent maddened
with liquor! Yet, what was there a
woman might not condone in the one
man? Would she read, forgive and
send for him?
The major laughed out suddenly,
harshly, in the quiet room, and looked
down as if he expected to see that
letter still lying in his hand But the
laugh could not still a regular pulsing
sound that was III his ears-elf1n like
the voices, but as distinct-the sound
Of horses hoofs going from Damory
Court.
He had heard those hoof-beats echo
in his brain for thirty years!
CTO BE CONTINUED)