The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1914-03-28
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V HALLH TET1LNI[ RIVTS pS;2 $751; Sszr.ra)
ILLUSTRATED e. LAUREN STOUT
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Aunt Daphne" inquired Valiant
with his mouth full, what do you call
this green thing?'
Dat? OATS jes turniptops, sub,
wild er hunk er bacon in dc pot. Laws
er-me. ct cer'n'y do me good ter see
yo' sit arter II dat way. sub. Reck'n
yo got er appetite! Hyuh. Hyuh!"
Il have. / never guessed 1t before.
and it's n magnificent discovery. How
ever. 1t suggests unwelcome reilec-
tions. Aunt Daphne, how long do you
estimate a man can dine like this on
well. say or hundred dollars?"
"Er hun'ed dollahs, sub? OATS er
right smart heap o. money. deed ct is!
Well sub. pens on whut 20 raises.
Ef yo' raises yo' own gyarden-sass en-
chick'ns en- aigs. All reck'n yo' kin
live longah dan dat ar Methoosalum,
en- still haf mos of 1t In de OIL stock
in"
"Ahl can grow all those things
myself. you think?"
"Yo' cert'n'y kin" said Aunt Daphne.
"Ey'ybody do. De chick'ns done peck
TO deyselves en- de yuddah things-yo'
o'ny gotter courage em en- dey jes'
grows"
Valiant ate his dessert with
thoughtful smile wrlnkling his brow.
AS he pushed back his chair he smote
his hands together and laughed aloud.
Back to the soil!" hs said. John
Valiant. farmer! Tie miracle of 1t Is
that 10 sounds good TO me. l want to
raise my own grub and till my own
soil. want to be my own man! And
I'm beginning to see my way. Crops
will have to wait for another season,
but there's water and pasture for cat
tie now. There's timber-lots of it
on that hillside, too. I must look into
that"
He filed his pipe and climbed the
staircase 10 the upper floor There
were many bedrooms with great four.
posted. canopied beds and old-fash.
ioned carved furniture OF mahogany
and curly-maple. and In one he found
n great cedar-lined chest filed with
bedlinen and napery. In these rooms
wore more evidences OF decay. The
bedroom no mentally chose for his
own was the plalnest OF all. and was
above the library, fronting the yasa-
bond garden. 1t had a great black
desk with many giass-knobbed draw
ers and bookrack.
He fingered longest In q room
whose door was painted The Hilarium.
IL had evidently been a nursery and
schooiroom. Here on the walls were
many shelves wound over with net.
works OF cobwebs, and piled with the
oldest assemblage OF toys. There
were school-books. too, thumbed and
dog-eared, from First Reader to
Caesars Gallo Wars, with names OF
small valiants scrawled on their fly
leaves. He carefully relocked the door
OF this room: he wanted to dust those
toys and books with his own hands.
In the upper hall again he leaned
from the window. smiling the far
hung scent OF orchards and peach
blown fence-rows. The soft whirring
SOUND OK birds wing went past, al
most brushing his startled face. and
the old oaks seemed to stretch their
Dent limbs with faithful brute-like
yawn OF pleasure. In the room below
no could hear the vigorous sound OF
Aunt Daphne's hard-driven broo n anC
the sound flooded the echolng spaco
with a comfortable commotion.
He went to his trunk and fished out
soft shirt on which he knotted a
loose tie. exchanged his Panama for
siouch hat. and whistling the bar
earoie from Tales of Hoffmann. went
saily out. II feel q tremendously alive