The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1914-04-15

| concerted signal. drew together hum
dred inchoate images Of other days.
! There was the well.ordered garden of
Damory Court-it rose up. gloomy
with night shadows, across his great
clothes-press against tho wall--with
himself sitting on ruStic-benCh
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 All early robin teetering on
thorn bush Eight - nine = ten - he
caught himself counting tho PAGES.
He wiped his forehead Between
the hemlocks now were two figures
facing each other, one twitching un.
certainly, the other palely rigid; and
at one side, held s:reen-wise, raised
umbrella. In some ghostly way he
could see right through the latter
see the doctors hand gripping tho
handle, his own, Outstretched beyond
It's edge holding q handkerchief ready
to flutter down. A silly subterfuge
those umbrellas, but there must be no
actual witnesses to the final act of a
"gentlemen's meeting! A silly code
the whole Of it, now happily out
grown The scene blurred into a sin
gle figure budding down-hnddling
down
Which did she love?" Tho major
shook hts head helplessly. 1t was.
after all, only tho echo, become all
at once audible on a shallow woman's
fpa 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
'ful morning, holding saddlod horse
before tho bis pillared porch. It had
whispered itself then from every NOV
Ing leaf. "Sassoon or Valantr' II
she had loved Sassoon, Of what use the
letter Valiant was 80 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 unwrftten
code by facing an opponent maddened
with liquor! Yet what was there a
woman might not condone in the ono
man? Would she read, forgive ana
send for him?
Tho major laughed out suddenly,
harshly, in the quiet room. and looked
down as If he expected to see that
letter sti1l lying in his hand. But the
laugh could not still regular pulsing
sound that was in his ears-elfin 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!
TIL the sun was high John Valiant
lay on his back in the fragrant grass.
meditatively watching bucaneering
chicken-hawk draw widening circles
against tho blue and listening to the
vibrant tattoo Of "peckcr-wood' on
far-away tree, and the timorous wet
whistle Of a bob-white. Tho whole
place was very quiet now. For just
ono thrilling moment 1t had burgeoned
into sound and movement: when the
swcaty horses had stood snorting and
stamping in the yard with the hounds
scampering between their legs and the
riding-coats winking like rubies in the
early sunshine!
Had she recognized him as the
smudged tinkcrcr Of the stalled car?
She saw me drop that wrctchcd brute
through tho window" he chuckled II
could take oath to that. But she didn't
give me away, true little sport that
che was And she won't. / can't
think Of any reason, but know. Was
she angry? l wonder!"
At length he rose and went back
to the house. With a bunch of keys
he had found he went to tho stables,
after somo difficulty gained access,
and propped the crazy doors and win
was airy and well-lighted and con-
tained dozen roomy boX-stalls, q
spacious loft and carriage house.
The straw bedding had been unre-
moved, mice-gnawed sackng and
rotted hay lay in the managers, and tho
warped harness, hanging on its pegs,
was smelly mass Of mildew and
decay. He found stick, moved away
the festooning cobwcbs, and moved
the debris piece-mcal.
"Therc!" ho said with satisfaction.
There's n place for the motor-if
Uncle Jefferson ever gets it here"
1t was noon when he returned, after
wash-up in tho lake, to the meal
with which Aunt Daphne, in a costume
dimly suggestive OF a bran-mcal poul.
tice with gingham apron on, regaied
oh tTly