The Tucumcari news and Tucumcari times. [volume] (Tucumcari, N.M.) 1907-1921, 1914-05-28

'hih uhhus tobttueT anu thukutu hiOuu,
Back to the soil!" he said. John
Valiant, farmer! The miracle OF II is
that II sounds good to me. want to
raise my own grub and till my "
soil. ] want to DO 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. o ! must look into
that"
lie filled his pipe and climbed the
staircase to the upper floor. There
were many bedrooms with great four.
posted. canopled beds and old.fash.
Toned carved furniture OF mahogany
and curly.maple. and In one he found
n great cedar.lined chest filled with
bedlinen and napery. In these rooms
were more evidences OF decay. The
bedroom he mentally chose for his
W was the olainest OF all, and was
above the library, fronting the vaga-
bond garden. II had a great black
desk with many glass.knobbed draw.
ers and a book.rack.
nv bh8Shpu tVhktot w ~ Toon
whose door was painted The Hilarium.
II had evidently been q nursery and
%schoolroom. Here on the walls were
many shelves wound over with net.
works OF cobwebs. and piled with the
oldest a~ssemblage OF toys. There
were school.books. too. thumbed and
d~og-eared. from First Reader 10
('aAQaFfQ GaIltn NUara u,lSh anrna. 80
small valiantB 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 no leaned
from the window. shifting the far.
flung scent OF orchards aud peach
blown fence-rows. The soft whirring
sound OF a birds wing went past. al.
most brushing his startled face. and
the old oaks seemed to stretch their
bent limbs with q faithful brute-like
yawn OF pleasure. In the room below
he could hear the vigorous sound Of
Aunt Daphne's hard.driven broom and
the sound flooded the echoing space
with a comfortable commotion.
He ven to his trunk and fished out
q soft shirt on which he knotted a
loose tie. exchanged his Panama for
a SLOUGH hat, and whistling the bar
carole from Tales of Hoffman,. went
gaily out. Il feel tremendously alive
today" he conided to the dog. as he
tramped through the lush grass. IF
you see me ladle the muck out OF
that fountain with my own fair hands.
don't have II At. I'm liable to do any
thing"
His eye swept up and down the
slope. There probably isn't n finer
site for a house In the whole South"
he told himself. The living.rooms
front south and west. We'll get
~scrumptious sunsets from that back
porch. And on the other side there's
the view clear to the Blue Ridge"
He skirted the lake. only TO grub
out some OF the lilles-there's too
many OF them-and s~traighten the
rim-and weed the pebble margin TO
give those green locks a show. III
build n little wharf below them to dive
from. and-yes. I'll stock II with
spotted trout"
lie was but q few hundred yards
from the house. yet the silence was 30
deep that there might have been no
habitation within fifty miles. All at
M he stopped short; there was a
sudden movement In the thicket be.
yond the sound OF light fast footballs.
as OF some n running away.
lie made a lunge for the dog. but
with a growl Chum tore himself from
the restraining grasp and dashed into
the bushes. "A child. no doubt" he
thought as h, plunged in pursuit, land
that lubberly brute will scare 1t hal!
to death"
lie pulled up with an exclamation.
In a narrow wood.path a little way
from him, partly hidden by n wind,
fall. stood a girl. her skirt transf.ed
with n wickedly Jagged sapling. lie
saw instantly how II had happened
the windfall had blocked the way, and
she had sprung clear over II. moi
noting the screened spear. whiG, now
held her y effectually as any railroad
spike,
In another moment Valiant had
reached her and met her face, flushed
half defiant. her eyes a blue CLEAN oil
smoldering anger as she desperately
almost s%avagely. thrust wild tendrils
OF f~ame-colored hair beneath the
broad curved brim OF her straw hat
Al her feet lay a great armful OF cape
jessamines.
A little thrill. light and warm and
Joyous. ran through him. Until thai
instant he had not recognized her.