Alma record., 1914-02-12
Till the sun was high John Valiant
Law on his hack In the fragrant grass


chicken-hawk draw widening circles
vibrant tattoo of ''pecker-wood" on
far-away tree. and the timorous wet
whistle Of a bob-white. The whole
place was very. quiet now. For just
one thrilling moment 1t had burgeoned
into sound and movement: when the
sweaty 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 tinkerer of the stalled car?
"She saw me drop that wretched brute
through the window" he chuckled. Il
give me away, true little sport that
she was. And she won't. can't
think of any reason, but know. Was
she angry? ! wonder!"
At length he rose and went back
to the house. With bunch Of keys
he had found he went to the stables.
after some difficulty gained access,
and propped the crazy doors and win
dows open to the sun. The building
was airy and well-lighted and con-
tanned a dozen roomy box-stalls, a
spacious loft and carriage-house.
The straw bedding had been unre-
moved, mice-gnawed sacking and
rotted hay lay in the managers. and the
warped harness, hanging on its pegs.
was a smelly mass Of mildew and
decay. He found stick. moved away
the festooning cobwebs, and moved
the debris piece-meal.
"There!" he said with satisfaction.
There's a place for the motor-if
Uncle Jefferson ever gets it here"
1t was neon when he returned, after
a wash-up in the lake. to the meal
with which Aunt Daphne, in a costume
dimly suggestive of a bran-meal poul-
tice with a gingham apron on. regaled
him. Fried chicken, corn-bread so
soft and fluffy that it had to be lifted
from the pan with a spoon. Drowned
potatoes, and to his surprise, fresh
milk. "Ah done druv ouah ol' COW
ovah, suh," explained Aunt Daphne.
lease she gotter be milked, er she
run dry ez de Red Sea TO de chillon
OBJ Izril."
Aunt Daphne" inquired Valiant
with his mouth full, what do you call
this green thing?"
Dat? OATS jes turnip-tops, sub.
wild er hunk er bacon in de pot. Laws
er-me. ct cer'ny do me good ter see
yo' git arter it dat way, sub. Reck'n
yo' got er appertite Hyuh, Hyuh!"
II have. / never guessed it before,
and it's a magnificent discovery. How
ever, it suggests unwelcome refiec-
tions. Aunt Daphne, how long do you
estimate a man can dine like this on
well, say on a hundred dollars?"
"Er huned dollahs, sub? OATS er
right smart heap O. money, deed ct is!
Well sub, pens on whut yo' 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 it In de ol' stock
in"
"Ah! l can grow all those things
mySelf, you tnlnK!
"Yo' cert'n'y kim" said Aunt Daphne.
"Ev'ybody do. De chick'ns done peck
fo' deyselves en- de yuddah things-yo'
ony gotter courage EN- Ell dey jes'
grows"
Valiant ate his dessert with a
thoughtful smile wrinkling his brow
AS he pushed back his chair he smote
his hands together and laughed aloud.
Back to the soil!" he said. John
Valiant, farmer! The miracle Of it Is
that it 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. | must look into
that"
He filled his pipe and climbed the
staircase to 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
a great cedar-lined chest filled with
bed-linen and napery In these rooms
were more evidences of decay. The
bedroom he mentally chose for his
own was the plainest of all, and was
above the library, fronting the vaga-
bond garden. 1t had a great black
desk with many glass-knobbed draw
orc and q hOok-rack
He fingered longest in a room
whose door was painted The Hilarium.
1t had evidently been a nursery and
schoolroom. 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 hooks with hts own hands