The Irish standard., 1914-03-07

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 place for the motor-if
Uncle Jefferson ever gets it here.'
1t was noon when he returned, after
wash-up in the lake, to the meal
with which Aunt Daphne, in a costume
dimly suggestive of bran-meal poul-
tice with a Bingham apron on, RECALLED
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 OIL COW
ovah. suh." explained Aunt Daphne.
"'Case she gotter be MIXED, er she
run dry ez de Red Sea TO- de chillon
oh 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,
ERNIE, ct cer'n'y do me good ter see
yo' git arter it dat way, sub. Reck'n
yo' got er appetite! Hyuh, Hyuh!"
II have. / never guessed it before.
and it's a magnificent discovery. How.
ever, it suggests unwelcome reflec-
tons. Aunt Daphne. how long do you
estimate a man can dine like this on
well, say on hundred dollars?"
'Er hun'ed dollahs, sub? OATS er
right smart heap o. money, deed ct is!
Well sub, pens on whit yo' raises.
Eff yo' raises yo' own gyarden-sass en-
chick'ns en- aigs, All reck'n yo' kin
live longah dan dat ar Methoosalum,
en- still hat mos of it in de OIL stock
In"
"Ah! I can grow all those things
myself, you Think"
"Yo' cert'n'y kim" said Aunt Daphne.
Ev'ybody do. De chick'ns done peck
TO- deyselves en- de yuddah things-yo'
o'ny gotter courage 'em en- dey jess
grows"
Valiant ate his dessert with q
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. I 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 filled his pipe and climbed the
staircase to the upper floor. There
were many bedrooms with great four
|sposted, canopied beds and old-fash.
toned carved furniture of mahogany
and curly-maple, and in one he found
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. It had great black
desk with many glass-knobbed draw.
ers and book.rack.
He fingered longest in q 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 uaer
works Of cobwebs, and piled with ths
oldest assemblage Of toys. Theirs
were school-books. too. thumbed and
dog-eared, from First Reader to
Caesars Gallo Wars, with names Of
small Valiants scrawled on their ny,
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, shifting the far.
flung scent of orchards and peach
blown fence-rows. The soft whirring
sound of birds wing went past, al
most brushing his startled face, and
the old oaks seemed to stretch their
bent limbs with faithful brute-liko
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 went to his trunk and flshed out
soft shirt on which he knotted q
loose tie. exchanged his Panama for
SLOUGH hat, and whistling the bar
carole from Tales of Holman, went
gatly out. Il feel tremendously alive
EN- EfzSzRS SSEal| "