The Watertown weekly leader. [volume] (Watertown, Jefferson County, Wis.) 1912-1917, 1914-07-14

BRING DamoTy Court bacK to any thing
even remotely resembling what it once
was, I'll not spare either"
The major smote his knee and even
the doctors face showed a grim, If
transient approval II believe you'll
do it," exclaimed the former "And
let me say, sab, that the neighbor-
hood Is not unaware Of the splendid
generosity which Is responsible for
the present lack OF which you speak"
Valiant put out his hand with
little gesture OF depreciation, but the
other disregarded it. ''Confound 1t,
sab, 1t was to be expected of Va
liant. Your ancestors wrote their
names in capital letters over this
country. They were an up and down
lot, but good or bad (and, as Southall
says, reckon"-he nodded toward the
great portrait above the couch-"they
weren't all little woody lambs) they
did big things In big way"
Valiant leaned forward eagerly,
question on his lips. But at the mo-
ment a diversion occurred In the
shape Of Uncle Jefferson, who re-en-
tered, bearing tray On which set sun
dry jugs and clinking glasses, glow
ing with white and green and gold.
You old humbug." said the doctor.
don't you know the majors that poi
soned with mintjuleps already that he
can't get up before eight In the morn
mgr
We'll, suh," Uttered Uncle Jeffer-
son, "Ah done foun' er mint-baid down
below de kitchens dis mawnin'. Yo'-
all gemmun' bout de bigges' expuhts
in dis yeah county, en- All reck'n
Mars Valiant sho' 'sist on yo' sam
plin' ct"
'Sah,' said the major feelingly,
turning to his host, I'm proud to
drink your health in the typical bev-
erage of Virginia." He touched
glasses with Valiant and glared at the
doctor, who was slipping his own
thoughtfully Poems have been writ
ten on the julep, sab"
They make good epitaphs, too" OBJ
served the doctor.
II noticed your glass isn't going
begging" the major retorted. "Unc'
Jefferson, that's as good mint asa grew
in the gyarden of Eden. See that
those lazy niggers of yours don't. grub
the patch out by mistake"
''Yas, sah," said Uncle Jefferson, as
he retired with the tray. "Ah gwiR g.
ter put er fence eroun' dat ar bald TO
shutdown"
The question that had sprung to
Valiant's lips now found utterance. 81
saw you look at the portrait there
he said to the major. (Which of my
ancestors Is it'll
the mantel-piece In a Napoleomc atti-
tude. THAT" he said. fixing his eye
glasses, lis your great-grandfather,
DevilJohn Valiant"
'Devil-John!" echoed.his host. Eyes.
I've heard the name"
The doctor guffawed. "He. earned
it, 1 reckon. 1 never realized what a
sinister expression that missing optic
gives the old rufian. There was
skirmish during the war on the hill
side yonder and bullet cut. 1t out.
When we were boys we usedtto call
him old One-Eye.'"
ct interests me enormously" tJohn
Valiant spoke explosive1y.
1.-The stories of Devil-John would$fn
a mighty big book" said the major.
by all accounts he ought to have
lived in the middle ages" Crossing
the library, he looked into the dining
room II thought remembered The
portrait over the console there is his
wife, your great-grandmother. They
say he bet that when he brought his
bride home, she should walk into Da-
mory Court between rows of candle
sticks worth twenty-thOusand dollars.
He made the WAGER good, too, for
when she came up those steps out
there, there was row of ten candles
burning on either side of the doorway,
each held by young slave worth a
thousand dollars in the market.
Some say he grew jealous of his
wife's beauty. There were any num-
Der of stories told Of his cruelt5es to
her that aren't worth repeating. She
died early poor lady and your
grandfather was the only issue. Devil
John himself lived to be past seventy,
and at that age, when most men were
stacking their sins and groaningt with
the govt, he was dicing and foxthunt-
ing with the youngest of them. He
always swore he would die with his
boots on, and they say when the idoc-
tor told him he had only few hours
leeway, he made his slaves dress him
completely and prop him on his horse.
They galloped out SO, a negro on
either side Of him it was stormy
night, black as the Earl Of Hell's rid
ing boots, with wind and lightning,
and he rode cursing at both. There's
an old black-gum tree mile from
here that they still call Devil Johns
tree. They were Just .passing under
It when the lightning struck 1T. Light
ming has no effect on 1.-THE hlack-gnm.
you know. The bolt gAnced tfrum. the
tree and struck him betweans the two
slaves without hsrming either Of
them. It killed his. horse. too. That's
the story. To be sure at this date
nobody can separate fact from 40
ton. Possibly he wasn't 20 much
worse than the rest Of his neighbors
not excepting the parsons. Other
times, other mannerk'"
'sThey weren't any worse than the
prccouf Conoro< 3on notJ TIA Noofoys