Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1915-02-24
CHAPTER XVI.
In DeviI-John's Day.


He was still sitting motionless when
there came a knock at the door and it
opened to admit the gruff voice of
Doctor Southall A big form was close
behind him.
Hell. Up, l see. 1 took the liberty
of bringing Major Bristow."
The master of Damory Court came
orward-limping the least trife-and
shook hands.
GLAD to know you, sah," said the
major. Allow me to congratulate
you; it's not every one who gets bit
ten by one of those Internal mecca
sins that lives to talk about it. You
must be a pet of Providence, or else
you have a cast-iron constitution.
sah.
Valiant waved his hand toward the
man of medicine, who said, Il reckon
Miss Shirley was the Providence in
the case. She had sense enough to
send for me quick and speed did it."
well, sah," the major said "T
reckon under the circumstances, your
first impressions of the section aren't
anything for us to brag about
I'm delighted; it's hard for me to
tell how much"
wait till you know the fool place"
growled the doctor testify. You'll
change your tune"
The major smiled genially. Don't
be taken in by the doctors pessimism.
You'd have to get yoke of three
year oxen to drag him out of this
state"
1T would take as many for me-"
Valiant laughed a little. you who
have always lived here, can scarcely
understand what l am feeling, l imag
inc. You see, | never knew till quite
recently-my childhood was largely
spent abroad and | have no near rela-
tives-that my father was a Virginian
and that my ancestors always lived
here. Why, there's a room upstairs
with the very toys they played with
when they were children! To learn
that | belong to it all; that | myself
am the last link in such chain ="
The ancestral instinct" sail the
doctor. I'm glad to see that it means
of course" John Valiant continued,
every one knows that he has ances-
tors. But I'm beginning to see that
what you call the ancestral instinct
needs a locality and a place. In a
way it seems to me that an old estate
like this has soul too-a sort of
clan or family soul that reacts on the
descendant"
Rather a Japanesy idea, isn't it,"
observed the major. But l know
what you mean. Maybe that's why old
Virginian families hang on to their
land in spite of hell and ighwater.
They count their forebears real live
people, quite capable of turning over
in their graves"
Mine are beginning to seem very
real to me. Though | don't even
know their Christian names yet, can
judge them by their handiwork. The
men who built Damory Court had
sense of beauty and of art"
and their share Of deviltry, too"
put in the doctor.
Il suppose so,'' admitted his host.
"At this distance | can bear even that.
But good or bad, I'm deeply thankful
that they chose Virginia. Since I've
been laid up, I've been browsing in the
library here"
"A bit out of date now, l reckon"
said the major, "but it used to pass
muster Your grandfather was some
thing of a book-worm. He wrote a
history of the family, didn't he?"
yes. I've found it. The Valiants
of Virginia. I'm reading the Revolu-
tionary chapters now. 1t never seemed
real before-it's been only a slice Of
impersonal and rather dull history.
But the book has made it come alive.
I'm having the thrill Of the globe
trotter the first time he sees the Tow
er of London or the field of Waterloo.
1 see more than that stubble-fielG out
yonder; | see a big wooden stockade
with soldiers in ragged buff and blue
guarding it,"
The major nodded, "Ah, yes" he
said. The Continental prison-camp."
And just over this rise there | can
see an old courthouse, and the Vir-
ginia Assembly boiling under the
golden tongue-lashing of lean raw
boned Patrick Henry l see messen-
ger gallop up and see the members
scramble to their saddles-and then,
Tarleton and his red-coats streaming
up, too late"
We'll" commented the doctor DELHI