Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1915-01-06
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CHAPTER w.
4 Valiant OF Virginia.
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Commenced Last Week.

4 Valiant OF Virginia.
For a long time John Valiant sat
motionless, the CDened letter in his
hand. staring at nothing. He had the
sensation, spiritually, OF traveller
awakened with a rude shock amid
wholly unfamiliar surroundings.
He was trying to remember-to put
two and two together His father hac
been Southern-born; yes, he had
known that But he had known moth
ing whatever of his fathers early days,
or of his forebears; since he had been
old enough to wonder about such
things, he had had no one to ask
questions of.
Phrases Of the letter ran through
his mind: Sometime, perhaps, you
viii know why you are John Valiant
OF New York instead Of John Valiant
Of Damory Court | cannot
tell you myself" There was some
tragedy, then, that had bhghted the
place, some melancholy story" as the
clipping put it.
He bent over the deed spread out
upon the table. following with his fin
ger tie long line of transfers: To
John Valyaate,, - he muttered; what
odd spelling! Robert Valyant'-with-
out the e. Here, in 1880, the y be-
ms to be IL" There was something
strenuous and appealing in the long
line of dates. Valiant. Always Va
liant. How they held on to il! There's
never 4 break"
A curious pride, newborn and self
conscious, was dawning in him. He
vas descended from ancestors who
had been no weaklings. A Valiant had
settled on those acres under a royal
governor, before the old frontier
fighting was over and the Indians
had sullenly retired to the westward
The sons of those who had braved
sea and savages had bowed their
strong bodies and their stronger hearts
to rae the forests and turn the
primeyal jungles into golden planta-
tions.
There stole into his mood an eery
suggestion of intention. Why should
the date assigned for that deeds de-
livery have been the very day on
which he had elected poverty? Here
was a REORGANIZATION as pointed as the
index-fnger of a gGide-post. Every
man carries his fate" he repeated,
ION a riband about his neck Chum,
do you believe in fate?'
For answer the bulldog, cooking an
alert eye on his master, discontinued
his occupation--a conscientious If une
successful mastication of the fiattish
packet that had fallen from the folded
deed-and with much solicitous tail
wagging, brought the sodden thing in
his mouth and put it into the out
stretched hand.
His master unrolled the pulDy wad
and extricated the object it had en-
closed-an old-fashioned ircn door-key.
;
After a time Valiant thrust the key
into his pocket, and rising. went to a
trunk that lay against the wall.
Searching IN a portfolio. he took out
a small oid-fashioned photograph,
much battered and sOiIed It had been
cut FROM q larger group and the name
Of the photographer had been erased
from tie back. He set it upright on
the desk, and bending forward, looked
long at the face it disclosed. It was
the only picture he had ever possessed
of lis father.
He turned and looked into the glass
above the dresser The features were
the same, eyes, brow, lips, and strong
waving hair. But for its tine-stains
the photograph might have been one
OF himself, taken yesterday.