Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1915-02-24
STOUT

| calendar call6Q IOr cape JeSSam1neS.
What was the fourteenth of May to
/ her?
She bent a slow troubled gaze about
! her. The room had been hers as a
/ child. She seemed suddenly back in
that childhood, with her mother bend
ing over her pillow and fondling her
rebellious hair. When the wind cried
for loneliness out in the dark she had
sung old songs to her. Sad songs!
Even in those pinafore years Shirley
had vaguely realized that pain lay be-
hind the brave gay mask. Was there
something = some event = that had
caused that dullcolored life and I'M
fulfilment? And was today. perhaps,
it's anniversary?
a a =
John Valiant sat propped up on the
library couch, an open magazine un-
needed on his knee. The reading
stand beside him was litter of let
tiers ard papers. The bow-window
was open and the honeysuckle breeze
blew about him, lifting his hair and
ruffling the leaves of the papers. In
| the garden three darkies were labor
ing, under the supervision of Uncle
Jefferson. The unsightly weeds and
lichen were gone from the graveled
paths, and from the fountain pool,
whose shaft now spouted a slender
| spray shivered by the breeze into a
million diamonds, which fell back into
| the pool with tintinabulant trickle
and drip.
The master of Damory Court closed
the magazine with a sigh. IF l could
only do it all at once!" he muttered.
| 1T takes such COMPOUNDED time.
Four days they've been working now,
and they haven't done much more
than clean up" He laughed, and
threw the magazine at the dog who
lodged it with injured alacrity. after
all, Chum," he remarked, cts been
thirty years getting in this condition.
l guess we're doing pretty we'll
He stretched luxuriously I'll take
q hand at it myself tomorrow. I'm
as right as rain again now, thanks to
Aunt Daph and the doctor. Some
thing of crusty citizen, the doctor
but he's all to the good
A heavy step came along the porch
and Uncle Jefferson appeared with a
tray holding a covered dish with a
plate of biscuit and a round jam-pot.
Look here" said John Valiant, Il
had my luncheon three hours ago, I'm
being stuffed like a milk-fed turkey"
The old man smiled widely. "Et's
jes' er lii snack er BROTH" he said.
"Reck'n etll kinder float eroun' de
yuddah things Dis yeah pots dat
apple-buttah whut Miss Matte Sue
sen yo' by Hickey Snyder"
Valiant shifted with satisfaction.
I'm getting so confoundedly spoiled"
he said, that I'm tempted to stay sick
and do nothing but eat. BY the way,
Uncle Jefferson, where did Hickey
J come from? Does she belong here"
No, sub She come fOm Hell's-
Half-Acre."
What's that?"
Oats dat ornery passle O. folks
/ yondah on de Dome explained I'm
| Gle jefferson. "Dey's been dah longs
| All kin recOmmembah-jes' er ram
shackle lot O. shif'less po'-white trash
whit git erlong anyways t all
That's interesting" said Valiant
so Hickey belonged there?'
"Yas, sub; nebbah d a-come down
heah 'cep'in' fo Mis- Shirley. She de
one whut fotch de lii gal outen dat
| place, en- put huh wild Mis- Matte Sue,
three yeah ergo"
A sudden color came into John Va
liant's cheeks. Tell me about it.
His voice vibrated eagerly.
well. sub" continued Uncle Jeffer-
son, "dey was one O. dem low-doWn
HelFs -Half-Acrers, name Greet King,
whut call hese'f de mayah oh de
Dome, en- he went on de rampage one
day, en- took ahtah his wife. She was
er po' sickly CONAN, wild er Ill gal
five yeah OF by er fust husban'. He
done beat huh heap O times befo', but
dis time he boun' ter finish huh All
reck'n he was too drunk TO dat, en-
she got erway en- run down heah. EFT
was wintah time en- dah's snow on de
groun'. Dah's er road f'om de Dome
dat hits de Red Road clost' ter Rose
/ wood-dat ar's de cambridge place
en- she come dab. Reck'n she wuz er
! pitiful-lookin' obstacle 'Peahs lax
she done put de lii gal up in de
cabin lof' en- hid de laddah, en- she
mos crazy TO feah Greet git huh. She
lef' he huntin' TO de young 'un when
she run erway. Dey was on'y Mis-
Judith en- Mis- Shirley en- de gal EN-
line at Rosewood. Well, sub, dey
want no time ter SEN TO men. Whut
yo' reck'n Mis- Shirley do? She ain
afeahd O. muffin on dis yerf, en- she
on'y sebenteen yeah Of den, too. She
don tell Mis- Judith-no, sub! She
run out ter de stable en- saddle huh
boss. en- she gallop up dat road ter
s-Half-Acre lax er shot outen er
shovel"
Valiant brought his hands together
sharply. Yes, yes" he said. And
them"