The Washington herald., 1920-09-20
CONTINUED FROM PAGE ONE.

crisp money for their thirty-acre
patch of cleared land. mentioning
as an excuse for such a mad ac-
tion. sbme irrelevant and made |
quate nonsense about a bed of
mica underlying the said property. :
When the Garveys became pos |
sessed of so many dollars that !
they faltered in computing them, :
the deficiencies of life on Black |
Jack began to grow prominent. |
Pike began to talk of new shoes, |
a hogshead of tobacco to set in |
the corner, a new lock to his rife:
and. leading Martella to a certain
spot on the mountsin-side, he
pointed out to her how a small
cannon-doubtless a thing not be-
yond the scope of their fortune in
prics-might be planted so as 10
command and defend the sole &C
Cessible trail to the cabin. to the
confusion of revenues and med
ding strangers forever.
But Adam reckoned without his
Eve. These things represented 10
him the applied power Of wealth. |
but there slumbered in his dingy
cabin an ambition that scared far
above his primitive wants. Some
where in Mrs. GarEey's bosom
still survived a spot of femininity
unstarved by twenty years of
Blackjack. For so long a time the
sounds in her ears had been the
scalybarks dropping in the woods
at noon. and the wolves singing
among the rocks at night. and it
was enough to have purgsd her
vsnities. She had grown fat and
sad and yellow and dull. But
when the means came, she felt
rekindled desire to assume the
perquisites of her sex-to sit at
tea tables; to buy inutile things;
to whitewash the hideous veracity
of life with little form and cer--
mony. So she coldly vetoed Pixies
proposed system of fortihcations.
and announced that they would
descend upon the world. and
gyrate socially.
And thus, at length. II was de-
cided, and the thing done. The
village of Laurel was their com
promise between Mrs. Garvey's
preference for one of the large
valley towns and Pixies banker
yielded a halting round Of feeble
social distractions comparable
with Martella's ambitions. and
was not entirely without recon-
mendation to Pike, its contiguity
to the mountains presenting ad-
vantages for sudden retreat in
ease fashionable society should
make il advisable.
7 \ . 4
been coincident with Yancey
GOree's feverish desire to convert
property into cash. and they
bought the old Goree homestead
paving $4,000 ready money into
the spendthrift's shaking hands.
Thus il happened that while the
disreputable last of the Gorees
sprawIed in his disreputable Of
fee. at the end of his row.
spurned by the cronies whom he
had gorged. strangers dwelt in
the halls of his fathers.
\ cloud Of dust was rolling
slowly Up the parChed street.
with something travelling in the
midst of it. \ little breeze watt
ed the cloud to one side. and
NV. brightly painted Carryall.
drawn by a slothful gray horse.
became visible. The vehicle de
fected from the middle of the
street as it neared Goree's office.
and stopped in the gutter direct
ly in front of his door.
On the front seat sat n gaunt.
tall man. dressed in black broad
cloth. his rigid hands incarcer-
ated in yellow kiu gloves. On
the back seat was a lady who
triumphed over the June heat.
Her stout form was armored in a
skintight silk dress of the de
sCription known as change able"
being a gorgeous combination Of
shifting hUes. She sat erect.
> waving a much -ornamented fan.
with her eyes fixed stonily far
down the street. However Mar
teIla Garvey'S heart might be re-
joicing at the pleasures Of her
new life. Blackjack had done his
work with her exterior. He had
carved her CountenanCe 70 the
image of emptiness and inanity;
had imbued her with the stoliditv
of his Crags. and the reserve of
his hushed interiors. She always
seemed to hear. whatever her sur
roundings were. the scaly- barRS
falling and pattering down the
mOuntainside. She could always
hear the awful silence Of Black
jack sounding through the stillest
of nights.
Goree watched this solemn
equipage. as it drove to his door.
with only faint interest: but when
the lank driver wrapped the reins
about his whip. and awkwardly
desce nded. and stepped into the
office. he rose Unsteadily to re-
ceive him, recognizing Pike Gar
vey. the new. the transformed.
the recently civilized.
The moUntaineer took the chair
Goree offered him. They who .
cast doubts upon Garvey's sound
ness of mind had a strong witness
in the mans countenance. His
face was too long. dull saffron
in hue. and immobile as a stat
ue's. Pale-blue. unwinkine round
eyes without lashes added to the
singularity of his gruesome Wis
are. Goree was at a loss to ac-
count for the visit
Everything all right at Laurel.
Mr.. Garvey?" he inquired.
Everything all right. sir. and
mighty pleased is Missis Garvey
and me with the property. Missis
Garvey likes yo' old place. and
she likes the neighborhood. So
ciety is what she lows she wants,
and she is gettin' of it. The Rog-
erses. the Hapgoods. the Pratts,
and the Troys hev been to see
Missis Garvey, and she hev ct
meals to most of thar houses. The
best folks hev aNed her to diff
fer'nt kinds of doin's. l cyan't
say. Mr.. Goree. that sech things
suits me-fur me, give me them
thar. Garvey's huge, yellow
gloved hand flourished in the di-
rection of the mountains. That's
Whar blong 'mongst the wild