The Washington herald., 1921-05-22

That comfortable quarters are
found for you said Blandford.
with creditable ingenuity. old
Jake set up a cackling. high pitch
ed. protracted laugh. He beat his
knee. picked up his hat and bent
the brim in an apparent paroxysm
of humorous appreciation. The
seizure afforded him a mask be-
hind which he could roll his eye
impartially between. above, and
beyond his two tormentors.
Il sees what" he chuckIed, after
a while. You gentlemen is tryin'
to have fun with the po' old Niger
But you can't fool old Jake.
knowed you Marse Biandford, the
minute | sot eyes on you. You
was a po' skinny little boy nc
mo- than about fo'teen when you
lef home to come Moth; but
knowed you the minute l sot eyes
on-you. You is the mawtal image
of old marster. The other genie.
men resembles you nightly, sub
but you can't fool old Jake on a
member of the old Virginia family
No suh."
Carterets smiled and extended a
hand for the watch.
Uncle Jake's wrinkled. black face
| lost the expression of amusemen,
into which he had vainly twisted it
He knew that he was being teased
and that it made little real differ.
ence, as far as it's safety went. into
which of these cutstretched hands
ha % trA U.,,
it seemed to him tn [ not only his
own pride and loyalty but much OF
the Virginia Carterets' was a,
stake. He had heard down South
during the war about that other
branch of the family that lived in
the North and fought on the yuther
side" and 1t had "l-'-"r, - II
him. He had followed his "old mar
sters fortunes from stately luxury
through war to almost poverty. And
now. with the last relic and remind
er of him, blessed by "old missus."
and intrusted implicitly to his care
he had come ten thousand miles (ss
it seemeO to deliver it into the
~ '-''~ ~. 70 wcas
1t and wind 1t and cherish II and
ils,e" u IL lIck oI tdc uns uliI,:u
hours that marked the lives of the
Carterets-of Virginia.
His experience and conception of
the Yankees had been an impression
of tyrants-'low- down, common
trash-in blue, laying waste with
fire and sword. He had seen the
smoke of many burning homesteads
almost as grand as Carteret Hall
ascending to the drowsy Southern
skies. And now he was face to face
with one of them-and he could not
| distinguish him from his young
marster" whom he had come to find
and bestow upon him the emblem of
his kingship-even as the arm,
clothed in white samite, mystic
wonderful" laid Ex-calibur in the
right hand of Arthur. He saw be.
fore him two young men. easy. kind
courteous, welcoming, either OF
whom might have been the one he
sought. Troubled. bewildered, sore
ly Crfeved at his weakness OF judg-
ment, old Jake abandoned his loyal
subterfuges. His right hand sweat
ed against the buckskin cover of the
watch. He was deeply humiliated
and chastened. Seriously. now. his
prominent. yellow-white eyes close
ly scanned the two young men. Al
the end of his scrutiny he was con-
scious of but one difference between
them. One wore a narrow black tie
with a white pearl stickpin. The
others four-in-hand" was mar.
row blue one pinned with a black
pearl. :"
And then, to old Jakc's relief
there came sudden distraction.
Drama knocked at the door with
imperious knuckles. and forced
Comedy to the wings. and Drama
peeped with smiling but set face
over the sfootlights.
Percival. the hater of mill sup
plies, brought In card. which ne
handed, with the manner of one
bearing cartel to Biue.Tie.
Olivia De Ormond."s read Blue.
Tie from the card. He looked In
auiringlysa at his cousin.
why not have her in?" said
Black Tie. 'and bring matters to a
conclusion"
'Unch Jake" said one OF the
young men, would you mind taking
that chair over there In the corner
for. while? A lady 10 coming in
on some business. Well take up
your case afterwafd."
The lady whom Percivai ushered
in was younx and netuiu vtfv aArtA