Evening star., 1926-04-04

! to call the ajor back. Then, with
the barest of sighs, he restrained HIM
| self. No, it was up to Louis to make
| the first move; he was the offender.
! And then he forgot all about the
Major, for he caught sight of Helen
coming up the street swinging her
golfsticks lightly from her left shoul-
der, and the emotions started by the
unexpected appearance of his boyhood
| friend now "a stranger to him, were
! transmitted into a glow of affection for
the child of his old age.
! What kept you, honey" he asked,
slipping his arm about her. II nearly
sent the sheriff after you"
* * X *
! lMEANWHILE the Major continued
AVA stiffiy upon his way-with "a dig
nifty befitting one of his distinguished
| lineage. He was a slender figure Of
an old gentleman, rigidly erect, with
| a white goatee and Sloping shoulders,
not five and half feet in height--a lit
tie pepperpot, known in his salad days
| for a troubie-maker all the way from
the Mississippi to the Cumberland on
/ both sides of the border. Some of this
violence-like many other things about
the Major-was exaggerated. for the
| old gentleman was a victim to the de-
/
reputation. The d'Auriacs had all
( been tire-eaterS. He had no intention
| of having the race become emascu-
lated: indeed. he rather deprecated his
sons comparative mildness of char
acter.
In one respect. however Rene fully
lived up to his fathers ideal OF what
a d'Auriac should be-he rode like
demon. and there was no foNchaSe
within 90 miles that he did not attend.
mounted on his fathers old chestnut
hunter. Beauregard. The Major had
had to give il up 10 years or more
ago after dislocating his hip while at
tempting to take four-bar gate. But
he still kept a small pack of hounds.
of which Old Duke was the leader, the
favorite not only of his master, but
of the countryside.
Everybody in Valley Fair was fond
of Old Duke. He was public char
acter, like his master, and held in
fully as much esteem. Very likely it
was because of his combination of
gentlenesS and strength, for he was a
big dog. deep of chest, massive in
head, with legs of iron and eyes that
regarded you with such perfect trust
that, as the Major said. mo could
help being a gentleman. sir, with Old
Duke around His marking was pc
culiar and made him readily dis
tinguishable among other dogs. for
broad white band ran around the stats
of his barrel and he carried white
star over his right eye. He had never
harmed a human being or a domestic
animal-eXcept possibly cat or two
and he had but three interests in life:
his master. his masters son and the
pursuit of his natural enemy, the fox.
= = i; *
NOV it is alleged that no man can
be really bad is he loves a dog;
and it is certain that the Major was
not half as choleric as he pretended
to be The fact is that when he had
come upon mis- old friend the Judge so
unexpectedly standing on the edge of
his front lawn. he. too, had felt an
almost irresistible impulse to stop and
speak to him. Then pride had reas-
serted itself and, ashamed of his mo-
mentary weakness, he had tilted his
chin in the air, looked the Judge coldly
in the eye, and tried TO face him down
BY the time Major d'Auriac had
reached "Malmaison" his encounter
with Judge Peyton had resulted in
that state of fury habitually caused by
the secret realization that he had
nobody to blame for it but himself
Therefore he mathematical the Ran
dolphs and the Peytons and all their
ancestors to the third and fourth gen
Grafton as upstarts, Vulgarians, half
breeds.
The Major, having thus relieved his
feelings and lighted his pipe, arose
swiftly, filled a tin plate with rem
nants from the meal. and carried 1t
out upon the veranda, followed by
Old Duke. Rene remained moodily at
the table, watching the candlelight
through the smoke of his cigarette.
For the hundredth time he had almost
made UP his mind to disclose his secret
to his father and for the hundredth
time he had lost courage. After all,
thew were young and could wait
while.
They played a few games of pbquet
silently, until the elder d 'Auriac de-
clared that it was time for bed-at any
rate for him. Rene kissed the old
man good night upon his forehead and
waited for the light to be extinguished
in his bedroom. Then, calling to Old
Duke under his breath. he stepped out
into the night. over the golf course
a white pail of mist had spread itself
out like a shallow silvery lake, and
right above, within arms reach as it
were, hung an immense golden moon,
only there was no moon path. 1t re-
minded him of the mists he had
watched rising in the Argonne under
that same old moon. 1t seemed CEN
turies ago.
Suddenly from out of the mist came
the thud of hundreds of Scampering
hoofs. Old Duke had stiffened, his
ears lifted, his muscles trembling.
Before Rene could grasp his collar the
hound had darted forward, cleared the
hedge, and was careening toward the
golf course.
Mai. D'Auriac had just finish