Show of ll ER ERMINE RIVES RI je 1 TrON I- I LAUREN co a STOUT J 01 SYNOPSIS John Valiant a n rich society favorite suddenly discovers that lint the Valiant corporatIOn corporation cor cor- which his father lather founded and ind which was the principal source of his wealth had lie III voluntarily turns over his private ite fortune to the tile receiver I for or tin he corporation Ills entire remaining pf possessions sessions consist of ar ui 01 old 1 motor car n a white bull dog and Damory Damor court a It n neglected neg neg- l- l ct d d estate stille in III Virginia Vircinia On the the way ay to court he meets meet Shirley Dand Dand- an auburn auburn haired haired and ind deideS cle- cle ddt ld ideS rs that ho Is going oln to like Virginia Im- Im im- im mr nely Shirleys Shirley's H mother mOlher Mrs Mis hs Dand Dan 1 ridge and Rond Major remIniscences rem rem- es oct's during winch which It Is revealed that hat the tue major Valiant s father and a R anan aman man nan named Sa Sasson s' s on were rl rivals ils for the ami fl of oC Mrs Irs Dand idge e In her youth a lI woon non and Valiant fought n a duel on her hr a count account In which the former was wail killed I Valiant finds find Damory court overgrown with weNS weeds and creepers and decides t s to the place Valiant saves Iy from the lute of oC u IL i ln nake kt whim which bites llen him the deadliness of oC the thelt bite Ite lt Rud ili pol poison on from the wound an and 1 1 laves saes his life Valiant learns learn for or t the he first limo Lime his father r left Virginia Vir- Vir ginia t on account of Or a i a duel In w which Docor Doctor Doc Doc- tor or and acted acied as ns its his fathers I-i I Valiant and Shirley become income Rood good fri rd Mrs Ir taints faints when sh she sho ii meets ts Valiant for Cor III the HIP first time Valiant discovers that he hasa has hns a 1 fortune In In 01 old walnut tries trees Th The yeArly tournament a survival ur of oC the Jousting of I feudal udal times s Is hell held it at lamory court At Athe Atthe he the la last t moment Valiant takes the place oC if one of tin the knights who virn Is sick and enters rs th ti lists lIts je lie wins Ins ins and chooses I landridge e ns liS quern queen of oC beauty to the he il im of Katherine Fargo Pirgo a n. former sweetheart who Ii i visiting In Virginia The tournament bill ball at Damory Damor court the cute lite of the countryside Shir Shir- I Icy Iry fv In is crowned cro b by ballant Valiant as qu queen en of beauty hpaul v Valiant t tolI lN Shirley of oC hl his love lo and ind lh they become engaged Katherine l n 0 nit It t to give gl hc up Vill ant without a struggle lt- lt points out nut to 10 ShrI l. l I iv how terrible It would l be he for cr the tho worn worn- an Rn who win caused th duel to mt meet t who looks so much his father Shir- Shir le ky ev uncertain hut hul fooling feeling that her mother moth moth- e er r wa sas RR s In love the th I victim of oC Vail Vail- ill ants to fl-to breaks ral the tho enci ement Major Is fatally fatAlI b by Greef Gret C King a n liberated com on conict let who he had sent sento 10 o prison hut lot b fp d Bristow cont con con- t foists ss's to Mrs I e tint that he lie had k kent lIt t p Po letter Yali Vail Vili-in tn ha had written to 10 her hr after the duel decides eil to leave ve 1 court and ind wi wines Rca Shirley that he hc HI 11 ii 10 love lose e her hr CHAPTER Continued Continued With tt ith unsteady fingers she uns unwrapped un un- wrapped rapped s the oiled stilt oiled silk broke the letters letter's letters letter's let let- ter's rr s seal sell and read rend Dearest Before you jou ou read d this you jou will no doubt have ha heard the thing that has lIas happened this sunshiny morning Sas Sas- poor soon oon poor Sas Sassoon oon I can say that with all my heart heart is is dead What this fact act will mean to you ou God help me me I cannot guess For I have ha never ne been een certain Judith of jour out our heart Sometimes I have thought you ou loved me me-me me me only only only-as as I love you jou Last night when I saw you jou ou wearing rearing my cape at the ball I 1 was almost sure of it But when you jou OU made me rae promise whatever happened not notto notto to 0 lift my hand against him then I doubted Was it because you feared or him Would to God at this moment I knew this was not true For whatever what that hat hat- ever the fact I 1 must love lovo you jou ou daring darling dar dar- ling hog you jou and no other as long as I Ilive Ilive live When she had read thus far she closed the letter and pressing a hand against her heart as if IC to still its throbbing locked the written pages In n a drawer of her bureau She went downstairs and made Ranston bring her chair to its accustomed place under under under un un- un- un der the rose rose arbor arbor and sat there through the falling failing twilight She and Shirley talked but little at dinner and what she abe said seemed to come winging from old memories memories her her own girlhood its Ls routes loutes and picnics and harum pleasures And there were ere long gaps in which she sat silent playing with her napkin the light color coming and going in her delicate cheek lost in re ery It was not till the hall hall clock clock struck her usual hour that she rose to go to her room Dont Don't send she said eaid r I 1 shant shan't t want her She kissed Shirley Shirley Shir Shir- ley icy good night Maybe after aHer a while you jou will wl sing for me you jou ou ha haven't played jour our harp haip for ever so long longIn In Iii the subdued light candlelight Mrs Dandridge locked the tile door doo of at her room She opened a closet and from the very bottom of 01 a small haircloth trunk lifted and shook out from its many tissue wrappings a faded gown of rose colored rose colored silk with wilh pointed bodice bod hod- ice and old old fashioned puff sleeves putt putt-i leeves She spread this on the bed bell and laid with ita ita it a 1 pair of yellowed satin slippers and anda a little straw basket that held a spray spra of what had once been cape jessamine jessa jessamine mine In the flickering light sho she undressed and rearranged her hair catching its silvery curling meshes in a low soft coil Looking almost furtively about her tier sho she put on the rose-colored rose gown sown and pinned the withered spray flower on its breast She lighted more candles candles in in the wall wait brackets brackets and on tho dressing table and the reading reading- lamp tamp on the desk Standing before beCore her mirror then she gazed long at the there faded rose tint rose tint re reflection tile the the poor against the pale Ivory ory of oC her slender and the white hair A little tittle I quiver ran over her lips Whatever the fact she sho whispered you and no other as long longas as I live h She Sho unlocked the bureau drawer bureau drawer then took out the letter and seating herself hersel by the table read the remainder remainder remainder remain remain- der r I 1 write this in the old library and holds my horse by the porch Tic Hc will give you this letter when I Iam Iam Iam am gone Last night we were dancing dancing nil all of us us-at us at the ball 1 I can scarcely believe be be- lieve it was less than twelve hours ago The calendar on my desk has a motto for each leaf lea Today's s is this Every man Dlan carries his fate on a rib rib- and ind about his neck Last night I would have smiled at that thit perhaps today I say to myself Its true true its its true Two little hours ago I could have ha sworn that whatever er happened to mo me Sassoon would ouid suffer no harm Judith I could not avoid the meeting meet ing You will w Know the circumstances circumstances circum circum- stances and will w see fee that it was as forced upon me But though e A met on the field I 1 kept my promise Sassoon did not fall tall by my hand She had begun to tremble so that the paper shook in her hands bands and from her breast shattered b bj by her quick breathing the brown blown jessamine petals dusted down n in her lap It was some moments before she could calu cali herself sufficiently to read onlIe on He lIe fired tired at the signal and anti the shot went wide I threw my pistol on the ground Then whether Then whether maddened by bj my refusal to tire fireS I cannot tell tell tell-he he turned hl hut his weapon all at once and shot himself through the breast It was over in an nn instant The seconds did dill not guess guess guess-do do Snot not even now for it happened but an hour ago As the code decrees their backs were vere turned when the shots were vere But there were circumstances I cannot touch upon to you which made them disapprove prove which prove which made m ill mv facing him just then seem stern I saw ft in Bristow's Bristow s face lace and liked him the tile better for it it even en while it touched my nay pride The They could not know o of course Curse that I 1 did not intend to fireWell fire Well you jou ou and the they will know it now And Bristow has my pistol he lie will find it thank God thank God But will w that matter to you jou If you loved Sassoon Bassoon I shall always In your jour our mind stand as the indirect cause of his death It is for this reason I Iam Iam Iam am going away I I could not bear to look in your accusing eyes and hear you say it Nor could I bear to stay here a reminder to jou OU of such a ahonor horror honor If It you jou love me mo you will write and call me back to you jou Oh Judith Ju Ju- Judith my own dear love I p-ay p God you will w She put the letter down and laid h hor r face upon it Beauty Beauty she whispered dry I never knew I never knew But it would have ha made no difference darling I would have forgiven you any anything anything- everything You know that now dear You have been certain of it all these years that have been so empty empt empty to me me But when the faded rose-colored rose gown and the poor time yellowed time yellowed slippers slippers slippers slip slip- pers had b been en laid back in the haircloth haircloth hair hair- cloth cioth trunk when her door once more moro unbolted she lay in her bed in the dim glow of the reiding reading lamp lamp with her curling silver hair drifting across the pillow and the letter beneath it at last the tears came coursing down her bel cheeks And with the loosening of her tears gradually and anti softly came joy joy infinitely than the anguish and ind sense of at betrayal It poured upon her ber like a trembling flood Long long ago he had bad gone out of the world world world-it It was only his lila memory that counted to her Now that could no longer spell pain pun or emptiness or denial It was engold engold- I med by a new light and in that light she would walk gently and smilingly I to the end She found the slender golden chain that hung about her tier neck nedi and opened the little black locket with its circlet of pearls And as she gazed at atthe atthe atthe the face it held which time had not touched with change the sound of Shirleys Shirley's s harp came softly in through the window She was playing an old old- fashioned song of the sort she ehe knew her mother loved lo best Darling I am nm growing old Sl Silvar r threads among amoni the gold goldShine goldShine old Shine upon m ray brow row tocla toda today Life LICe is III fadin f fading fast away But nut my toy you ou will be Aliva Always s young YOUIl un and 1 fair to me mc Outside the leaves rustled the birds c called and the crickets sang their un ending epithalamia of summer nights and on this tone tone background background the melody melody mel mel- ody rose tenderly and lingeringly like a haunting perfume of pressed flowers and lifted the locket to her face whispering the words of the refrain refrain re reo re- re frain Yes my darling you will bo lM Always young joung an and fair to me m-c mo moThe The smile was still on her lips when she SUP fell asleep and the little locket lockets s till stilt lay in her lingers CHAPTER When the Clock Struck Sorrow weeps weeps sorrow sorrow sings As Shirley played that night the old Rusian Rus Rus- Inn ian proverb kept running through her mind When she had pushed the gold harp into its corner she threw herself upon a broad sofa in a feathery feather drift of chintz cushions and dropped her ber forehead In her laced fingers A gilt gilt- framed mirror hung on the opposite wall out of which her sorrowful broodIng brood brood- lug lag eyes looked with an expression of dumb and weary suffering lice Her confused thoughts raced hither and thither What would be the end Would Valiant forget after a time Would he ho Miss marry Miss Fargo perhaps perhaps perhaps perhaps' per per- haps haps' The thought caused her a stab of anguish Yet ehe ahe herself could not I marry him The barrier was impassable impassible sable sible She was still lying listlessly among the cU cushions when a step sounded on the porch and she heard Chilly Lusk lusks Lusk's s voice oice in the hall With hea heavy heaY Y hands Shirley put into place her disheveled hair hall and rose to meet him Im Ini awfully selfish to come tonight tonight tonight to to- night he lie said Eald awkwardly no doubt jou are tired out out She di disclaimed the weariness that dragged upon her spirits like leaden weights and made him welcome with her usual cordiality She was in fact act relieved at his coming At t Damory court the tile night of oC the ball bill when she had come from the garden with her lips thrilling from kiss she had suddenly met his look 1001 It had seemed to hold a startled realization that she had hid remembered with a remorseful remorseful remorseful re re- re- re compunction Since ince ince that night he had not been at Rosewood Ranston Hanston had lighted a pine pine knot knot inthe in the tho fireplace and tho the walls were JL 5 1 Stooping She Looked at It Closely She Started as She Did Old So dering with crimson shadows Her lIer hand was shielding her eyes ejes and as she strove to fill till the gaps galls in their somewhat spasmodic conversation with the trivial impersonal things that belonged to their old Intimacy the tiny flickering flames seemed to be darting unfriendly fingers plucking at ather ather ather her secret Leaning from her nest of cushions she thrust the poker into the tho glowing resinous mass till sparks whizzed up the chimneys chimney's 6 black maw mawin mawin mawin in a torrent How they fly she said Rickey Snyder calls it raising a blizzard In Hades I used to think they flew up to the sky and became the littlest stars What a pity we wo have to grow up UI and learn so much I Id I'd rather lather have kept on believing that when the red leaves in the woods whirled about in a circle the fairies were dancing and that it was the gnomes who put the cockle cockle burs burs in the hounds' hounds cat cars She had been talking at random gradually becoming conscious con con- clous of his constrained and stumbling sturn bling manner She had hael however but half halt defined his errand when ho lie came cameto cameto cameto to it all in a burst I 1 I I cant can't get to it somehow Shirley Shir ShIr- ley Icy he said with sudden desperation but here It is Ive I've come to ask you jou to marT marry me Dont Don't t stop me he went on hurriedly lifting his hand whatever you jou SU say I 1 must tell you I Ive I've been trying to for months and months months' Now that he had bad started It came with a boyish vehemence that thit both chilled and thrilled her Even Evenin in her own desolation and shrinking almost unbearably from the avowal the hope and brightness in his voice touched her with pity It H seemed to her that life was a strange Jumble of and incomprehensible pain And all the while In the young I voice oice vibrant with feeling reeling her cringing ering cring- Ing ear was catching imagined echoes of that other voice graver and more Inore self self contained contained but shaken by the same passion in that iteration |