Show 0 Q virginia sy my hame hadie erminie rives caim pea Illas traWl hy by lairse laur sted w raw 0 au by b hobbs bobb blendu the malcar r made oil an exclamation ant that had the of 0 coming after a jaw drop dropped pd iii lence 1 I 1 I never thought of that I 1 the resumed slowly some what it scented to the girl listening if 1 her ter mother aa vas in love with sassoon Katha catharines rines heart beat fast and then stood still that 1 I hat was the name of the man mail Val valiant lants B fataei had killed lit in tit tint it ON old duel of which filch chalmers almera Ch had told if liei bei mother shirley sharley mathei was in love with Sasso orl V wit wh waa as slip silo illie 1 I he mafoi a 9 autry hold held a that beamed almost appeal bile bhe was cou louscious that the other lad ind faced about abruptly t ivo ve always believed so BO certain it if she had haid loved valiant would silo have thrown tin own him over maidy because he broke I 1 Is pio pion iise nilse not to be ba a party to a you think not said the major busily not under uie the circumstances vol val lant to forced into it no gentleman at that day could have declined the tha meeting ile he could have explained it 1 to judiths Jui iltha satisfaction a woman doann t need much evidence to justify JI tho mart man she a 9 lit in love with ho mul mu have Nr written itten her he couldn coulden t have gone away without that and if she had loved him she would have called him back i the major made no answer katha rine saw a cigar fall unheeded upon the glass where it lay glo glowing like a panthers eye the other had ruen risen now his stooped figure bulking balking in the moonlight illis his voice sounded harsh and strain ed I 1 loved beauty valiant he said and hla his son Is his son bon to me but I 1 have to think of judith too she faint ed bristow brastow when lien she saw him shirley told roe me about it her mother has made her think it w nab aa the scent of the hoseal loses hes his fathers father a living image land hes brought the tha past back with him every sound bound of his voice every sight of hit face will be a separate stab oil ob his mere presence will be enough for judith to bear but with her heair in the grave with sassoon what would love between shirley anti aad young valiant mean to herp her think of 1011 it lie biake off and was a blank of silence in chich he turned with almost a sigh theu then katharine sail sa him film reach the bench with a single stride and drop his hand on an the bowed shoulder bristow I 1 he said briskly I 1 yours youra UK 1111 this confounded philandering at your time of life the majors major s face looked ashy pale but he got up with a laugh not 1 I tie he said gaid 1 I was never better in my life we wove vo lad had our mouthful of air come on back to tho the house not much grunted the other aln im rocio we both ought to have been houis houie ago lie ile threw avoy his cigar and stalked down the path into tile the darkness the mafoi blood looking after him till lie he had disappeared then suddenly dropped on oil the bench and covered his tace lace something liko ilko a groan burst from him my aly god he ha said and his voice camo came to katharine with a quaver of age and suffering very different from the jovial accents of the ballroom it if I 1 were only sure it atas as bassoon presently lie he rose and went slowly toward the lighted doorway CHAPTER the ambush not long alter from the musicians musk lanB tower bower the sound bound of I 1 home sweet ionic home drifted oica the poignant rose scent and presently the driveway re sounded to rollina i beel beela 3 and tho the voices of negro dr drivers ivera and the house entrance jostled with groups snuffled in loose carriage wraps silken cloaks and light overcoats calling tired but laughing farewells fai ewells katharine on the step found herself looking into Val valiant lants s aes c cs how can I 1 tell you how much I 1 have hava en joked it all alla she said I 1 ve stayed til the very last laet minute which is 13 oom thing for ones fourth season and nd now non goodby for we ne are oil off tomor tow low for hot springs her father had long ago betoken betaken ho homo waid and the big three ht bated abed surrey holding six elx camf table and nine funi limb in the phrase of L lige the coachman had returned for the rest judge Clia Chalin liners erB tho the two to younger girls and shirley katharine greeted the latter with it a charming smal what mole moie natural than that aho should find herself straightway on tile the rear seat with nith royalty 9 the two girls safely disposed in the middle the judge climbed up beside the driver ho cracked hla his liap whip arid and they were off the way was not long and katharine had bad need of dispatch if that re vengeful weapon were to bo be used which fate bad put into her hands she wasted little time it seems so BO strange she said fi find rd our host in such ench surroundings can C UPIL cly believe him the john ive lanced with a hun bun dred did t imes in nei ne york he HOB s been here tuch euch a abort while und yet couldn coulden t possibly bo be more at home hl hd lived lit in A irali a always and you all treat him film as it if he be wore were quite one yourselves chirley smiled why 3 4 slip she said I 1 maybe it ft seems odd c B hut you see w ath us vulla lalit lit it s aldays a vallant valiant no nare he nan has lived hes the son or his fanali and the waster master of damory court that th at ii tho wonderful nv andt erful part of it it its so eo english somehow Is IB it wid suld shirloy shirley 1 I thought of 0 it hut but perhaps it seems beema so 00 e have the old houses and the old names and think ot of them no doubt lr it tile the en me w way ay N hat a sad bad life hig hh father hadt hadl pursued dreamily you know all about the duel due of course shirley shrank imperceptibly now tho subject tousled valiant so closely it seemed almost as it if it belonged to hini him and to her alono alone not a thing to bo be flippantly touched Ld on yes said eald somewhat hat slon slowly IV every one here know 9 of it I 1 no doubt it has been almost forgotten I 1 the other cot continued linued but johns john a coining must natu ull have revamped tile old story what was it about the quarrel A love a ali I 1 r 9 IV it so 80 long ago aeo murmured slier ley icy I 1 I 1 suppose some eoma one could ter if they would major dilston Uil Dil stow pei hapa luied kathaaine thoughtfully 1 ile ho was waa one of thia the decoi Is 13 admit ted shirley Illy hut but by corn com man inon consent that side of it talked of at tho the time men afen in virginia have haab old fashioned idlas idias idi as about women ali ah its flue fine of them picanes Kath kathalene allne I 1 can imaldo tho the men who iho knew about that dreadful affair in their southern cub airy dr drawing aNNing a cordon of sile silence tion about the name of oc that girl with her broken heart FO for if she loved one of the two it mutt have been farsoon not valiant liss else ho he would have san staged ed how terrible torri blo to aee one anoa R loi loer or killed in such a way ay it was ended for him but the poor woman was left to bear it all the years I 1 fancy she would never wholly get over it never be aalf able to forget him though she tried shirley sharley made some reply that was waa lost in the whirring wheels the oth ers words seemed almost an echo of what she herself had been thinking maybe she married after a while too A woman must make a life tor for herself you know it if she lives here it will be sad for her this opening of the old wound by johns john s coming and looking so BO like his father katharine paused there was a kind of exhilaration in this subtle batting baiting shirley stirred uneasily and it in ahn glimpsing light her face looked looft d birou troubled catharines Katha rines voice had pathos and in spite of her di of the abo subject shirley had been ent entering elIng into the feeling of 02 that supposititious N w oman the judge on the front seat ia was telling a low toned story oer hf his shoulder for the delectation of nancy and betty but shirley v was as not list tit ing her whole mind was wag full of ni alint hat katharine had been saying buying she was as picturing to herself this woman her secret hidden all these years yeara hearing of john Vallan Vali ants tB coming to damory court learning of this likeness shrinking from sight of it dreading the painful memory it must thrust upon her I 1 suppose katharine s voice A was as I roainy that she and john met sud bud denia N without ii warning arnIng what would ehe che do would she ehe say ant anything bing perhaps she would faint sherly started ly her hands as they drew her cloak uncertainly about hr lit r began to tremble as if with cold something fell front from them to tha bottom of the surre surrey through her chiffon ell katharine Kath arino noted this with a slow hindle it had been a isler than she ti nd id thought silo sho said no more and the carriage rolled on to the accompaniment of giggles avei the judges peroration As it neat neared ad the Rese rosewood mood lane she leaned toward shatley you have ill copped your fan said bald she and aid your gloves too I 1 might have reached them for you wh wo we are there already ilow how short tho dile dihe has seemed dont drive up the lane lige wild bald shetley Sh liley itley arid and hir voice seemed und and strange even to herself the wheels would vake mother katharine bade her goodby with enra ful se sweetness etness as the judge bundled her down donn in his strong frie friendly naly orma no slie she told hlin blin don t come with vath tile me its not a bit necessary en i moline will be iv waiting alting tor for me ile he climbed into her vacant place an ali tile the girls called thelt theli good nights well all sleep late enough in the morning I 1 reckon he said with alth a laugh I 1 but its been a great success I 1 s 0 s 4 emmalane Emm allne was crouched in a chair in the hall ball a rug thrown over her knees in open mouthed slumber sho started up at the touch of Shir shirleye shirleys leys hand yam yawning nang widely I 1 I 1 dare clare to goodness she muttered I 1 I 1 was jes fixin V t go f V sleep I 1 I 1 I 1 I 1 I 1 im so ao tired emmalina Emma Eirmal llna lue take tho the crovi crown n its heavy the negro woman noman untangled the th glittering points front from the li hair with careful fingers po chacky deedee dee dee deel I 1 sho sha wd lovingly f sho flop all tit th feddars outer her wings ings gamme that a 0 tin croka 1 I like ter lam it out th come on now we go upstairs sect bos aoe not ter lemarb afia judith f I 1 i the year was wa that of the duel tho the date data was waa the day following the anniversary lit in the bedroom bed toom bile deftly unfastened the hooks of the heavy satin gown and coaxed hor her mis tress treas to lie ile on the sofa while she unpinned the masses 0 of waving hair till they lay in a rich surge over the cushion then she bho brought a brush and crouching rou ching down beside her began with long gentle strokes to smooth out tile tho silken thieo theas is talking to her the while lit in a soft monotone under thebo ethehe ministrations shirley shirloy lily lay dangul I 1 tind and speechless her oyes eyes clow clowd d th rent that had stricken tier nor heart by turns seemed a cold cola hara hand pressing upon its beating and an vapor capor rising stealthily over it but her hands bands hot and her eyelid tl but bained nad finally she ebe roused herreld thank you emmalane Emm allne she eald bahl in a tired voice good night now im going to sloop sleep and you must go to bod bed too but alono alone in the warm wan dark shirley lay staring open eyed at the coiling cel ling slowly tha terror wits was seizing upon her the dread noiseless and ini tangible folding her in the shadow at c its numbing wings was waa her mother tho the one over ova r whom that old duel hail had been fought she remembered the tha cape Jess antines was the date of that duel of the death of sassoon bassoon the anniversary her mother kept she sat oat up in bed trembling then she rose and opening the door with caution crept down the stair sliding her hot hand before her along the cool polished banister As she obe passed through the lower hall a hound on the tha porch scenting her stirred thumped his tall tail on tho the flooring and whined groping her way to the dining room she lighted a candle and passed through a corridor into a low coiling ed chamber employ ernp loed ed as aa a general receptacle copt acle a glorified garret as mrs mra dandridge dubbed it it showed a strange assemblage I 1 A row of chests stored with winter clothing co thing gave forth a clean pungent snit it of cedar and at one side stood 1 it antique spinet and at worn set bet of I 1 orse bair furniture fuin iture shirley had tinned her miserable ries ra es on a bookshelf book along one wall tile the volumes it contained had been lir nr fathers father a and among them stood i row of tonies tomes taller than their fello Ns s the bound numbers of a count county newspaper be beginning inning before the war hio back of each was stamped with the year she was deciphering these faded imprints thirty years ago she bhe whispered yes hero here it la is she set down don the candle and dragged out one of the huge leather backs staggering under the weight sho she rested its edge on the table and began feverishly to turn tho the pages liar her eye on en the date line she stopped presently with a quick breath she had reached slay alay the year was waa that of the duel the date m BBS as the day following the jers anniversary rear fearfully fully her te overran the columns then suddenly she eho put her open hand on the page as though to blot out the words every trace of color front from check and brow bron dut but the line beem beema beemd d to glow up through tho the very flesh died may id ed w ward ard jaesoon Sae soon in his bis twenty sixth year the tha book slipped to the floii with a crish crash that echoed through the roo room tit it N was as true then I 1 it was sassoon 8 death that her mother mourned tho the man mail in whose hose arms she had stood blood such a little while ago by the old dial of damory court was the be son of the nun nian who nho lad had killed him biml olt oh god she whispered just when I 1 was inas BO ao happy I 1 oh ob mother mother otherl in you lo 10 load cd him and bour our heart broke ft nhen beu he died it was na a vais valiant who broke it vallant valiant val lant ills his eatherl silo slipped down upon the bare floor and crouched weis theiu shuddering aud and agonized her disheveled hair wot wet ft ith tears was her love to be but tile tho thing of sit an hour a single clasp mid and alen forever nothing ills fathers a deed was not his fault yet how could she ehe love a man v hobe every feature brought a pang to that mother she eho loved more than herself so over and over the wheel of her thought turned in the same desolate des groove and over and over the ysis sms of grief and longing submerged her noiselessly as she had bad descended silo abie crept again up the stair As aa she bho passed her mothers door site bho paused a moment and laying her ar arms s out across it pressed her up lips to td the dark grain of the wood CHAPTER 4 the awakening the sun had passed the meridian next day when valiant aikeo aw oke from a sleep as aa deep as aa abou ben Ad adhemar heins yet one crowded wt with t h flying tiptoed dreams the one great fact of shw les leia love had lain at the core of all these images and hta bin mind was waa full of it as aa his eyes opened wide all at once to the new day lie ile looked at hla his watch and rolled from the bed with a laugh past tv tA elvel he be exclaimed good lipay hpak eno I 1 what about all the work F r had laid out for today presently he was splashing in the lake shooting under hla his curved hand unerring jets |