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Show I me VALIANT3 sf VMINIA nALLIE ERrBNIE PIVE5 ILLU3TRAJION3 &T LAUPEN STOUT J H SYNOPSIS. H Jolin Vnllint. n rlrh oivlcty fnvorltn, H Mtidilnnty illfemnn Hint lliu Vnllntit cor- m poratloii, wlileh lliu fiMhir found" 1 nml HB wliloli wiih the iirlnclpal minr"- of 111' Hf wenllli Idi'l fiilli-il ll voluiitiirll lurni HHI oit IiIh prlviiln fnrluuo to tin' ti-nlwr HH fur tlm iriirinitloii III miir- r.-tiHltiln Hi tiomiriiiiliiim (onlt nf lit olil ni'itor rnr, n BR nliltc liull dot; am) lmuiory court, n n'K- H lrrtxil rutiUa In Vlmhil'i On tin' way to K Dnnicry court hn nn-etn HlilrUy linnil- H,' rlitiw. nn unburn i.nlrri) Iinmiii, and 1i- m1 Mrn Hint hit U nJiiK to like VlrKlnlu lm- . fiifnoely Hhlrlcy'M inotlirr. Mm Danil- Hfi rldfje. nml MnJnr llrlstim i-xcIiiiiiro rem W. (nlnrein'eii iluilmr Hlilfli It Ih iienlt'il HH Hint tlm miijnr, Vullanfn fatliiT, am! u StStW mnn miiiieil HnKK'ion worn rlvitln for UN Bi hand nf Mm lliniltlilirc In her yontn BH Bomoon nml Valiant fouclit n ilui-l " by" HH arm u lit In ivlilrli the former wn killed Hfl Vnllnnt tlniln Ditnorv rourt nwrKrmvn f with wpi'iU mill in opera nml dicMi'ii to if irnhbllllii(- th t'lncn Valiant imyi"( n fllilrlcy from tlm liltr nf n minki wlilrli l tiltr-n him. Knowing tlio ilcnilllricni nf tlio IW bite, Hlilrloy Kiicki tlio potion from Inn n wound nml unvt-n bin life Vnllnnt learns HI for tho (I rut llmo Hint lil-t falhrr loft Vlr- IM Klnl.i on ni'rotitit of n ilui't In wliloli I'm-- I inr Kniitluill and Alnlor Ilrlntow noted in K M futlior'K KeooniH Vnllnnt ami Hlilrloy iboeoino Kooil filorilx Mrx li.indrlitw HI' fnlnt when ulin uieolii Vnllnnt for Hip HP, 1rt lliim. Vnllnnt illncovern that lm Imit fl n fnrliin In old walnut Iff cm The yrnrly Jt tournament, a urtlnl of tlm JiiuMIikt nf I friidnl Union Ix hi'ld nt Dnlnnry rourt At tho lxt niiinii'iit Valiant tnkex tint jiIipp Hi of nun of thn knlchln. who Ik slik nml HHI -ntrrn tlm llxtn Ho "Ins nml cIioorpx BHfl flhtrlpf DxmlrliUn iih nui-fii nf In-iiuty to Hl tho iIIhiiiiiv of Kntlirrlnp Parito. n fonmr Hi cworllioHrt. ulio Ix vlxltlm; In VlrKlnln HHL 'ri tniirninmnt 'nil nt Onmory rourt p lrnun the rlltn of thn rnuntrynldo. Rhlr- ' try Ix ironnpil by Vnllnnt an iiuppii of HHf- tirauty Vnllnnt iIIh Bhlrlpy of hlx Iovp B' nml limy lipootn" Pinrncoil. Kntlmrlno H rnrci ili'tonnlnlni; ti it to Klvn up Vnll- H nut without n MriiggK iir.lntx nut to Hhlr- HHi IV l'n,v lerrllilp It would ho for tlm woni- HiS nn vnn rnu."il tlm iIiipI to inpi t Valiant, HH xiho lookx kii much like hlx fnthor Hhlr- H Vy, iinii'rlalii. hut fci'lliiK that her tnnth- H or vtn In Invo with llin lolltn nf Vnll MH9 nnt' plxtnl, hrenkx tho PiiRnKPinelit Mnlor w nrlvtow Ix fntnlly wi.undcd hv (Irerf HH Klnc n IltifrntPil convict who Iip 'mil xenl HH lo Prlinn, hut liefotc iUIiir ItrlHtnw ron- HH ffnxis In Mm. Dindrldiro Hint he had HH fPl " lott'r Vnll-in hml written to her HH nftnr thn duel Vnll mt iIpcMph to lenvp B Pnmory court nml wrllox fihlrley that he H will lovo her nlwnyx, HS CHAPTER XXXIII. Continued. Hjl Vlth uiiBtcndy llncorH bIiu un- HjK xvrappod tlio ollotlslllt, broku tho let- naW trr's seal, nnd read: HB "Dearest: nj "Iloforo you rend this, you will no HHJ doubt lmvu lirnrd tlio thing that lint tinpponod this atinRlilny morning. Sub- Hn oon poor Snseoon! I enn Hity that HH -vvith nil my honrt Ib (lend. Wli:it thlH WJJjL fact will roenn to you, Ooil holp ma I IBB '1 cannot guess. For I lmvo novar DH bocn cortnln, Judith, of your heart. MH Somotlincs I have, thought you loved jSBj vac mo only as 1 lovo you. Lnst iHj night whon I saw you wonrlng my uH capo JoHsnmlneH at tho ball, I wns HBi almost tiurn ot It. Hut when you mndc JHr mo promlHo, whntovor happened, not IHB to lift my hnnd ngnlnst him, then I HHl doubted. WnH It bccatisn you fcatvd HBO 'or '''" ? Would to God at tills momont HJ I know this wits not truol Kor "hat- HVi over thn met, I miiBt lovo you, dnr HHU "ns J0U a,ul no otucr Ra long- ub I HHl Whon fiho hnd rend thus fnr, alio Hl cIobciI tho lottcr, and pressing n hnnd HHf against hor heart ob It to still Its HE' throbbing, locked thu written pngoA HH (a a drawer ot hor bureau. Hho went xfPSj downsnlrs nnd mndo RnnBton bring lVH 'lor cnn'r t ll8 nccustomed placn un- B dor tho roso-nrbor, nnd sat there pAlE through tho falling twilight. 2bM b0 nnd Shirley talked but little, at HHf dtnnor, and what lio Bald seemed to JH como winging from old memories her HV own girlhood, Its routes nml picnic HHJ end harum-scarum pleasures. And HJSJ thoro wero long gaps In which she '!3I " Hat B"ont P,a'lnB w"h her napkin, HHl ne "K,lt coIor coming nnd going In H tior dollcato cheek, lost In rovery. It HH vras not till tho hull-clock struck her HHl usual hour thut b1io roso to go to hur SSffnj room. Ban "Don't send Emmallno," sho eald. M "I shan't want her." Shu kissed Shir- HjBJ toy good night. "Maybo after a whtlo you will alng for mo; ou hnveu't Hh jilnyod your hnrp for oer so long." HJ In tho subdued cnndlollght Mrs. HJ uantiridgo locked tho door of hor B room. Sho opened a closet, nnd from 1 tho vary bottom of n smnll haircloth B trunk, lifted and shook out from Ha 1 many tissue, wrappings a faded gown B of roBo-colored Bilk, with pointed bod- 1 Ico and old-fashioned purt-eloevcs. Sho 1 nproad this on tho bed nnd laid with It B a pair of yellowed satin slippers nnd BB a llttlu straw basket that held u spray BB ot what hnd onco boon cupu Jessu- BB mine. BB la thx nickering light sho undressed BB nnd riarrnnged hor hair, catching Its BB ullvfiy rurllug meshes In u low soft BHJJ coll. looking alnuHit furtively about BJUJ hor, sho put on tho roso-colorcd gown, BBB nnd pinned tho wltheted tlower-spruy BJW on Its breast. She lighted more HJ candles-In tho wall brackets nnd on BBB thn drosslng-tnbloand tho reading- BJH tamp on tho desk. Standing boforo BHJ hor mirror (hen, alio gazod long nt tho BJH (lcctlon tho poor fnded roso-tlut BHJ tgalnst the palo lory of hor slondor BHJ neck, and tho uhito hair. A llttlu HJfl julver tan oor her lips. H " 'Whatever tho fact,' sho whispered. HH "' ... you and no other as long HH as I HJI Sha unlocknd tho bureau-drawer HH then, took out tho lettor. and seating HI faoraolf by tho table, read thu remain- BBB H "I wrlto this In tho old Horary and fl UrlBtow holds my Iiotbo by tho porch. B He wilt glvo you this lottor whan 1 1 am gono. HJI "Ltmt nighty wo were dancing all BJjD K ui at tho 'Ati. I can scarcely bo- Bf , Mf It vu ieJs than twelve hours t OHJHjjHjHHlHHHHHHJHHHHHHHHHHHBaHBBHBB I ago! Tho calendar on my desk has n motto for each leaf. Today's Is this: 'Kvcry man carried his fate on a riband rib-and about his neck.' I.aBt night I would lmvo smiled at that, perhaps; today I nay to myself, 'U'h true It's truol' Two llttlu hours ago I could have sworn that whatever happened lo mo Bassoon would Buffer no harm. "Judith, I could not aolil the meeting. meet-ing. You will know tho clrcum-Htanccs, clrcum-Htanccs, and will nee that It was forced upon mo. Hut though wo met on tho Held, 1 kept my promlso. Sassoou did not fall by my hand." Sho had begun to tremble so that tho paper shook In her hands, nnd from her breast, shattered by her quick breathing, tho brown Jeosnmluo (totals dusted down In her lap. It was 8omu moments beforo sho could calu herself sulllclontly to rend on. "Ho fired nt tho signal and tho shot went wide. I throw my pistol on the ground. Then u bethel maddened by my refusal to Are, I cannot tell ho turned Ills wenpon nil nt onco and shot himself through thu breast. It wns over In nn Instant. Tho seconds did not guesB do not even now, for It happened but nn hour ago. Ab tho codo decrees, their backs wero turned when tho shots wero fired. Hut thoro were circumstances I cannot touch Uxn to )ou which mado them disapprove disap-prove which mado my facing him just then seem tinchlvalrous. 1 saw It In Ilrlstow's face, and liked him thn better for It, even whllo It touched my pride. They could not know, of course, that I did not Intend to fire. Well, ou nnd they will know It now! And Hrletnw hna my pistol; ho will find It undischarged thank God, thank God I "Hut will that matter to you? If ou loved Snssuon, 1 shall always in your mind stand as tho Indirect cause of his death! It Is for this reuBon I am going away I could not bear to look In your accusing eyes nnd hear you say It. Nor could I benr to stay here, n reminder to you of such n horror. If you lovo mo, you will wrlto nnd call mo back to you. Oh. Judith, Ju-dith, Judith, my own dear lovo! I prny God you will!" Sho put tho lottor down nnd laid her face upon It. "Ucauty! Hcauty!" sho whispered, dry-oyed. "I novor know! I novor know! Hut It would hnve mndo no difference darling. I would hnvo forglvon you nnythUg everything! You know that, now, .dear! You hovo been certnln of It nil tlieno yenrs thnt hnvo been bo empty, empty to mo!" Hut when tho faded roso-colored gown nnd tho poor tlmo-yollowcd slippers slip-pers hnd bon Inld back In tho haircloth hair-cloth trunk: whon. her door onco moro unbolted, sho lay In her bed In tho dim glow of tho readlng-lnmp, with hor curling allvory hnlr drifting ncrosa tho pillow and tho lottor bonenth It, nt last tho tears camo coursing down hor cheeks. And with tho loosonlng of her tenrs, grndunlly nnd softly camo Joy Infinitely Infi-nitely deeper than tho ungulsh and senso of botrnyal. It poured upon her llko a trembling Hood. Long, long ago ho had gono out of tho world It was only his memory that counted to her. Now that could no longer spoil pain or emptlnoBs or denial. It was engold-ened engold-ened by n now light, and In that light sho would wnlk gently nnd smilingly to tho end. Sho found thu slender golden chain that hung nbout her neck nnd oponcd tho little blnck locket with Its circlet of laureled pearls. And as sho gazed nt tho fnco It held, which tlmo hnd not touched with change, tho soyid of Shtrluy'B harp camo softly In through tho window. Sho was playing an old-fashioned old-fashioned Bong, of thn Bort who know hor mother loved best. Dm ling, I mil KmwInR old, Hrncr threads iiinoui; the koIJ Slilnn upon my Inow toilny. Life Ix fiiillnK' fast awny Hut. my ilnrllne, you will b Alnuya )ouiu; and fulr to me. Outsldo tho leaves rustled, tho birds called nnd tho crickets sang tholr unending un-ending oplthalamla of summor nights. ' nnd on this tono-bnekground tho mel-1 ody roso tenderly nnd llngerlngly llko ft haunting porfumo of pressed flowers. Sho smiled nnd lifted tho locket to hor fnco, whispering tlio words of tho refrain re-frain . Ye. my dnrllnc ynu will M Alns joung nml fulr to mu! Tho Rmllo wns still on her lips whon sho fell asleep, and tho little locket 8tlll lay in hor lingers. CHAPTER XXXIV. When the Clock Struck. "Sorrow weeps Borrow sings," As Shlrloy plaed thnt night, tho old Hub-Inn Hub-Inn proverb kept running through her mind. When sho had pushed tho gold harp Into Its corner sho throw horolf upon a broad sofa In n feathory drift of chintz cushions nnd dropped her forehead In hor lncod lingers A gilt-framed gilt-framed mirror hung on tho opposite wnll, out of which her sorrowful brooding brood-ing eyes looked with nn expression of dumb nnd weary suffering. Hor confused thoughts rncod hither and thither What would bo tho ond? Vvou d Valiant forgol after n tlmoT ould ho marry Miss Knrgo, per-haps? per-haps? Tho thought caused hor a atab of anguish. Yet ho herself could not marry him. Tho barrier' wns Impas-sablo! Impas-sablo! Hho wns still lying listlessly nmong tho cushions when a stop Bounded on thu Kirch nnd sho heard Chilly Husk's olco In tho hell. With henvj hands Shlrloy put Into placo her disheveled hair and roso to meet him. "I'm awfully selfish to como tonight," to-night," ho pnld awkwardly; "no doubt ou nro tired out." Sho disclaimed tho wcnrlncss thnt dragged upon her spirits llko leaden weights, nnd made him welcomo with her usual cordiality. Sho was, In fact, rulloved nt his coming. At'Damory court, tho night of tho ball, when she had come from tho gnrden with hur lips thrilling from Valiant's kiss, she hnd suddenly mot his look. It hnd seemed to lipid n Htnrtled reallzntlon thnt sho had rememberod with a remorseful re-morseful compunction. Slnco thnt night ho hnd not been nt Rosewood. RntiBton hnd lighted n plno-knot In tho (lroplncc, nnd tho walls wero shuddering shud-dering with crimson shadows. Her hand wns shielding her eyes, and ns sho strove to fill tho gnps In their somewhat spasmodic conversation with tho trivial Impersonal things that belonged to their old Intimacy, tho tiny flickering Humes seemed to bo darting unfriendly fingers plucking at her secret. Loaning from her nest of cushions sho thrust tho poker Into tho glowing resinous mnss till sparks whizzed up tho chimney's blnck maw In a torrent. "How they fly!" sho snld. "Hlckoy Snyder calls It raising a blizzard In Hades. I used to think they Hew up to tho sky nnd became tho littlest stars. What a pity wo have to grow up nnd lenrn bo much! I'd rather hnvo kept on believing thnt when tho red leaves In tho woods whirled about In n circle tho fnirles wero dancing, nnd that It was tho gnomes who put tho cocklo-bura In tho hounds' cars." Sho had been talking nt random, gradually becoming shrlnkingly conscious con-scious of his constrained nnd stumbling stum-bling manner. Sho had,' however, but half defined his errand whon he camo to It nil In n burst. "I I can't get to It, somehow, Shlr-toy," Shlr-toy," ho said with sudden desperation, "but hero It Is. 1'vo como to ask you to mnrry me. Don't stop me," ho went on hurriedly, lifting his hand: "whntover you eny, I must toll you. l'vo been trying to for months nnd months!" Now thnt ho had started, It camo with a boyish vohemenco that both chilled and thrilled her. Even In her own desolation, and shrinking nlmost unbearably from the avowal, tho hopo nnd brightness In his volco touched her with pity. It scorned to her thnt llfo wns n strange Jumblo of unescnpable and incomprehensible pain. And all tho whllo, In the young volco vibrant with feeling, her cringing cring-ing car wns cntchlng Imagined echoes of that other volco, graver and more self-contained, but shaken by tho snmo pnsslon, In thnt Iteration of 'I ovo you! I lovo you!" His nnswer enmo to hln Jlnnlly In hor silence, and ho released hor hands which ho had caught In his own. They dropped, limp nnd unresponsive, In her lnp. "Shirley," ho said brokonly, "mnybo you can't caro for me yet. Hut If ou will marry me, I I'll bo content with so llttlo. till you do." Sho shook her head, her hair making mak-ing dim llnshes In the firelight. "No, Chilly," she said. "It makes me olVJr ill" I Stooping, She Looked at It Closely. She Started as She Did So., wretched to give jou pain, but I must I must! Loio ibn't like that. It doesn't come nftorward I know. 1 could noor gie you wh.it ou want. ou would ond by despising mo, ub I should despise myself " "I won't glvo up." ho said incohor-ontly. incohor-ontly. "I can't glvo up Not so long as know there's nobody else At thn hall I thought-I thought porhapB you cared for Valiant but since ho told mo " Ho stopped suddenly, for sho was n ? m" h'm 'r0m an a8,lon faco Ho told mo thoro wns no renson why .r-hiui T tr,y my luck'" " w air- llcultly. "I asked him." There was a silence, whllo ho gazed nt hor, breathing despair Then ho triad to laugh. "All right." ho Bald hoarsely. "It-It "It-It doesn't mutter. Don't worry." She stretched out her hand to him In a gesture or wistful pain, and he hold It ,i momont between both ol his, then released It and wont hur. rledly out. As tho door closed, Shlrloy sat down, her head dropping Into her handfl llko n Btorm-broken flower. Valiant Val-iant had ncccptcd tho flnnllty of tho situation. With a wnvo of deeper hopelessness thnn had yet submerged her, shn realized that, against her own decision, something deep within hor had taken shy nnd secret comfort In his stubborn mnsctillno refusal. Against nil fnct, In face of tho Impossible, Impos-sible, her heart had been clinging to this ns though his love might even attain tho miraculous and somewhere, somehow, recrento circumstance. Hut now ho, too, hnd bowed to tho decree A kind of utter apathetic wretchedness wretched-ness seized upon hor, to rpplnco tho sharp misery that had so long been her companion an empty numbness In which, In n measure, she conned to fuel. An hour dragged slowly by and at length Bho roso nnd went slowly up tho stnlrs. Her head felt curiously heavy, but It did not acho. Outside her mother's door, ns was her custom, she paused mechanically to listen. A tiny pencil of light struck through tho darkness nnd painted n spot of brightness bright-ness on her gown. It came through tho kcyholo; the lamp In her mother's room wns burning. "Sho has fallen nslcep nnd forgotten It, she thought, nnd softly turning tho knob, pushed tho door noiselessly open und entered A moment sho stood listening to the low regular breathing of tho sleeper. Tho readlng-lnmp shed n shaded glow on tho pillow with Its spread-out silver sil-ver hair, nnd on tho dellcnto hands clasped loosely on tho covorlcL Shirley Shir-ley camo closo nnd looked down on tho placid fnco. It was smooth ns n child's nnd n smllo touched It lightly ns If somo pleasant sleep-thought hnd just laid rosy fingers on tho dreaming lips. Tho light cuught nnd sparkled from something bright that lay between be-tween her mother's linnds. It wns the enamel brooch thnt held hor own bnby curl, nnd aho saw suddenly thut what sho had nil her llfo thought wns a solid pondnnt, wns now open lockot-wise lockot-wise nnd that thu two halves clasped a miniature It camo to hor at oncn that tho plcturo must bo Sossoon's, and a quick" thrill of pity nnd yearning yearn-ing welled up through her own dojoc tlon. Stooping, she looked nt It closely. close-ly. Sha started ns Bho did so, for the inco on tho llttlo disk of Ivory was that of John Vnllnnt. An Instant sho stored unbollovlngly Then recollection of tho resemblance of which Vnllnnt had told hor rushed to her, nnd sho realized thnt It must bo the plcturo of his father. Th far shocked and confounded her. Why should her mother enrry In aecrot the mlnlnturo or tho man who had killed tTO nn continuum |