The Valiants of Virginia

was a clovered pasture and beyond this an orchard, bounded by a tall hedge of close-clipped box which separated

ut for the trellises of climbing roses that covered two sides and overflowed here and there on long arbors, flecking the dull brow

ds of that English Garland who had adopted the old Middle Plantation when Dunmore was royal governor under George III. Framed portraits and engravings lent tints of tarnished silver, old-rose and sunset-golds-colors ti

short divided skirt of yew-green and a cool white blouse and swinging by its ribbon a green hat whose rolling brim was caught up at one side by a crisp blue-black hawk's feather. S

strangely luminous, that one might see lurking the somber spirit of passion and of pain. But they were eager and brilliant withal, giving the lie to the cane whose crook one pale delicate hand hel

voice, and smiled brightly.

oing with t

tty Page is visiti

them from my window turning into the Red Road." She waved her han

ed by a low whinny and a soft thud of hoofs, and a golden-chestnut hunter thrust a long nose over the bars, flaring flame-lined nostrils to the touch of her hand. She laid

houlder, the begging breath blowing warm against her neck. "No

rm, whistled the horse to her and saddled him. Then opening the gate, she mounted and cantered down the lane to meet t

up the judge, Shirley," he said, "and made him bring me alo

ieve you ever got up at five o'clock in your

man Friday doesn't rout me out t

ape of an Indian's head that wedged itself forbiddingly between the fields of springing corn and tobacco. They approached the Red Road again by a crazy bridge whose adze-hewn flooring was held in place by wild grape-vines and weighted down against cloudburst and freshet by heavy boulders till it dipped its middle like an overloaded

South Carolinian drawl that was all vowels and liquids, "as that wild hill beside those

his is a boundary. That hobo-landscape is part of th

Court. It's still

there's never been any attempt to let it. I suppose his son is

nvestigated, you know, and her uncle had taken her to one of the hearings, when John Valiant was in th

k satirically. "Nothing matters wit

"That narrow wagon-track," he s

t was all she said, but her glance at the girl beside her was one of open admiration. For, as all in the party knew, the lon

losed in a worm-fence and holding a whitewashed cabin with a well shaded by varicolored hollyhocks. Under the eaves clambered a gourd-vine, benea

ocal lion, Betty. This is where Mad Anthony lives. You must have heard of him when yo

ple. "Where have Ah

e it by a bucket of water that he set beside his pulpit Saturday night. As

there were only four great races: the Huguenots, the Hottentots

ures-that's voodoo, you know. They put a lot of stock in his 'prophecisms.' He tell

eir direction, his brow, under its shock of perfectly white crinkly hair, twitching with a peculiar expression of inquiry. His age might have been anything judging from his face which was so seamed and creviced with innumerable tiny wrin

, took from his pocket a collapsible drinking cup. "Howdy do, An

xtreme age. "Yas, Mars'. He'p yo'se'f. Come f'om de centah ob de yerf, dat watah. En da

thony?" The judge set down his cup on the we

"Ol' Ant'ny don' need no eyes," he said, touchi

d inside the paling. "I've brought some other fo

lowly. "Don' know young mars,'," said the gentle voice. "How ma

hed, as he passed the sweet cold water to the rest. "On

nd the whitened eyeballs roved painfully about as if in search of something elusive. The

th a laughing glance at the others, Shir

he curling bronze under the hat-brim. "Dis de li'l mistis," he muttered, "ain' afeahd ob ol' Ant'ny. Dah's fiah en

usk, with a wink at the

es blue like er cat-bird's aig. Dah's er man gwine look in dem eyes, honey, en gwine make 'em cry en cry." He raised his head sharply, his lids shut tight, and

e whispered to Nancy Chalmers, "the only uninhabited place w

" His voice dropped to a monotone, and he began to rock gently to and fro as if he were crooning a lullaby. "Li'l trouble en gr'et trouble!

on the old man's shoulder. "That's much too mournful

e ain' afeahd. En Ah sees yo' gwine ter him, honey. Ah heah's de co'ot-house clock a-strikin' in de night-en yo' gwine. Don' wait, don'

d his eyes slowly about him, a vague look of anxiety on his face. For a moment n

rs', good watah

d it with a stone, as the rest remounted. "Well, go

antered away. "My experiment wasn't a great s

es those spooky things? I declare, at the time I almost did myself. What an

ou see all 'dem troubles' coming, sound the a

down suddenly at a muffled shriek from Betty Page, as her hor

the canopy is that

fternoon when the owner was trying to start it, and

" said Nancy. "I've neve

w! It's Mad Anthony's trouble-ma