THE BANNER-COURIER, OREGON CITY, OREGON
THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 30, 1922
Page Five
Periwinkle
House
By Opie Read
Illustrated by
R. H. Livingstone
Copyright. Tba Bell Syndicate, tea.
SYNOPSIS
CHAPTER I The time Is the late '60s
or early "70s and the scene a steamboat
on the Mississippi rlVer. All the types
of the period are present and the float
ing palace is distinguished by merriment,
dancing and gallantry. There are the
oustomary drinking and gambling also.
Virgil Drace, a young northern man, is
on his way south on a mission of revenge.
He meets an eccentric character In the
person of one Liberty Shottle, who is
constantly tempting the goddess of
chance. They form a singular compact.
CHAPTtra IT. Drace geis nis mma o(I
his mission by entering into deck sports
In which he exhibits an unusual athletic
prowess. Liberty Shottle Is again un
lucky at cards and attempts a financial
negotiation with Drace. The latter, see
ing an opportunity to use Shottle, con
fides to him that his mission is to find
a certain ex-guerrilla, Stepho la Vitte,
who had murdered Drace's father. It is
his determination announced -to his new
chum, to hang La Vif.te as high as
Human. Drace has become enamored
of a mysterious beauty aboard the boat.
CHAPTBft III. The steamer reaches
New Orleans, at that time In the some
what turbulent throes of carpetbag gov
ernment Shottle becomes possessed of
two tickets for the French ball, a great
society event, and proposes that Drace
accompany him to the affair. The young
men attend and Drace unexpectedly meets
the girl who had fired his heart aboard
the steamer. She is accompanied toy one
Boyce, whose proprietary interest indi
cates that he is her fiance. Through
stratagem Shottle learns that the name
of the girl is Nadine la Vitte and that
her companion of the evening Is the man
who Is seeking to marry her.
CHAPTER IV. Drace passes an uneasy
night torn by the suspicion that Nadine
Is the daughter of old Stepho la Vitte,
now an admitted outlaw. Now, more
than ever, is he resolved to find where
the girl lives and to find Stepho. Drace
and Shottle begin a search of the city.
In one of their nocturnal pilgrimages
they come upon a mob intent upon hang
ing a poor wretch from the limb of a
tree. It is a typical carpetbag execution
and aroused the resentment of an oppos
ing mob of citizens. Drace takes a hand
In the fight which starts and Is instru
mental in preventing the execution. From
a window opposite the scene, he catches
a glimpse of one he is sure Is Nadine.
CHAPTER V. The escapade, the fight,
the Interference with the execution get
Drace and Shottle into bad standing with
the authorities, but instead of punish
ment are given until the next day to
board a steamer bound north. Returning
to the house where he thought he had
glimpsed the girl, Drace finds the place
abandoned. Through Colonel Josh, an
emissary employed at the suggestion of
Shottle, he gets a faint clue In the dis
covery that a certain Frenchman, a wine
dealer, is reported to be an intimate of
Stepho la Vitte. There is only a short
time before the departure of the steamer
when Drace and Shottle go to call on
the Frenchman. The latter Is too keen
to be Inveigled into giving up any infor
mation, but Shottle, spying around among
the casks and bottles, especially the ar
ticles male up for shipment, makes an
important recovery. So as not to arouse
the suspicions of the Frenchman, he
casually draws Drace away from the
place and onto the steamer. On board
he Informs Drace that one of the cases
was addresiid to Stepho la Vitte at Far
num's Land'ng. Mississippi. It is the next
stop below Bethpage's Landing and Col
onel Bethpage is Liberty Shottle's uncle.
CHAPTER VI. Drace and Shottle are
received v.ith genuine hospitality by
Colonel Bethpage and find the planta
tion and its environs delightful. After
a brief stay and a characteristic financial
transaction with the colonel, Shottle goes
away ostensibly on a business trip to
Vicksburg, but in reality to seek his
favorite form of amusement. Drace
makes the plantation his headquarters
and from pieces of information gathered
from various sources, becomes convinced
that La Vitte has a haunt in a great
wood of cypress and a tangle of salt
cedar, a sort of everglades, a marsh with
hundreds of knoll islands rising here and
there among the bayous. A shrewd old
negro had told him that the outlaw lived
in a house built of periwinkle shells.
Day after day Drace takes a canoe and
goes farther and farther into the moss
hanging wilds. At his feet lies a rope, one
end of it a hangman's noose.
CHAPTER VII. Drace penetrates in
to the wilderness, discovers Periwinkle
House and finds Nadine alone. She Is
much alarmed and warns him her father
will shoot him. He makes love to her and
to get him to go she agrees to meet him
again the following Thursday. On his
way home Drace Is accosted by three
men who ask to be set across the river.
Thej overpower him and bind him with
ropes. Led by Tony they throw Drace
Into an old cabin. Tony taunts Drace
and avows his love for Nadine, while
the others collect fuel. Tony sets Are
to the cabin and the three go off laugh
ing. And then his bonds are cut and
with Nadlne's help he gets safely out
She tells him how she was led to come
to his rescue.
CHAPTER VITI. Drace gets safely
back to the Bethpage place. The gen
eral writes him to accompany him to
Natchez, where he is to address a teach
ers' meeting. At Natchez they go to old
Tobe Mason's tavern, under the hill, a
famous place. There they drink summer
grape wine, listen to "The Arkansaw
Traveler," see the buck-and-wing danc
ers and have a dinner of doves and fix
ln'g. Stepho la Vitte appears, insults
the General by calling him a "Carpet
bagger." The General tells him he lies.
Stepho draws a dirk. Drace disarms
Stepho, who leaves, vowing vengeance.
CHAPTER IX
With the first gleam of Thursday's
light Nadine arose and stood looking
out from the window. Her father had
come in late and was to depart again
early for the hills, but she was afraid
lest he might have changed his mind.
She heard him moving about, but she
waited a long time before she went to
meet him, so sweet It was to stand
there at the window to catch the first
ray of the sun.
The old man hummed a Jagged tune ;
In a garden of melody It would have
beeu a briar. Nadine came out, and
gallantly he kissed her hand, laughing
softly; and then as was his wont, he
kissed her hnlr.
Her duties about the house were
light, but he helped her, and when
their queer assortment of plates and
dishes, . gold-rimmed china, crockery,
Stoneware and tin plate had been
washed and put away, they sat in the
shade of the house, the girl anxious
tend wondering.
"I have sent Tony back to the ceety,
as I tell you I will," he said to her.
"He does the good work' to burn the
spy, the carpetboggair. Now he have
' spree, with the red wine an' the 'white.
. When the time come, he be back. I
have need of heem with the cattle that
I buy. He drive them . . . Up to the
town Natchez I have trouble. The ol'
scoun'rel Bethpage! I go in the tav',
The Old Man Hummed a Jagged Tune.
an lie is mere, sing, laugh, eat an'
look at the darky dance. I wait Then
I go up. We have words. He jump
up. Then the young man, big, he
grab my wrist like this. He squeeze.
I say : 'Monsieur you was ver strong,
I see you again.' An' when I do, I
keel heem. I hear old Bethpage call
him Vergeel. The old man I keel too,
eh?"
"Oh, no no!" she cried . . . "Let
us . go away somewhere. They will
never let you alone. It will be better
to be In the city than here."
"Just a llftle while longer we stay
in this place, eh? Then we meet Mon
sieur Boyce in Memphis, an' you mar
ry him, an' he take you away for the
honeymoon, per'aps to France. An'
he buy you the silk dresses, an' many
beautiful things. An' then I come and
join you, an' we all live happy eh?"
"But but I do not like Monsieur
Boyce !"
"Ha! You learn soon. He Is a fine
man. Walt till we see him In Mem
phis an' you know him better. You
will love him then, an' be happy. . . .
I go now. Au revolr, ma p'tite."
Stepho went down to his boat, feel
ing that he had outwitted Tier Impa
tience of the swamp, and she ran back
to her room to gaze through the win
dow. But soon she came out with
a big leatherbound book of plays and
put it on the ground beneath the oaks.
Then with a broom made of stiff twigs
she swept the ground, unstrung a cat
erpillar swinging down and carried it
away out of the range of her stage.
From the house she brought a narrow
strip of rush matting, spread It be
neath a tree, raising one edge as If
to form of it a sort of back, a sofa.
From the house she brought a box, to
serve for a table,- and from out be
yond the palisade of cane she gath-.
ered lilies, plucking from the bank a
great bloom that looked like a trum
pet. These she hung on the low-swaying
branches of her playhouse trees,
or with sharp thorns pinned them to
the rugged back, a curtain to drape
the wall above her "pretend-like" di
van. She sat down and waited a long
time. The cane stirred, and she seized
her book, opened where a Uly-stem
marked her favorite play, and made
herself believe that she was reading.
It was only a breeze that rustled In
the cane. She could hear It now, lisp
ing amid the glossy leaves above her.
Why should she be impatient? She
could wait. Had she not waited night
after night for her father's footstep?
Had she not sat In the house, alone
and not afraid, when the storm
tangled the tops of the cypress trees
and lashed the bayou mad? ...
She had not heard a sound, but look
ing by chance, she saw Drace coming
through the cane, and she sprang up
to meet him, the play-book pressed
against her bosom.
"Nadine."
"Monsieur!"
"Don't call me "Monsieur.' Call me
Virgil."
She dropped her book. He bent to
pick it up, but she snatched It from
beneath his reaching hand and stood
back from him.
"Oh, it was you, then! It was you
the so strong man that would break
my father's wrist It was you!"
"Nadine, it was not' to hurt him.
With a knife he would have killed an
old man ; and then they would have
hanged him. Nadine, my other hand
held yours, to protect you."
"It must be true. I will believe you
Virgil. I know you brave and not
wish to hurt an old man. No, you
could not do that. You will forgive
me, yes?" ' - -
She held forth her hand and taking
It tenderly, he touched it with his Hps ;
and like a princess she accepted the
homage due her rank and her beauty.
"Come, now, we play," she said,
sweetly laughing. ' "And It . must be
free, like the boy and the girl. But
first you sit down here and tell me."
She led him to her "sofa" and they
sat down, leaning back against the
tree.
'"Tell you what, Nadine r
"About the great big world you
know so well."
"I don't know the big world, as you
think it. But I know the universe as
I feel It. It Is here."
About her finger she sat wrapping
the lily-stem that had marked her
favorite play. Was It that she did not
understand his reference to his uni
verse? No, for she- shook her head,
and with a sigh that did not mean
weariness, -
"The universe could not be on this
little Island."
-"It could be held in your dimpled
hand."
"Oh, my hand dimpled 1" She held It
In front of him, touched his brow
with the palm.
"It is not soft enough to be dimpled,
Virgil."
"I would kiss it soft"
He caught her wrist touched the
tto of each flnser with bis lips and
then kissed the palm. She laughed,
drawing back her hand.
"You must not do that We inust
talk of other things."
"Yes, but first let me tell you of
my dream."
"I do not like to hear dreams. We
always forget them and make up some
thing we did not dream. . . . But
did you not tell me once?"
"No, I don't think so. In my dream
you touched my heart with a torch
and "set it afire." -
"But I would not do that I would
save you from the Are. Ah, aad Tony
he has gone to the city, but when he
comes back, -we' must watch close.
. . . One time he tried to take my
hand, and he said he would kiss me.
And I say: 'That may be, Tony. You
can kiss me because you stronger. But
when yott have, then you be dead.'
And he knew that I speak what was
to come." -
"We care nothing for him. Let him
keep out of my way. . . . And
when I saw you at the ball, I knew
that you were the girl with the torch.
And do you know what I said to my
self? Let me whisper It to you."
"There is no one to hear."
"I said: 'You are to be my wife.'
And just then you turned about and
looked at me."
"But I did not see you."
"Come, now, you Djust have seen
me."
"Well, perhaps. But I did not say:
'I am to be his wife.' No, I did not
say that. And it cannot be, Virgil."
"But It Is going to be, all the same,
and you know It Why, what Is all
this universe for If that is not to be?
Why was this little island cast up
here? Why did the wrd ring forth:
Let there be light'? It is part of the
plan of creation, and nothing cin pre
vent it ... I shall have to wait but
I"
"Will wait a long time, Virgil. But
we must not talk like that Come
let us forget such things."
She put her spell on him, and he was
a boy again. Hand in hand they,
walked about, pretending that the acre
Island was miles and miles In extent.
Time was a day-star shooting unseen
across the sky, and then a heavy sen
tence fell upon him. It was time for
him to go. In the cane she stood with
him where his canoe was moored. He
held her hand, drawing her toward
him, but she took It away. -.
"No no, you must not . . . Quick
Virgil, you must go now. The sun Is
low."
CHAPTER X
In the night, In that hour of self
reproach which comes to us all. Virgil
awoke in a rage with himself, ne had
been dreaming, had seen himself infirm
of purpose, without character. Rack
to Highland Bruce. he traced his an
cestry, and was he to be the first of
his race to prove degenerate, to tram
ple upon the memory of his fnthpr. to
loll in stupid love, to give his soul to
a creature far beneath him in birth
and schooling, a girl whose father had
murdered ! Out of bed he got. and
bowed with the weight of shame,
walked the uneven floor, for his slow
steps were doddering.
"Caught in an instant, a fly in a
speck of jelly, and have never been
able to get free," he reproached him
self. "Even Liberty Shottle, the slave
of cards and dice, can see my weak
ness and must laugh at me. But by
the God In Heaven It shall not be. In
this hind there Is no law. I bring my
own law with me. my oath, and a smile
and a word of flattering love bade me
put it aside, and I let it sl'p from me.1
Now I must redeem myself."
He stood at the window. Gamecocks
were crowing the dawn, a courageous
challenge to all the world. No, there
would be no weakening now. The
sweetish comedy had been played.
Swiftly he dressed himself, stole
downstairs, out of the house, down to
the river. There was no boat, but no
matter, he would walk to Willow Head.
Realizing that it was yet too early for
the execution of his grim purpose, he
halted at a wayside place, ate break
fast and waited for the sun. Then not
In flurried haste, but deliberate in
strength, he walked on to Willow
Head, crossed over, found his neglected
rope where, in a hollow stump in
backsliding weakness he had hidden it,
buttoned it beneath his coat and strode
down into the swamp.
It was a long way to Us canoe near
the Muscadine Isle, and then a long
pull to Periwinkle house, but there
was time enough. Stepho would not
go away till Thursday. Ah, he would
go away no more, for now on Tuesday
he must settle with the spirit of Alfred
Drace.
Mists hovered about but the island
was in a blaze of light. Silently the
canoe slit the satin water. Silently
he landed. Determined vengeance may
pick Its way as softly as eager love;
and In the cane, sharper of whisper
now that the weather was cool, he
made not a sound. Out Into the open
he peered. No one within sight. On
the bark of the live oak were the dead
flowers of yesterday. There In the
shade was the box that had served as
table, once so prettily strewn with
violets.
In spite of his vow of vengeance and
his hatred of Stepho, these things
caught at Drace's heart, shook his
fixed purpose of action. " For many
minutes he waited no sign of Stepho,
of anyone. And then his blood leaped ;
for soft hands suddenly blinded him
from behind, soft laughter bubbled
over at his astonishment And' dark
thoughts and dark purposes fled on
the wind as he caught Nadine and
hugged her close.
"Now for your punishment!" And
he kissed her.
' "Oh, you must not again .
Virgil, I cannot like you when you are
rude. . . . You must not !"
"I don't want you just to like me."
"You do not? Then I will try not to.
. . . Come and sit down, Virgil.
You worked so hard for your kisses
you must be tired. . . How did
you guess?"
"Guess what?" he asked as she led
him to the sofa and he sat gazing en
tranced as she captured and impris
oned her .guerrilla bands of hair.
"That, father and Tony had gone
hunting today. But they may be back
at any time, Virgil. You must not
stay."
"But I must stay ; you hold me pris
oner. I must stay until you love me
as"madly as I do you."
"As madly as you do me? That
might not be so much mad, Virgil.
But why should I love you?"
"Because you are to be my wife. We
are engaged."
"Are we? I did not know that
Why you not tell me sooner?" " '.
"I did, and now you must know It"
"But I did not , Then I must be
stupid, yes?" '-
"The whole universe Is stupid If It
denies It The angels are stupid If
they fall to see it"
'Oh, you must not talk like that It
Is worse than swearing the big oath.
. . . And I am to be your wife, Mrs.
Virgil? Then what do we do? Go
about and sing with the fiddle?"
"tio, we go to the beautiful places
on earth and look upon them togeth
er. We" -
"No, no, you must not think like
that. You take my father by the wrist
and he hate you. .... And I do so
wrong to see you. I am the sinner, but
I believe that the Blessed One, she
ask for my forgiveness. . . . '.No,
Virgil, we can only play together and
then ... It will live In the mind,
our childhood here. . . .. My fa
ther Is not well all the time now,, and
I must be good to him." . . . Only
I must see you, sometimes. That Js
the only wrong I do him.
"For I I love you. . . . I did not
want to tell you, but I cannot keep It
all the time down in my heart. . . .
I dream of you all of the night, and I
kneel down and pray that you always
love me. . . , There, I have told
you so- much. And I kiss you, too.
. . . Now you may stay for a little
time, and then you must go."
Boy and girl they played, not from
the book but from love's ever-varying
text. In his canoe they paddled afar
off wheie the lily-pads paved the sur
face of the pond. They landed on a
knoll where was spread over persim
mon saplings an arbor of muscadine;
here an adventurous catbird had her
nest of young. She cried and flut
tered about in great alarm, but when
she saw that they were not her en
emies, that they caught grasshoppers
to feed her brood, she sat high among
the vines, calling her mate, the musi
cian, and here he came, scared at first
but when she had explained to him he
sang his medley, ending with the cat
call whence comes his unpoetic name.
The sun had been speeding, and went
behind a cloud. Fear seized Nadine,
and taking Virgil's hand, she urged
him toward the boat
(To be Continued Next Week)
PAfiKPLACE
Mr. Our Aeiiii J
" hp if if tP ie tP a? j? tr irK
Miss Marie Ericaon arrived last
week from Sweden, and is the guest of
Mrs. Felth, an old friend." Miss Eric
son reports that the English language
is extensively taught in the schools
of Sweden.
Mr. and Mrs. W. D. Eeames and chil
dren, with Mrs. Carl Butts, motored to
Portland, Saturday.
Mr. Klyce and children of Portland
were Sunday guests of Mr. and Mrs.
Herman Kruger.
A special meeting of taxpayers of
road district "fro. 33. was held in the
Meindl store on Clackamas Heights,
Saturday night, with I. D. Taylor act
ing chairman, and H. O. Rosebraugh,
secretary. A plan was adopted pro
viding for the improvement of the
road with base from the south end of
Clackamas bri dge to Cape Horn, and
the improvement of Abernfi thy road as
far as the levy will allow. It was voted
to levy a ten-imill tax, $1,200 of which
is to be used on the Clackamas road,
fl.OOO as an emergency fund for the
district, and the balance for the grad
ing of Abernathy road. This proposi
tion was carried by a vote of 38 to 10.
Wm. Smith and family were guests
at a family Thanksgiving dinner, at
the home of Mr. and Mrs. Walter Nor
ris, of Oregon City.
The regular meeting of the Grange
was held in the school building Fri
day night. The report of the building
committee was laid on the table until
the next meeting. A committee was
appointed to confer with the trustees
of the church relative to renting the
Sunday school room for Grange pur
pose HOW TO BUY
FIRE INSURANCE!
Give a thought to the
value of sprinklers
If you own property
that is, or may be pro
tected by sprinklers you
have a special problem
that demands careful con
sideration. Here is where your in
surance agency should
step in, advise ,you and
work with you to lower
rates as well as prevent'fire.
Let this agency of the
Hartford Fire Insurance
Co. advise you.
oWland
REAL ESTATE AND INSURANCE'
Phone 377 620 Main S
Oregon City, Oregon
The ladles of the Grange will meet
at the home of Mrs. Maude Glass, Fri
day afternoon, to sew for the bazaar.
Tie girls' basketball team of Park
place defeated the West Linn team,
Friday afternoon, by a score of 33-to 4.
CLARKES
Albert Gasser 8
'
P K" K" K" J? K" f K" ? ? Jf I? I? t?51
The Booster's Club held a meeting
last Thursday evening at the hall. A
committee of five, consisting of the fol
lowing: Albert Gasser, J. D. Marshall,
Roscoe Gard, A. Oldenburg and Ed.
Mclntyre, were appointed to draw up
a budget and tax to be voted on at
the same meeting. The committee
recommended that a ten-mill special
levy be raised and expended equally
on the five side roads, which recom
mendations were adopted. The next
meeting will be held December 30th.
The road meeting was held Saturday
and the Booster's Club recommenda
tions were read and, upon motion for
adoption, were voted down.
George Clarkes was an Oregon City
visitor recently.
Albert Schiewe -as a Portland visit
or, Friday.
Otto Gasser recently arrived home
from a week's visit with his brothers
at St Johns.
E. Berger marketed a load of hogs'
In Portland last week.
Leichtiweia Bros transacted busi
ness at Molalla last Friday.
Mr. and Mrs. Katy of Bozeman, Mon
tana, are visiting with Mr. Katy's par
ents, Mr. and Mrs. Katy.
B. Sullivan was a Portland visitor
last Friday.
Miss Helen Duff has resigned as
superintendent of the Sunday school.
h K&L If
. t " -
K - -3 V- .
Any
BRUNSWICK.
P H O N O G
Motor
RECHARGING
m 6th and Main Streets
iHilll
1H 1
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TRY THE BANNER -COURIER WANT ADS FOR RESULTS
Thanksgiving Is Here and
Will Soon Be Past.
In looking ahead don't neglect
to look back over the twelve
months which have brought more
to be THANKFUL FOR.
. And let the next twelve
months represent something ac
complished SOMETHING
SAVED.
Bank of Oregon City
Oldest Bank in Clackamas County
Organised Ftriyom J tart Ago.
-
If
'"V
m4
1SHAM JONES'
ORCHESTRA
Exclusively Brunswick
THIS famous dance orchestra has revealed to' dancers at the College
Inn in Chicago the ultimate in the catchy dance music of the moment
Like others whose names are associated with what is best, they record
exclusively for Brunswick. '
Let us play their latest recordings, and other, (or you.
M71 8nn God FexTrot
High Brown BIom Fax Trot
8J74 Some Bunny Dy Fox Tro
Don't Bring Mo Posies Vox Tro
' X2se Birdie Fox Trot
' Yankee Doodle Blocs One Step
1S Virdnia Blnecfrox Trot
You're Only n Babr Vn Trot
tiU Bamsoa and Delilah Fox Trot
FUrrims' Bii
Trot
Phonograph Can Play Brfnawict
Jones Drug
Bridge Corner
RA P H S
AND
Gar Efficiency 1
After the new has worn off, the ef
ficiency of your car will depend largely
upon the quality of repair work which
goes into its upkeep. Anything but
the very best is expensive at any price.
Our mechanics have had years ot experience
and have been picked because of their conscientious
workmanship. Every job will be given the same
CAREFUL CONSIDERATION
The Columbia Batterv Service Station
REPAIRING
Oregon City Auto Co.
3t
In
t ' -
?
f
-t
Records
Co.
Oregon City
FCB COUDS
OVERHAULING
Oregon City, Oregon
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