Page Ten
THE BANNER-COURIER, OREGON CITY, OREGON, THURSDAY, DECEMBER 14, 1922.
Periwinkle
House
By Opie Read
Illustrated by
R. H. Livingstone
Copyright. Tba BeU Syndicate, Ine.
r "My dear one, we must go now. The
sun wag jealous that we so happy and
will go Into the dark to pout. . . .
I will show you the near way for you
to couie again, the way I came" wheu
there was the fire. You can leave
the canoe In the rushes and you will
need it only to cross over to the cane.
But we must hurry now."
In the rushes opposite the island he
hid his canoe, and then she conducted
him along a narrow and sometimes
treacherous trail. Coming to the foot
log, she halted.
"I must leave you here. But I stand
for two minutes. The sun he will wink
a few more times. ... I am so
glad now to know that I will be your
wife. And I am strong and can work."
"Lord bless you, but you won't have
to work."
His arms were about her, her cheek
against his, and with happiness the
world was glowing.
"Till Thursday!" he cried as he
dipped his paddle.
"Till Thursday!" she echoed as she
watched him go.
"Till Thursday !" muttered the sinis
ter voice of old Stepho, who had ap
proached softly through the under
growth at the sound of voices, and had
overheard their parting. But when he
came to Periwinkle house; he gave no
sign to Nadine that he had overheard
only talked of Monsieur Boyce and
the fine dresses he would buy for her
when she was his wife.
It was long past noon when Drace
reached the river. ,
The General had gone over Into an-H
other parish to attend a stock sale.
Tycie said; and when she had looked
at Drace more closely, at his torn
clothes, his muddy shoes, she sighed
and sat down beside him where on the
rustic bench he had -dropped to rest
before going to his room.
"Virgil," she said, "there is some
thing troubling you. Now, you needn't
tell me that It is business. I know
what business is. I know all of its
tricks; but I also know love and all
of Its tricks. Virgil, you are In love.
Let me hope that It Is not that Nina
Spence. She isn't worthy of you ; and
besides, she doesn't belong to us. She
la not of our world. Virgil, I am so
sorry."
She put her hand on his arm, and he
took It and affectionately kissed it.
"Aunt Tycie, I never saw the girl
you speak of. I am In the the throes,
you might say, and have been was
before I got here, but not with her."
"But Is It with anyone I know?"
"You have seen her, I have heard."
"Oh, you must tell me. It shall be
sacred with me. If you only knew how
people tell me their affairs of the heart.
Even old Colonel Josh has told me.
Now, why won't you?"
"I shall tell you, but I must put you
on your honor. I said that you have
seen her. You have; you spoke of
her. Nadine "
' "Oh, Virgil! But her father 1"
"Yes, I know. But let me tell you
my story.
He told of his love, not of his fa
ther's death told her nothing of his
oath ; she listened enraptured ; and
when he had finished, she mothered
. him with, her arms about his neck.
About" ten o'clock next day, while
the family sat In the shade, up to the
gate drew a resplendent carriage,
drawn by two black horses and driv
en by a negro In livery. Out stepped a
man as tall as Lincoln and wearing a
, hat as high as his. His raiment flashed
like the varnish of his equipage. Drace
recognized him as he came through the
gate, taking off his gloves, and the
General cried out:
"Tycie, I wish I may die dead If it
Isn't Liberty Shottle!"--
"Colonel Shottle, at your service,"
replied Liberty, bowing and gesturing
with his gloves in his hand.
"Well, Liberty !" cried his aunt, giv
' lng him a hug of welcome.
The General and Drace grasped him,
stroked his velvety raiment, urging
him to a seat.
"Why all this, Colonel Shottle?"
from the General. "You don't mean to
tell me that you have sold your jute
stock?" -
"Uncle Howard, sir, first Issue orders
to have my carriage stored, my horses
stabled and my driver quartered,
please."
The order was Issued, and they sat
waiting for Shottle to explain his
transformation.
"A simple story," he began, stretch
ing out his legs. "But do not forestall
me. Poker, dice, roulette, faro, haz
ardall of them failed."
"And this comes of legitimate In
vestment!" Tycie cried. "I knew It
would. Oh, I knew It Just had to come.
Now tell us about it.
"It was an investment. Aunt Tycie.
But let me not forestall myself. I left
here on a boat, got broke. Finally 1
reached Tampa, 'Florida."
"Away down there, Liberty?" from
Tycie.
"Patience, my dear aunt. Tampa,
and broke! After a day of hope with
Its throat cut from ear to ear, I got
on a boat bound for Havana. The
Spanish captain gave me passage for
service. He was studying English, and
I agreed to explain to him certain
niceties of our mother tongue, you un
derstand ; and I am sure that, reaching
port, he knew more about gambling
- terms than he could have picked up In
year of close stydyJiwjnjofour.or-
dlnnry sehooTsT -newas appreciative,
generous, and gave me a bonus of five
Hollars. I went to a hotel, "not of the
first class, and it was there that 1
made my investment. The weather
was warm and "
. "For gracious sake. Liberty, tell us!"
his aunt urged him.
"That is my aim.' but let us not. be
impetuous. , . .1 was eating: a
Spanish stew out on the sidewalk, the
weather being warm, when-along came
an agent not a man in distress, but a
regular agent and -1 -invested with
him. I bought a ticket in the Havana
lottery. :. . . Wait, now. Nothing
ever happens until it does, you know.
The drawing came off two days later,
and my number, 856,792, won the first
prize, twenty thousand ' in gold." 1
Tycie hugged him ; Drace shook his
hand ; and the General exclaimed his
astonishment. '.
"Well, that beats anything I ever
heard in my life. It doesn't seem pos-
.sible, sir."
"No, and I was somewhat taken by
surprise, Uncle Howard. But there Is
often success in a change of occupa
tion, and I had tried everything else.
It took me a few moments to adjust
myself ; then I got a draft, and in Mo
bile received premium enough on my
gold certificate to pay my debts. And
now It gives me great pleasure to per
form that duty. I owe you. Uncle
Howard, twelve hundred and - thirty
dollars, all told. Aunt Tycie, I owe
you five hundred. Virgil, I owe you
but we'll get at that later. Worthy
and patient creditors, here we are!"
He took out a roll of bank notes,
counted the amount of his indebted
ness to his aunt and showered her lap
with greenbacks. Then he turned to
the General.
"No, Liberty, I don't want the
money," protested Bethpage. "If you
pay me, it will be the first time you
ever returned borrowed money to me,
and I don't care to have you establish
a -precedent that might bring disap
pointment In the future."
After the family bedtime, Shottle
came into Drace's room and requested
him to report as to what progress he
had made; and Drace told him all
that had occurred.
"And now let me tell you a notion
of mine," saW Shottle then. "If you
are waiting for that old sharkbone to
decay, you'll perhaps wait twenty
years. Attention : I'm going on a lit
tle trip tomorrow. In two days, when
I come back, I'll drive down to a con
venient point; you fetch the girl, Into
the carriage you jump, and away we
go, drive' over to some place where
we can catch a train, and Cincinnati
before old Stepho knows which way
we've gone. What do you say?" s
"Butwhat becomes of my oath?
Oh, don't think that because I dally I
have forgotten It or that in one jot
I shall fail to keep it. If I should,
In all after-life I'd have a contempt for J
myself."
CHAPTER XI
y
"Till Thursday!" Drace had cried.
Nadine had echoed It, and another
voice, hidden in the cane, had mut
tered the words with how different a
meaning! Now Thursday was come
again ; and Virgil Drace Infirm of
purpose, again made his way down
the river and through the swamp, to
his tryst with Nadine.-
But Death sought to make a third
at that tryst. From afar the sentin
eled Tony had seen Drace coming.
And Hardly Had the Northerner's
Canoe Touched the Bank When
. From Out the Canoe Tony and Stepho
Leaped Upon Him.
And hardly had the Northerner's canoe
touched the bank when from out the
cane Tony and Stepho leaped upon
him and bore him to the ground, dazed
by a blow from an oar.
"Ha! My fine carpetbagger! You
seize my wrist and keep my knife from
the old General! You steal here to
make love to my daughter 1 Ha! Who
will now keep my knife from ypu? In
a little while, now, you" will be deep
in the marsh, and the green mold will
be on your bones. And the old fool at
the big house, he die too, for my men
will cut his throat. And then"
A piercing cry from the house, and
Nadine ran to them, a knife that
mated Stepho'b dirk clutched In her
hand. .
"No nol" she cried. "You shall
not."
Stepho looked up. "Take the girl
away, Tony," he commanded.
But Nadine threatened him off with
her knife. Then she turned the blade
In another direction and spoke again.
"If you do not let V'rgll go," she said,
"I will kill myself now."
Stepho knew Nadine the wild heart
of her. "You promise never to-see this
man again, and to marry Monsieur
Boyce, like I wish?" .
"I promise nothing except that .1
will kill myself If you do not let him
go." . - -
Stepho hesitated a moment, craft
.fighting with flnrr?r.Theajinifljiyoj;
lie or Tony wouid stroll "upTo the BeHT
page plantation and make an end of
the General and Drace that night.
"All right," he snarled. "He can go.
But let him never come back here
or f" He drew the back of his dirk
across his own throat In a significant
gesture. Then with Tony . he lifted
Drace Into his canoe ; and the young
man, still dazed from the blow, feebly
made his way out of the swamp.
When he had passed from sight, Na
dine dropped her knife and sank to the
ground sobbing. .Old Stepho turned
savagely upon her. '
"You liar ! You she-wolf I I would
kill you, but I promise you to the man
Boyce. An' now there come something
that I tell you. In you there Is not the
blood of Stepho la Vitte. But you
never shall know your name. You she
wolf !" - .
He thrust himself toward her, his
fangs gleaming In his merciless mouth,
but without flinching she now laughed
In his face. '
"Oh, you make me so thankful that
I am not your child. You hang his
father and would murder him ! But he
will be gone; and If you kill me. It
makes no matter. And you think I
will stay here and let the man come to
marry me! I will"
He seized her, and Tony ran In to
help. She fought with the dirk, but
they wrenched It from her hand, held
her helpless, dragged her Into her
room; and she lay for a time on the
floor while she heard them fastening
her In her prison. It was now dark.
She got up, went to the window and
found that heavy bars had been nailed
across it. She lighted her lamp and
with a pencil began to write a note to
Drace, praying In her heart that she
might find some way to send It to him.
Little she slept and lh, the dawn she
was at the window, the vines all of
them gone. She heard footsteps near,
and she 'tried to look out to discover
who It might be, but she could gaze
neither-to the right nor the left, so
closely was she mewed. She spoke,
softly, louder and then there drew the
darkened form of a man, Batoche, an
old frog-hunter whom once before she
had employed. ''
"I am here to borrow the mushkrat
spear for the one day, for mine he was
broke ; but they are still asleep."
"Come closer, good Batoche, and lis
ten to me.- Take' this note to Monsieur
.Drace-, at General Bethpage's house
quick, with no one to see you, and I
will give you a diamond when you
come hack."
"Give me the note, an' I be there
soon."
She gave him the note, and he has
tened away. She stood at the door,
wondering why she had not heard her
father stirring about. Once she
thought she heard him call Tony. Af
ter a long time Tony came, and she
heard them together as they went out
Then all was silent.
Sick In mind and body, Drace made
his way back to Bethpage. He made
himself as presentable as possible be
fore he entered the house ; fortunately,
too, the attention of Tycie and the :
General was at that moment centered j
on Colonel Josh, who had stopped off
to pay them a call and who . showed
astonishment when asked to walk out
to dinner, though he yielded with as
tonishing alacrity to the pressure of
the General's hand upon his arm. He
was busy with a helping of late mus
tard greens and hog's jowl, when Tycie
Inquired: ..
"And how Is dear Lucy?"
"Madam," said Josh, "I am grieved
to impart to you a distressful piece of
news. She is soon to be married to a
man named Splvan."
"Oh, rm so. sorry, Colonel Josh."
"Madam, it is a calamity. Luke
Spivan!" ; - -
"What's the matter with him?" the
General inquired. "Isn't broke, is he?"
"General, the man has money. But
do you know what his calling Is? I
shall enlighten- you, sir. This fellow Is
a dealer In oysters, the the excres
cence of the sea, you might say. And
not only that, but he deals in crawfish
as well, back-crawling crawfish, sir.
I offered her my heart and my home.
I told her that I would devote my life
to her, and from week to week" she
put me off. But when this fellow
Spivan asked her, I understand she ac
cepted him at a jump, sir. And now
I advise him to keep out of my way."
"Oysters and crawfish, eh?" said the
General, winking at Drace.
"Those were my words, General
hot only oysters but crawfish. I would
not have believed it If she had not as
sured me with her own Hps, Hps that
will please pardon my nearness to
profanity." .
Tycle's sympathy went out to old
Josh, haloed him; and with her eyes
she begged the General to drop the
subject, but it was sweeter to him
than any sugar ever grained in his
mill.
After dinner they were In the par
lor when they saw a vagabond equip
age ytop at the gate, an old cairy-all
drawn by a staggering horse, driven
by a ragged negro. There was, one
passenger In the hablla&ients of a
scarecrow, topped off with a yellow
cotton hat enough to disguise any
man on earth save one, and this man
was the exception.
"Tycie, what did I tell youl" cried
the General. "I knew it as well as I
knew my name. Now look at hlm l"
They looked at him, went out Into
the hall to meet ' him, Tycie' In con
venient tears. The visitor kissed her
and shook hands with the men.
"It is not necessary for me to as
sert that I hold no commission, civil
or military," said the vagrant
"Sit down, sir," commanded the Gen
eral. And then, surveying him slowly
from head to foot: "Will you please
state as to whether or not you regard
yourself a human being?'
"General," said Tycie, "please don't
scold him, for I'm sure he -must be
hungry." "
- "My dear, I shall not scold him ) but
I don't see anything about him that
calls for congratulations.""
"Liberty," said Virgil, "tomorrow
we'll go oyer and have the parish sur
veyor run you off a suit of clothes."
"My dear relatives, I thank you. for
these little attentions : and as to yjur
(Continued on. Page Eleven)
m
iilllflilllllllllllllllll
-r- i i n t . a A. . V . . ' : 1 I I
' & Wor!d of Joy . ;
Our south' display room is toyland. We have the largest stock of high
grade, substantia! toys in Clackamas County. Bring the children today
and see how easy it is to choose their gifts at Hogg Brothers.
For the
BOYS
Autos foot-power Real Bicycles Pneumatic Tires
Red Flyer scooter Daisy Air Rifle repeater
Real Tricycles All sizes and prices
Little Red Riders Rubber Tires
Hobby Horses Toy Blackboards
Handcar Drums Trains electric and winding
Toy Autos Boats Tinker Toys Erecto Sets
Crokinol Boards Ten Pins
Wagons all sizes and styles -.Wheelbarrows -
Shoo-Flys for the Kiddies
Kiddie Kar Sammle Cars Building Blocks
A. B. C. Alphabet Boards
Tool Chests ReaKTools . " . - '
For the
GIRLS
Doll Carts all sizes and prices wicker ,
Pianos that really play several sizes
Reed Doll Furniture 3-piece sets
Tea Sets China, beautifully, decorated
Children's Rockers large assortment
Tea Sets Aluminum Children's Chairs hardwood ,
Cast Iron Cooking Utensils 4-piece sets
Ironing Boards with standard sleeve board
Kitchen Cabinets with utensils
Aluminum Ware tea kettles," sauce pans, frying pans, etc.,
in sets just like mother's
For Father and Mother
There is no more acceptable gift than furni
ture. Our display rooms are filled with the best
of the season's offerings comfortable, over
stuffed davenports and rockers, cedar chests,
library tables, smoking stands, sewing baskets,
percolators, fancy dishes and scores of other use
ful gifts. Just received large shipment of Ax
minster and Body Brussells Rugs. ,
Everything For the Home
8th at Main -
HOGG BRO
Stoves, Hardware, Paints
and Glass
Oregon City 3
ft Vv, L- c5- v I
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