The diamond drill., August 30, 1902, Image 3

About The diamond drill. (Crystal Falls, Iron County, Mich.) 1887-1996

Image provided by: Central Michigan University, Clark Historical Library

                
Ulvljy, w.a.... .-. w.
Bj OLIVE SOHREINEIL
v'
CON I'lNUKI).
Here the German sat ciown on ou
tide of. the table, llonapnrtc on the
other, each one with a couple of flat
stones before him anJ the plate be
tween them.
"Do not be afraid," sal J the German.
'do not be afraid. I do not forget the
boy at the Ore. I crack for him. The
bag Is full. Why. this I strange." he
said suddenly, cracking open a largo
nut, "three kernels! I have not observ
ed that before. This must be retain
ed. This Is valuable." lie trapped
the nut gravely In paper and put It
carefully In hi waistcoat poeket. "Val
uable, very valuable." he said, shaking
his head.
"Ah. my' friend," said Ilonaparte.
"what Joy It Is to be once more In your
society:"
The German's eye 'glistened, and
llonn parte ,li;ed his hand and iqueoz
rd It warmly. They then proceeded
to crack and eat. After awhile llona
parte said, st tilling a handful of raisins
Into his mouth:
"I was so deeply grieved, my dear
friend. That you and Tant' Sannle had
.some rlU'ht unpleasantness this even
ing." "Oh, u no!" said (he German. "It
Is all ri.r. now. A few sheep misslug,
but I make it good myself. I give my
V2 sheep and work in the other eight."
"It Is rather bard that you should
have to m ike good the lost sheep," said
llonapnrte. "It Is no fault of yours."
"Well." said the German, "this Is
the ca-e: Last evening I count the
sheep at the kraal. Twenty are miss
ing. I a!v the herd, lie tells me they
are with the. other Hook; be tells me
so distinctly. How can I think he lies?
This afternoon I eount the other flock.
The td.',"p are not there. I come back
here. 'I't.e herd Is gone; the sheep are
gone. Hut I cannot-no, I will not
believe In- stole them." r-aid the Ger
man, il'!1) vif.g suddenly excited. "Some
one cl-e, but not be. 1 know that boy.
I knew him three years. He Is a good
boy. I h;. vo seen him deeply affect
ed on account f his fool. And she
would snd the police after him! I say
I would rather make the lo.-s good my
self. I will not have if. He has fled
In fear. I know Ids heart. It was,"
said tle German, with little gentle
hesitation, "under my word that he
llrst felt his need of a Saviour."
Ilonaparte cracked Sone- more al
monds, then said, yawning, and more
as though be asked for the sake of
having something to converse about
than from any Interest he felt In the
subject:
"And what has become of the herd's
wife?"
The German was alight again In a
moment.
"Yes; his wife. She has a child 0
days old, and Tant Sannle would turn
her out Into the fields this night. That,"
said the German, rising, "that Is what
I call cruelty, diabolical cruelty. My
soul abhors that deed. The man that
could do such n thing I could run him
through with a knife!" said the Ger
man, his gray eyes flashing and his
bushy black beard adding to the mur
derous fury of his aspect. Then, sud
denly subsiding, he said: "Hut all Is
now well. Tant Sannle gives her word
that the maid shall remain for Home
days. I go to Oom Midler's tomorrow
to learn If the sheep may not be then.
If they are not. then I return. They
are gone; that Is all. I make it good."
"Taut Sannle Is a singular woman,"
said P.onaparte. taking the tobacco ba;;
the German pas-cd to him.
"Singular! Yes," said the German:
"but her heart Is on her right side. I
have lived long years with her, and I
may say I haw for her an affection
which sh icturns. I may ay." I led
the German, with warmth "I may say
that there is not one s ml on this farm
for whom I have not tin a fleet ion." (
"Ah. my friend," said Ilomiparte,
"wle-n the grace of God Is la our
hearts. Is It not so with us a'.l? Do we
not love the ery worm we tr-ad upon
and as we tread upon It? Do we know
distinctions of nice or of sex or of col
or? No!
' I . v ao ama.inK. riV.lne,
It tills my gout, -my life, my all."
After a time he sank Into a less fer
vent mood and remarked:
"The colored female who waits upon
Tant Sannle appears to be of a vir
tuous disposition, an Individual who"
"Virtuous!" said the German. "I
have contldence In her. There is that
In her which Is pure, that which Is no
ble. The rich and high that walk this
earth with lofty eyelids might ex
change with her."
The German here got up to bring a
coal for ltonaparte's pipe, aud they
at together talking for awhile. At
length Ilonaparte knocked the ashes
out of his pipe.
"It Is time that I took my departure,
dear friend," he said, "but before I
do so shall we not close this evening
of sweet communion, and brotherly In
tercourse by a few words of prayer?
Oh, how good and bow pleasant a
thing it is for brethren to dwell togeth
er In unity! It Is like the dew upon
the mountains of llermon, for there
the IOrd bestowed a blessing, eveu life
for evermore."
"Stay and drink some roffw," said
thi! German.
"No, thank you. my friend. I have
business that must be done tonight."
said Ilonaparte. "Your dear son ap
pears to have gone to sleep. He H go
ing to take the wagon t- th mill to
morrow. What a little mail he Is!"
"A tine boy."
Put. though the boy n 1 b'l before
the flre. he was not asleep, and they
all knelt down to pray.
When they rose from thetr knees,
Ilonaparte extended his hind to Waldo
and patted him ou the head.
guldev, and nay he bring you buck
to us In safety to find us all as you
have left us!" lie laid some emphasis
on the last words. "And you, my dear
friend," ' be added, turning with re
doubled warmth to the German, "long.,
loug shall I look hack to this evening
as a time of refreshment from the
picseuee of the lxrd. as an hour of
blessed Intereouse with a brother 111
Jesus. May such often return! The
Lord bless you." he uhh-d, with yet
deeper fervor, "richly, richly!"
Then he opened the door and vanish
ed out Into the darKne.w.
"lie, ho, he"' laughed P.onaparte as
he stumbled over the stones. "If there
Isn't the rarest lot of fools on this fnrm
that ever God Almighty stork legs- to!
He, he, he! When the worms come
out. then the blackbirds feed. Ha. ha,
ha!" Then he drew himself up. Mvcti
w hen alone be liked to pose with a cer
tain dignity. It was secoud nature to
him.
lie looked ! at the kitchen .loor.
The Hottentot maid who acted as In
terpreter between Taut' Sannle and
himself was gone, and Tant' Sannle
herself w as in bed.
"Never mind, P.on, my boy," he said
as he walked round to his own room.
"Tomoirow will do. He, he, he!"
chaitmi: vni.
11 k catciiks uucou ninp.
At I o'clock the next afternoon the
German rode across the plain, return
ing from his search for the lost sheep.
He rode slowly, for he had beeu In the
saddle sin e sunrl.-e and was some
what weary, and ti e heat of the after
noon made his horse sleepy as It picked
Its way slowly along tin; sandy road,
livery now and then a great red spider
would start out of the "karroo" on one
title of the path and run across to the
other, but nothing eNe broke the still
monotony. Presently, behind one of
the highest of the milk bushes that
doited the roadside, the German caught
sight of a Kattir woman, seated there
evidently for such shadow as the milk
buh might afford from the sloping
rays of the sun. The German turned
the horse's head out of the load. It
was not his way to pass a living crea
ture without i word of greeting. Com
ing nearer, he found it was no cither
than the wife of the absconding Kathr
herd.' She had a baby tied on her back
by a dirty strip of red blanket. An
other strip hardly larger was twisted
round her waist, for the rest of her
black body was naked. She was a
sullen. 111 looking woman, with lips
hideously protruding.
The German questioned her as to
how she came there. She muttered In
broken Dutch that she had been turned
away. Had she done evil? She shook
her head sullenly. Had she had food
given her? She grunted a negative
and fanned the tiles from her bnby.
Telling the woman to remain where
she was, he turned his horse's head to
the road and rode off at a furious pace.
"Hani hearted! Cruel! () my God!
Is this the way? Is this charity? Yes.
yes, yes!" ejaculated the old man as he
rode on, but presently his linger be
gan to evaporate, his horse's nee
slackened, and by the time he hid
reached Ids own door he was nodding
and smiling.
Dismounting j!ib My. h. went to the
great chest where his provisions wer
kept. Here lie got out a little meal, a
few mealies, a few roaster cakes.
Them he tied lip in three blue handker
chiefs, and. putting them into a tail
cloth bag. be strung them over his
shouhh-rs. Then lie looked circum
spectly out at the door. It was very
bad to be discovered In tie a t of giv
ing It made biro red up to th" roofs
of his old grizzled hair. No one was
about, however, mi he rode off again.
I V fore tie milk bush sat the Kaffir
woman still, l.ke Hagar, he thought,
thrust our b.v her mistress in the wil
derness to die. Telling lie'- to loosen
the handkerchief from lor lead, he
poured Into It the contents of bis bag.
The woman tied it up la sullen silence.
"You must try to get to the next
farm," said the German.
The woman shook her head. She
would sleep In the Held.
The German reflected. Katllr women
were accustomed to sleep In the open
air, but theu the liltd was small, and
after so hot a day the night might be
chilly. That she would creep back to
the huts at the homestead when the
darkness favored her the German's
sagacity did not make evident to him.
He took off the old brown salt and
pepper coat and held It out to her. The
woman received It In silence aud laid It
across her knee. "With that they will
nleep warmly, not so bad. Ha, ha, ha I"
said the Germau. And he rode home,
nodding his head In a maimer that
would have made any other man dizzy.
"I wish he would not come back to
night," said Km, her face wet with
tears.
"It will be Just the same If he comes
back tomorrow," said Lyndall.
The two girls sat ou the step of the
cabin waiting for the German' re
turn. Lyndall shaded her eyes with
her hand from the sunset light.
"There he comes," alio said, "whis
tling Ach Jerusalem dti schoneP so
loud I can hear him here."
"Perhaps he has found the sheep."
"Found them!" said Lyndall. "He
would whistle Just so if he knew he
had to die tonight."
"You look at the sunset, eh, chick
ens?" the German said as he came up
at a smart canter. "Ah, yes, that Is
beautiful!" he added as h; dismount
ed, pausing for a moment with his
hand on tie saddle to lmk at the even
ing sky, where the sun shot up long
flaming streaks, between which and
the eve thin yellow clouds floated. "Ill,
I you weep?" said t! German as the
girls ran up t him.
I Ilefore they had tirue. U r-ply tb-j
. voice of Tant' Sannle was heard.
1 "You calll of th.? child of the cblld
round to sih who It might be.
"You old vagationd of a praying Ger
man, are you deaf?"
Taut" Sannle stood before the steps
of the kitchen. I'pon them sit the
b an 1 lot Urn tot. U pon t lie h ighest
Mood 'Ilonaparte Ulenkitvs, bo!U hand
folded under th'.' tails of his oeat and
sis eyes fixed ou the sunset Uy.
Th German dropped the saddle on
the ground.
"P.i.-h. Dish, bisli! What' may thi
be?" he said and walked toward the
house. "Very strange!"
The girls followed htm. Urn still
weeping. Lyndall with her fa e rather
w'iife and her eyes wide open.
"And I have the heart of a devil, did
you say? You could run me through
with a knife, could you 7" cried the
Dutchwoman. "I could riot drive the
Katllr maid away because I was afraid
of you, was I? Oh. you miserable rag!
I !ocd you, did I? I would have liked
lo marry you. would I, would I, would
I" cried the Peer woman. "You cat's
tail, you dog's paw! P.o near toy house
tomorrow morning when the sun
ri-s," she gapped, "my Kafllrs will
ding you through the sand. They
would do 1 gladly, any of them, for a
bit of tobacco, for all your prayings
with them."
"1 am bewildered, 1 am bewildered,"
said the German, standing before her
and raising his hand to his forehead.
"I 1 do not underhand."
"Ask him. ask him!" cried Tanf Ran
nie, pointing to Ilonaparte. "He knows.
You thought he could not. make me
understand, but he did. he did. you old
fool! I Know enough Mrglish for that.
You be here." shouted the Dutdiwo
mini, "when the morning star rises,
and I will let my Kafllrs take you out.
and drag you till there is not one bone
left !:i your old body that is not bro
l.eti as line as bobootle meat, you old
btg'.ar! A'.l your rags are not worth
that they should be thrown out ou to
the a-'ii heap." cried the P.oer woman,
"but I will have them for my sheep!
Not one ro'tcn hoof of you:- old mare
do you take with you. I will have her
-all, all for my sheep that you have
lost, you godless thing!"
The Jtoor woman wiped the moisture
from her mouth with the palm of her
hand.
The German turned to Ilonaparte,
who still stood on t':o step absorbed In
the beauty of the sumet.
"Do not address me. do not approach
me, 1 st man." said Ilonaparte. not
moving his e. e nor lowering his i bin.
"There Is a nunc from which all na
ture revolts; there is a. crime whose
name Is loathsome to the human e.ir.
That crime is yours; that crime Is in
gratitude. This woman has been your
benefactress. On her farm you have
lived, after her sheep you have look'-d,
Into her house you have been allowed
to inter aud hold Divine service, an
honor of which you were never worthy,
and how have you rewarded her?
Basely, basely, basely!"
"Put it Is ail false, lies nr.d false
hoods. I must. I will speak," said the
German, suddenly looking round, be
wildered. "Do I dream? Are you
mad? What may It be?"
"Go, dog!" cried the Dutchwoman.
"I would have been a rich woman this
day If it had not been for your lazi
ness, praying with the Katlirs behind
the kraal walls. Go, you Kaillr dog!"
"Hut what then Is the matter? What
may have happened since 1 left?" said
the Germau, turning to the Hottentot
woman who sat Umu the step.
She was his friend; she would tell
him kindly the truth.- The woman an
swered by a loud, tinging laugh.
Give it him, old missis! Give It
him:"
It was so nice to see the' white man
who had been ma. iter hunted down.
The colt. red woman laughed and threw
ft do.en meaJie giaios into lcr mouth
to C bc.
All auger and excitement faded front
the old man's face. He turned slowly
away aud walked down the littl" path
to his cabin, with his shoulders bent.
It was all dark before him. lie stum
bled over the threshold of his own well
known door.
Ilm, sobbing bitterly, would have
followed him, but the Pint woman pre
vented her by a flood of speech which
Convulsed the Hottentot, so low wen
Its images.
"Come, Mm," said Lyndall, lifting
her small, proud bead, "let us go In.
We will not stay to hear such lar.
gunge." She looked into the Hoer woman's
eyes. Tan' Sannle understood the
meaning of the look If not the words.
She waddled after them ami caught
Em by the arm. She had struck Lyn
dall once years before and had never
done It again, so she took Mm.
"So you will defy mo. too. will you,
you Mugllshman's ugliness!" she cried
as with one band she forced the child
down and held her head tightly against
her knee. With the other she beat her
first upon one cheek and then upon the
other.
For one instant Lyndall looked on.
Then she laid her small fingers on the
Boer woman's arm. With the exertion
of half her strength Tant Sannle might
have flung the girl back upon the
stones. It was not the power of the
slight fingers, tightly though they
clinched her broad wrist, so tightly
that at bedtime the marks were still
there, but the B.kt woman looked Into
the dear eyes anil at the quivering
white lips and with a half surprised
curse relaxed her hold. The girl drew
Mm's arm through her own."
"Move!" she stild to Bonaparte, win)
stood In the door, and he, Ilonaparte
the Invincible, In the hour of his til
umph. moved to give her place.
The Hottentot teased to laugh, and
an uncomfortable silence fell on all the
three in the doorway.
Once lu their room. Mm sat ilown on
the floor and waUelbltterlj. Lyndall
Ami pcrliMps'tliey "Won r. wiu-r
say good by to hhn. I loo, boo, hoo!"
'I wish you would be uict," said
LyndiU 'Without moving. "Does It
give you such felicity to let Ilonaparte
know lui in hurting you? We will ask
no one. It will be sup; r time won.
Listen, and w hen you hear the chink of
the knives and forks vo will-t-j out
and M'e him." j
Mia suppressed l.er sobs and listened
Intently, kneel, ng at the door. Sud
denly some one came to the window
u:d put the shutter up.
"Who was that?" said Lyndall. star,
lag.
"Th;' girl, I suppose," said Mm. How
"ally she Is this veiling!"
Hut Lyndall sprang from th: bed nnd
seized t handle of the joor, shaking
It fiercely. The iloor was locked on
th out.dde. She ground her teeth.
"What is the ipattcr:" asked Mm.
The room was in perfect darkne.js
.ow .
"Nothing," said Lyndall quietly, "on
ly they have locked us in."
She turned and went back t bed
again. Put ere long Mm heard a sound
of movement. Lyndall had climbed
up Into the window and with her An
gers fep the woodwork that surround
ed the panes. Slipping down, the girl
loos net the iron knob from the foot
of the bedstead, and, climbing up
again, she broke with It every pane of
glass in the window, beginning at the
top and ending at the bottom.
"What are you doing?" asked Mm,
who heard the falling f ragments.
Her companion made her no reply,
but leaned on every little crossbar,
which cracked and gave way beneath
her. Then he pressed with all her
strength against the i huttcr. She had
thoeght the wooden buttons would
give way, but by the (linking sound
she knew that the iron bar had let:i
put across. She was quite quiet for a
time. Clambering down, she took from
the fable n small one Haded penknife,
Willi which f he began to peck at the
hard wood of the shutier.
"What are you d.iing now?" asked
Mia. who 1. 1 1 eascil crying lu her wun
dcr and had dr a v. u near.
"Trying to uu;ke a hob." was the
short reply.
"Do you tliinl: oii will be able to?"
"No, but I i"a trying."
In an agony of su-;e:. Mm waited.
For ten minutes Lyndall peeked. Tlie
hole was three-eighths of an Inch deep.
Then the blade spr ing Into ten pieces.
"What has happi i. -d now ?" asked
Mm. blehberlng afresh.
"Nothing." said Lyndall. "Prirg me
my nightgown, a piece of piper and
the matches."
Wondering. Mm fumbhd about till
she found them.
"What are you going to do with
them?" she whispered.
"Burn down the window."
"Hut won't the whole house take lire
and burn down too?"
"Yes."
"Put will It not be very wicHed?"
"Yes, very, nnd I do riot care."
She arranged the nightgown careful
ly In the corner of the window, with
the chips cf the frame about It. Thre
was only one match in the box. She
drew It carefully along the wall. For
a moment it burned up blue and show
el the tiny face with Its glistening
eyes She held It carefully to the pa
per. For an Instant It burned up
brightly, then flickered and went out.
She blew the spark, but it died also.
Then she threw the paper on to the
gtourid, trod on Jt aud went to her lod
and began to undress.
Mm rushed to the door, knocking
against it wildly.
"Oh, Tant' Sann'e, Tant' Sannle! Oh,
let us out!" she cried. "Oh, Lynd.dl,
what are we to do?"
Lyndall wiped a drop of blood eff
th- lip .- he had Mtte:i.
"I am g"ing to 1 1. ." she said, "If
you lilvo to hi then- and hov.l till the
inotnhig. do. Perhaps you will had
thai it help-. J n..V( i heard that howl
ing helped auy one"
Long after, when Mm herself had
gone to bed and was olmost n sleep,
L.vndall came and stood at her bed
side. "Here," :.he said, slipping a little pot
of powder Into l.er hand. "Pub some
on your face. Does it not burn where
Khe struck you?"
Then she crept back to her own bed.
Long, lung after, when Mm was really
)aslep, she lay still awake and folded
her hand on her little breast aud mut
tered: "When that day cornrs and I am
strong. I will hate everything that has
power and help everything that Is
weak." And she bit her lip again.
The German looked out at the cabin
door for the last time that night. Then
he paced the room slowly and sighed.
Then lw drew out a ien and paper and
sat down to write, rubbing his old
gray ryes with his knuckles before he
began:
Mr (TlcVn Yon del not come lo mr iroodtvr
to th olJ nun. MIkIiI youT Ah, wHl, thrm la
Un1 wherr they prt no more, where nainU Im
mortal reign.
I nit here lone, and I think of ymi. Will you
forget thr oJf mnf When you wjke tomorrow,
hr will b fr away. The oM hore la lazy, but
ha ha hU atiik to help him. That I thr.- Lx
He romea lark one day with ol.f an4 fumnU
Will you welcome Mmf Well, we ahall are. I
ta met-t Waldo. II mmi t.i k with the
watrnn. Then he fothiwa me. po.(r tmyl (JkJ
kno-a-i. Tlwre 1 a tan.l whi-re alt thina ar
tna le right, but that lan.l la rx.t hrre.
My little clul.lren, arrve the Saviour. me yunr
hearta to him wh,la you are. yet joun Life ia
hort
Nothing ia nune; othr-rwm I wont. I aay, I.vn
iJall. take rtiy tnA'(, Kin my stornn Now 1 a.ir
noltiinir The fliinya are tni'w. It U not rk-M-eoua,
tlo.f kiiuwa. Out t am ml-ot yt, it be
Hut I f.vl it. 1 mtiht r I f.l it
lo rif t ery t x nun h for the o'.l nun. It- r..n-
j;t to nerk hia fortune anil -intei li, k wit) it m
but, it inay be.
1 lie my rh'.hirea. IM they tlunk of met t
i oh! Ollj, who ifai-n vut ti ee-k hit furl trie.
O. F
Having concluded this quaint pro
duction, he put It where t tie children
go away, llo't-preau open vu im
a blue handkerchief and on It put cno
by o:i the things be thought must
necessary aud Importanta little bag
of "curious seed which lie, ff"ant to!
plant some d iy, an old Gen hymn- '
book, three mist-hapi u sfonfhat he
gnatly valued, a It j hie. a hi4 iud two
handkerchiefs. Then there room
for nothing more. He tied up the bun-
lle tightly and put It on a chair by
his bedside.
"That Is not much. They cannot t-'ij
i take much." be said, looking a, it.
He put bis knotted slick besid H,
his blue tobacco bag and his short Pipe.
and then Inspected his coats, lie had
two b;ft. a moth eaten overcoat and a
bhv.k alpaca out at tie elbows. He
h i Ided for the overcoat. It was warm
certainly, but then he could carry It
over his mm and only pat It o:t when
he met some one along the road. It
was more res-pet table than the bl.it k
alpaca, lie bung the greatcoat over
the bach of the chair and stullvd a hard
bit of rcster cake under the knot of
the-bundle, and then his picpa.atlon
wire completed. The German stood
contemplating them with much satis
faction. He had almost forgotten his
sorrow at leaving In his pleasure at
preparing. Suddenly he started. An
expression of Intense pain passed over
his face. He drew back his left arm
puckly and then pressed his right baud
upon his breast.
"Ah, the sudd mi pang again!" he
said.
His face was white, but It quickly ie
galned Its color. Then the old man
buled himself In putting everything
right.
"I will leave It n -at. They : hall not
say 1 did not leave It neat." he said.
Mvcn the little bags of seeds on the
mantelpiece he put In lows and dusted.
Then he undressed ami got bito bed.
Um'er his pillow was a 1'ftle story
bod.. He drew It forth. To the old
Gel man a story w as no story. Its
events were as real and as important
to himself as the matters of his own
life. lie could not go away without
Knowing whether that wicked carl 10
lented and whether the baron married
Mmllina. So he adjusted his spectacles
and began to read, Occasionally, as
hi feelings became too strongly mov
ed, he ejaculated: "Ah, I thought so!
That was a rogue. I saw It before. I
knew It from the beginning." More
than half an hour had passed when he
locked up to the silver watch at the
top of Ills bed.
"The inarch Is long tomorrow. This
will not do," he said, taking off bis
spectacles nnd putting them carefully
Into the book to mark the place. "This
will be good reading as I walk along
tomorrow," he added as he stuffed the
book into the pocket of the greatcoat,
"very good reading." lie nodded his
bead and lay down. He thought a lit
tie of his own troubles, a good ileal of
the two little girls he was leaving, of
the carl, of Mmilina, of the baron, but
he was soon asleep, sleeping as peace
fully as a little child upon whose Inno
cent soul sorrow and care cannot rest.
It was very quiet In the room. The
coals In the tin place threw a dull nil
light across the tloor upon the red
lions on the quilt. Mleven o'clock
came, aud the room was very still. One
o'clock came. The glimmer had died
out, though the ashes were still warm,
and the room was very dark. The gray
mouse which had Its hole under the
tool lx came out aud sat on the sacks
in the coiner. Then, growing bolder,
the loom was so dark, it (limbed the
chair at the bedside, nibbled nt the
l aster cake, took one bite quickly jit
the candle and I!, en sat on its haunch
es listening. It heard the even breath
lug of th ' el l man an I tin steps of the
l.uiej-f v Katlir dog going his last tona l
in search of a bone or a skin that had
been forgotten, and It heard the white
hen call out as the wildcat ran away
with one of her I. rood, and it heard the
c hit ken cry. Then the gray ' mouse
went back to Us bile under the tool
bo, and the room was quiet. And 1!
o'clock came. I'.y that tlm tie- ni;!it
was grown dull and cloudy. The wild
cat had gone to Its home on the "kop
je." The Kafir dog had found a bone
and lay gnawing It.
An Inteii.He p:fl't reigned everywhere.
Only in her room the Doer woman toss
ed her great arms In her sleep, for she
dreamed that a dark shadow with out
stretched wings lied slowdy over her
house, and she moaned and shivered
Aud the night was very still.
I'tit, quiet as all places were, there
was a quite peculiar quiet In the Ger
man's room. Though you strained
your ear most carefully, you caught
no sound of breathing.
He was not gone, for the old coat
still hung on the chair, the coat that
was to be put on when he met auy
one, nnd the buudle and stick were
ready for tomorrow's long march. The
old German himself lay there, his wavy
black hair Just touched with gray
thi own back upon the pillow. The old
face was lying there alone In the dark,
smiling like a little child's -oh, so
peacefully! There Is a stranger whose
coming, they say, is worse than all the
Ills of life, from whose presence we
Ocm away trembling, but be conies
very tenderly sometimes, and It seem
ed almost as though death had known
and loved the old man, ho gently It
touched him. And how could It deal
hardly with him the loving, simple,
childlike old man?
So It smoothed out the wrlnkl -s that
were In the old forehead ami fixed tire
passing smile nnd sealed the eyes that
they might not weep again, and then
the short sleep of time was melted into
the lung, long sleep of eternity.
"How has he growu so young lu this
one night?" they said when they found
hirn In the moi ning.
Xes, dear old man, to such as you
!!::;? bricks no age. You die with the
iiuey of y ,'ene.
i me ub'wly, Waldo
tg tl Vis at the back.
espied across the phi in u niuv.M.g CJi
and he chucked his coatUMs up and
dow n In expectancy of r
The w agon came
lay curled union;
of the wagon, the lui! In his breast
resting on the sheep -faring .machine.
It w as finished now. right thoiuht
had struck him the day before as he
sat, half asleep, watching the water
go over the mill wle-cl. He muttered
to himsrjf, with half closed eyes:
"Tomorrow smooth the cogs, tighten
the screws a little, show it to them."
Then after u pause,. "Over the wtiole
world, the whole world -mine, that I
have made!" He pressed the little
wheels and pulleys In bis pocket till
thev cracked. Presently bis muttering
became louder, "And ' ."v- n black hat
for my dadda, for Lxndall a blue silk,
very light, and one purple, like the
earth bells, and white shoes." He mm
lend on: "A box full, full of books.
They shall tell me all. all. all," he add
ed, , moving his fingers desirlagly
"wl)y the crystals grow In such In-autl-ful
shapes, why lightning runs to the
Iron, w hy black people are black, why
the sunlight makes things warm. I
shall read, read, read," he muttered
slow ly. Then came over him suddenly
what he called "the presence of God,"
a sense of a good, strong something
folding him round, lie smiled through
his half shut eyes. "Ah, rather, mj
own Mather, It Is so sweet to feel you,
like the warm sunshine! The Iliblcr
and books cannot tell of you aud all I
feel you. They are mixed with men's
woi d but you"
Ills muttering sank into Inaudible
oiil tisiuii till, opening his eyes wide.
It strmk him that the brown plain he
looked at was the old home farm. For
half an hour they had been riding In it,
and he had not known It. He roused
the leader, who sat nodding on the
front of the waeon in the early morn
ing tomlight. 'I hoy were within half a
mile of Die homestead. It seemed to
him that he bad been gone from them
all a year. He fancied he could see
Lyndall standing on the brick wall to
watch for him. Ids father, passing from
one bouse to the other, stopping to
loo It.
He called 'aloud to the oxen. For
each one nt home he had brought
something- for his father a piece of to
bacco, bought at the shop by the nlll;
for Mm a thimble, for Lyndall a beau
tiful Mower dug out by the roots at a
place where they had "nut. spanned,"
for Tant Sannh a handkerchief. When
they drew near the bouse, he threw
the whip to the Kaiflr leader and
sprang from the side of the wagon to
run on. Ilonaparte stopped him as he
ran past the ash heap.
"Good morning, my dear boy. Where
are you running to so fast with your
rosy cheeks?"
The boy looked up nt him, gtod even
to see Itoiia parte.
"I am going to the cabin," he said,
out of breath.
"You won't find them In Just now
not your good old father," said Itoua
parte. "Where Is he?" asked the lad.
"There, beyond the camps," said
Itornparte, waving his band oratorical
ly toward the stone walled ostrich
camps.
"What is be doing there?" asked the
boy.
Ilonaparte patted him on the check
kindly.
"We could not keep him any more.
It was too hot. We've burled him.
my boy," said Monnparte. touching
with his finger the boy's cheek. "We
couldn't keep him any more. He. lie,
he!" laughed ltenaparte as the boy tied
away along the low stone wall, almost
furtively, as cue in fear.
At r o'clock Ilonaparte knelt before
a bo ia the Gentian's room, lie was
bm-ily unpacking It.
It had been sigrcd upon betwicn
Tar.t Sannle and himself that now the
German was gone he (I'onaparte) was
to be no longer schoolmaster, but over
seer of the farm. In return for his
past scholastic labors he had express
ed himself willing to take possession
of the dead man's goods and room.
Tant' Sannle hardly liked the arrange
ment. She had a great deal more re
spect for the German dead than the
Gorman living and would rather his
goods had been allowed to descend
peacefully to his son, for she was a
firm believer lu the chinks In the world
alove, where not only ears but eyes
might be applied to tee how things
went on In this world below. She nev
er felt sure how far the spirit world
might overlap this world of sense and,
as a rule, prudently 'abstained from
doing anything which might offend un
seen auditors. For this reason she ab
stained from ill using the dead Kng
Hsbman's daughter and niece, and for
this reason she would rather the boy
had had his father's goods. Hut It was
hard to refuse Bonaparte anything
w hen she and he sat so happily togeth
er In the evening drinking coffee, Ilo
naparte telling her lu the broken Dutch
ho was fast learning how he adored ;
fat women and what a splendid farmer -he
was. ;
So at 5 o'clock on this afternoon IJo- '
naparb knelt in the German's room.
"Somewhere here It is," he said fi
h packed tin old clothes carefully out(
of the box nnd, finding nothing, packed
thMii In again. "Somewhere in thlsf
room It Is, and If it's here I'onaparte j
finds It," he repeated. "You didn't
stay here all these years without mak-
log a little pile somewhere, my lamb.
You weren't such a fool as you look-:
ed. Oh, no!" said Ilonaparte. '
CONTINUED NKXT WI'KK.