The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1884-06-20
FOR HIMSELF ALONE.
An Interesting Tale of Reversed Identities
BY 7. W. SPEIGHT.
CHAPTER VIII.

CHAPTER Will
CIunie and Captain Dyson were quite
content to find themselves out of sight
and hearing of the rest of the party.
Never before had the Captain had a
listener at once so attentive and so ap-
preciative Really. Miss Pebworth was
a most superior young woman. with iu-
telligence and tastes far beyond the
ordinary run of her sex.
They had been scrambling uphill,
and conversation had been an impossi-
bilitv for the last few minutes: but now,
having reached the summit. they sat
down to rest on some large powders,
and the Captain resumed the thread of
his broken narrative.
"When / again came to my senses,
he said, II found that the natives had
bound me fast TO the trunk of large
tree about dozen yards from their en-
campment. l knew but too well the
fate in store for me. On the morrow L
should be tortured; at sunset L should
be killed outright; and after that l
should be roasted and served up hot FOR
supper"
10, Captain Dyson, how dreadful!
how very dreadful
shall defer the rest of my narra-
tive till another day?''
& please. no. | am diving to know
how YOU escaped; for you did escape,
of course, or else you could not be here
TO tell me-
Il did escape, Miss Pebworth: but
you would never guess by what
means
"Do not keep me in suspense. Captain
DYSON"
The sun set, the camp-fires were
lighted. and still remained fast bound
to the tree. | thought of many things
men do think of many things at such
times. | thought with pang that l
should never again see my native land.
thought thus, my patriotic feelings
awoke within me and would not be con-
trolied, and | began to sing ''Rule
Britannia at the top of nv voice. In
those days | was considered to have
rather fine tenor voice. lost it sub
;sequently when laid up with ague
among the African swamps."
Il should dearly love to have heard
you singing on that memorable night.
Before had reached the end of the
first verse, there was general move
1nent among the sayages. They sprang
to their feet. and with loud cultural
cries they came trooping toward me )
men. women and children. They sur
rounded me; and as went on singing,
there was the deepest silence among
them. Even the babes in arms hushed
their prattle They had never heard
anything like my singing before"
'.Ah, no: can quite believe that"
..Bv the time l had reached the end
Of the second verse, they were all in
tears"
Your sweet tenor voice. Happy
cannibalsn' L..
Il was in the middle of the third
me. He was sobbing. He seized me
by the shoulder, and rubbed his nose
violently against mine, which is their
way of making friends. Then his two
head-men came and rubbed their noses
with me. was released. and carried
Id triumph to the chiefs hut. / sang to
him all that night and all next day;
then he said that he had had enough
for = little while, and offered ME his
daughter in marriage ----. ~
20 Captain Dyson. But you did not
marry herr ~ q
Gould you believe in the possibility
of an English gentleman marrying the
daughter of an African king?"
Suddenly Clunie started to her feet.
az declare if there isn't that odious
Mr.. Drummond coming this way she
exclaimed, in tone of vexation. at
looks as if he had followed us on pur-
pose"
To return to Miss Deene. Mr.. Demp-
ssey had not been gone more than a
couple of minutes when she was startled
by seeing a stranger coming toward
her through the trees. As he drew
nearer, she saw that he was burly,
middle aged man with homely features.
that were set in tangled maze OF
grizzled beard and mustache. He was
dressed in suit of gray tweed that had
evidently seen better DAYS; he wore 4
soft slouched hat: his thick soleG shoes
were white with the dust of country
roads, and he carried stout walking
stick in his hand. He came up to
Elma. lifted his hat for moment and
said: Pardon me, but am l right in
assuming that there is a picnic here to
day. and that my friends, MIR. Drum
mond and Mr.. Frobisher, form part OF
the company"
His voice was very pleasant one,
and so was his smile, as Elma had an
opportunity of proving a little later on.
Despite the strangers homely looks
and somewhat shabby sttire, something
whispered to Miss Deeae that she was
IN the presence of no ordinary man.
There has certainly been picnic
here to-day" she replied, ''as which