Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1888-06-01
JESS,

"'"" H"tO"to" -1heS, She, &c.
CHAPTER XVI
TRAKK MULLER's FAMILIAR
The study of the conflicting elements hat
20 to make up a character like Frank Muler's.
however fascinating it might prove, is not one
that can lie attempted in detail here Such
character in its developed form is fortunately
practically impossible in highly civilized
country. The dead weight of the law would
crush it back to the level of the human mass
around it, But those who have lived in the
wild places of the earth Will be acquainted
with its prototypes, more especially in those
places where handful of q superior race rules
over The dense thousands of an inferior. Soil
tudes ere favorable to the production Of
strongly marked individualitieS The COM
partnership Of highly developed men, on the
contrary, whites individualitis away, the
difference between their growth being the
difference between the growth Of tree on a
plain and a tree in tho forest On the plain
the tree takes the innate bent of it, nature.
1t springs in majesty toward the skies; it
spreads itself around or it slants olong the
earth just as nature intended that 1t should.
and In accordance with the power OF the
providential breath that bends, it. In the
forest it is different There the tree grows
toward the light wherever the light may be.
Forced to modify its natural habit in obedi.
ence to the pressure of circumstances over
which it has no control, it takes such form
and height rs its neighbors will allow to it.
all its energies being directed to tho preserva-
ton of life, in any shape and at any sacrifice.
Thus it is with us OIL Left to ourselves, or
surrounded only by the scrub Of humanity,
we become outwardly that which the spirit
yithin would fashion US to, but placed among
Cur fellows, shackled by custom, restrained
by law. pruned and bent by the force of pub
lie opinion, we grow as like one to another as
the fruit bushes on garden wall The sharp
angles of our characters are fretted away by
the friction Of the crowd, and we become
round and polished, and specifically, at any
rate, Identical We no longer resemble .
solitary bowlder on plain, but arc - Q stoss
built into the great edlfice Of civilized society.
The place Of a man like Frank Muller il al
the junction OF the waters Of civilization and
barbarism. Too civilized to possess those
savage virtues which, such as they are, repre-
sent the quantum Of innate good nature has
thought fit to ALLOW in the mixture man. and
too barbarous to be subject to the tenderer
restraints Of cultivated society, he Il at once
strong in the strength Of both and weak in
their weaknesses. Animated by the spirit Of
barbarism, superstition and almost entirely
destitute of the spirit Of civilization, mercy,
he stands on the edge Of both and an affront
to both, as terrific q moral spectacle as the
world can afford.
Had he been little more civilized, with
his power Of evil trained by education and
cynical reflection to defy the attacks of thoee
spasms Of unreasoning spiritual terror and
understandable passion that have their natural
dwelling place in the raw, strong mind Of
uncrltivated man, Frank Muller might have
broken upon the world as Napoleon. Had
he been little more savage, a little further
removed from the unconscious but present
influence Of a progressive race, he might have
ground his fellows down and ruthlessly
destroyed them in the madness Of his rage
and lust, like an Attila or TChaka. As it
was, he was buffeted between two forces he
did not realize, even when they swayed him,
and thus at every step in his path toward .
supremacy OF evil an unseen power made
stumbling blocks Of weaknesses which, il that
path had been laid along a little higher or Q
little lower level i'm the scale Of circumstance.
would themselves have been deadly weapons
OF overmaseering force.
See him, as with his dark heart filed I'D
with fears, he thunders along from the scene
OF midnight death and murder his brain had
not feared to plan and his hand TO execute.
Onward his black horse strides, componioned
by the storm, like dark thought travelling
on the wings Of Night. He does not believe
IN any God, and yet the terrible fears that
spring up in his soul, born fungus like from
8 dew Of blood, take shape and form, and
seem to cry aloud, ave are the messengers of
tho avenaing God" he glances up. High
on the black bosom Of the storm the finger
OF the lightning is writing that awful name,
and again aad again the voice Of the thunder
reads it out aloud in spirit shaking accents.
BE shuts his dazed eyes, and even the falling
rhythm of his horses hoofs beat out "There q
God! there is Godl" from the silent earth
on which they strike.
And so on through the tempest and the
night, flying from that which no man can
leave behind
1t was near midnight when Frank Muller
drew rein alta wretched mud hut perched by
itself on the banks Of the Vaal, and thanked
on it, rear by an equally miserable shed. The
place was a. silent as the grave; not even .
dog barked
III that beast Of Kafir is not here" he
nid aloud, y will have him hogged to death.
Hendrix Hendrik!n
AZ he called, form rose up at his very
feet. causing the weary horse to start back 20
violently that be almost threw his rider to the
ground.
"What In the name Of the devil are your
almost shrieked Frank Muller, whose nerves,
indeed. were In no condition to stand fresh
shocks.
ut is me, haas, said the form, at the same
time throwing of gray blanket in which it
was enveloped, Ind revealing the villainous
countenance Of the one eyed witch doctor who
had taken the letter to Bessie; and who had
for years been Mullers body servant. and fol-
lowed Nun ABOUT nKe uox.
Course you, you dog! What do you mean
by hiding up like thati 1t is one Of your in
formal tricks; be careful"-tapping his pistol
case-@or shall one day put an end to you
and your witchcraft together"
Il am very sorry, haas, said the man. in
whine. @but half an hour ago heard you
coming. don't know what Is the matter
with the air tonight. but It sounded a.
though twenty people were galloping after
you. could hear them all quite clear; first
the big black horse. and then all those who
came after, Just as though they were hunting
you, and SO came out and lay down to lis
ten, and It was not till you were quite Close
that one by one the others stopped. Perhaps
it was the devils who galloped."
Course you, stop that wizards talk" said
Muller. his teeth chattering with fear and
agitation. "Take the horse and clean and
feed him well; he has galloped far, and we
start at dawn. Stop! tell me, where are the
Lights and the brandy! II you have drunk
the brandy win dog YOU
They are on the shelf on the left q YOU
60 In, baas, and there is flesh there, too, and
bread"
Muller swung himself from the saddle and
entered the hut, pushing open the cranky,
broken hinged door with a kick He found
the box Of Tandstickor matches. and, after
one or two false shots-due chiefly to his shak-
ing hand-succeeded in getting fire and light
ing coarse dip such as the Beers make out
OF nntton rat. Near the candle was bottle
Of peach brandy two-thirds full, and tin
pannikin and a jug Of river water. Selling
the pannikin, he filed it half full of spirit,
added little water, and drank the mixture
of. Then he took down the meat and bread
from the same shelf, and, cutting some Of
each of with his clasp knife, tried to eat.
But he could not eat much, and soon gave up
the attempt, consoling himself instead with
the brandy.
BAH" he said, sthe stun tastes like hell
fire. and he filed his nina md saf synokinor