Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1888-03-30


CREASED. Where is the castor oil, Besse2
There is nothing like castor oil for these
patent axles. You ought to be of in an hour
You had better sleep at Luck's tonight; you
might get farther, but Luck's is q good place
to stop, and they will look after you well
there, and you can be Off by 8 in the morning
and be at Heidelberg by 10 O'Clock tomorrow
night and in Pretoria by the next afternoon"
and he hustled of TO make the necessary
preparations.
lob, John" said Bessie, beginning to cry,"I
don't like your going at all among those wild
Beers You are an English officer, and if
they find you out they will shoe: you. You
don't know what brutes some Of them are
when they think it safe to 10 SO. Oh, John.
John, can't bear your going"
"Cheer up, my DEAR" said John, land for
Heavens sake stop crying, for can't bear it.
I must go. Your uncle would never forgive
me if didn't, and, what is more, I should
never forgive myself. There is nobody else
to go, and we can't leave jess to be shut up
there in Pretoria-for months perhaps. As
80 much used in South Africa, and all the
other little arrangements, small in themselves,
but Of such infinite Importance to the trav-
eler in a wild country, were duly attended to
Wy uSI 1uetl GALLO u uQITtcu
meal and before it was swallowed the cart was
at the door, with Jantjc hanging as usual on
to the heads Of the two front horses, and the
stalwart Zulu, or rather Swat boy, Mouti,
whose sole luggage appeared to consist Of a
bundle of assegais and sticks wrapped up in a
grass mat, and who, hot as it was, was ell
veloped in q vast military great coat, loung
ing placidly alongside.
lvv Tal, V1l,,, \
kissing him again and again, and striving to
keep back the tears that, do what she could,
would gather in her blue eyes. Good by,
my love"
God bless you, dearest" he said, simply,
kissing her in answer; good by, Mr.. Croft,
I hope to see you again in q week" and he
was il tie cart and had gathered up tho long
and intricate looking rens. Jantje let 20
the horses heads and gave a whoop. Mouti,
giving up star gazing suddenly became IN
animated bcin. and scrambled into the cart
with surprising aiacrity; the horses sprang
forward at q hand gallop ard were soon hid
den from Bessie's dim sight in cloud Of dust.
Poor Bessie! 1t was a hard trial. and now
that John had gone and her tears could not
distress him, sho went into her room and
gave way to them freely enough.
the Pretoria road that happily combined the
characteristics OF an inn, shop and farm
house, such 0s arc to be met with in sparsely
populated countries. 1t was hot an inn and
not IL farm house, strictly speaking, nor was
it altogether shop. though there was a
"s.oro" attached. Ii the traveller were anx-
ious to obtain accommodation for man and
beast at place OF this stamp lie had to pro-
r. p.1y IN 1oStl ,eS ho,ld l,n
qucstcd to movo Gil. lie must advance, hat
III hand, and u.s.; to BE taken in as favor. us
many u high handed Traveller, accustomed to
the obseqnious attentions of "mine host"
has learned to lis ccs.. There is 10
such Dire .Gfcl autoc:at as year half and half
inn keeper il South Africa, and then he is so
completely ia,;c:' OF the situation. III you
don't ike it, so and be ID to you," is lis
simple answer to the circumstances of the
:.aria:ed voyagcr. And teen you mus,
ei-.:cI AIock u,n,cr ami look as though you
Liked it, OK TIE; OH irto tho "unhostelled"
wilderness. On this occasion, however, John.
fa:cd well cncugh. 70 Lesin with 10 knew
tho owncrs Of this place, who wero very civil
people il approached i'll II humble spirit, and,
furthermore, lie found everybody in such
state vi unp.casura!!c excitement that they
t. tx this matters over with. Not that
ti.c:l. Information amounted to much, how
c-c.. Tne.c was runiUr Of the Bronker's
Si,i7iio disaster and other rumors of tho in
ves.lnent OF Pretoria, and Of the advance of
large bodies Of Bocrs to take possession Of the
pass over the Drakenshurg, known US Laings
Mex, but there WAS 10 definite intelligence.
"You won't &c. into Pretoria" said one
melancholy HAL. $50 It's no use trying. The
los, VIII just catch you and kill you, end
t;.lse viii he un end OF il. You had better
leave the girl to lool; after herself and 20
back 10 h.oiiol.cin."
Bat this was ECt Johns view Of the matter.
SWELL" no said, n: any rate, I'll have try"
i-.ecI, ho lad sort OF inlldog sentiment
about him that led Lam To believe that, il lie
| made up his mind to do thing, lie would 10
IL somehow, unless he should he physically III
caYacitatcd by circumstances beyond lis own
Control. It is wonderful how far O mood Of
this sort will take q man, Indeed, it Is the
widespread possession Of this sentiment that
has made England what she Is. Now it is be-
ginning to do down and to legislated out of
our national character, and tho results orc
already commencing to appear in the incip-
lent decay Of our power. We cannot gov
ern Ireland It is beyond US; let Ireland
have homo rulci We cannot cope with our
imperial responsibilities; let them be cast of;
and so on. The Englishmcn Of fifty years ago
did not talk like this Well, every nation b.
comes emasculated sooner or later, that seems
to be the universal fate; and it appears that
it ia our lot to be cmasculated, not by the
want Of law. but by plethora Of it. This
country was made, not by governments, but
mostly in despite Of them by the Independent
efforts Of q series Of individuals The ten
dency nowadays is to merge the individual in
the government, and to limit and even
forcibly destroy personal enterprise and re-
spondbility. Everything is to be legislated
for or legislated against. The system is only
in its bud as yet. When it blooms the EN-
pire will lose touch Of its individual atoms and
become vast, soulless machine, which will
first get out Of order. then break down, and,
last Of all, break up. We owe more to sturdy,
determined. unconvincible Englishmen like
John Mel than we realize, or. perhaps, should
be willing to acknowledge in these enlight-
ened dava