Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1888-05-11

people, and that he was coming over to SEQ
about thcrl presently Who can it beg
1T is US said jess, quickly. I'VE are
going hone. saw Hans Coetzee yesterday.
and begged him TO try and get US pass, and
/ suppose lie has"
MY word going to get outl Well, you
are lucky, Let me sit down and write 4 let
ter to my great uncle at the Cape. You must
post it when you can He IS o. and rather
soft. but dare say he will like 30 hear from
me- and She bundled off into the house to
give her aged relative (who, by the way,
labored under the impression that she was
still q little girl OF years of age as minute
an account of the siege of Pretoria as time
would allow.
'Wel, John, you had better tell Mouti to
put tse horses in. We shah have TO start
presently" said jess.
"Ay," he said, pulling hh beard thought
fully. Il suppose that we SHALL" adding, by
way of an aftorthought "Are you glad to
So1'
'No." she said with a sudden fash of pas
sion and a stamp Of the foot, and then turned
ard entered the house again.
"Mouti," said John to the Zulu, who was
lounging around in a way characteristic OF
that intelligent but unindustrious race, "in-
span the horses. We are going back to Moot
fonteIn."
"koos' chief, said the Zulu unconcernedly,
and started on the errand as though it were
tie most every day occurrence to drive of
home out of a closely beleaguered town. That
is another beauty of tho Zulu race; you cam
not astonish them They. no doubt, consider
that that to them, extraordinary mixture of
wisdom and insanity, the white man, is, az
the agnostic French critic said in despair Of
the prophet Zerubbabel, capable de tout"
John stood and watched the inspanning
absently. The fact was that he, too, was con-
scious OF sensation of regret He felt
ashamed of himself for it, but there it was;
he was sorry to leave the place. For the last
week or SO he had been living in dream, and
everything outside that dream was blurred
and indistinct as landscape in fog. He
knew the things We're there. but be did not
quito appreciate their relative sizo and posi-
ton. The only real thing was his dream; all
else was Us vague as those far off people and
eveiNs that We lose in infancy and find again
in old age
And now there would be an end of dream
ing; the fog would lift, and he must face the
facts. jess, with whom lie had dreamed,
would go away to Europe and he would
marry Bessie, and all this Pretoria business
would glide away into the past like a watch
in the night. Well, it must be so; it was
right and proper that it should be SO. and be
for one was not going to finch from his dutv;
but he would have been more than human
had he not felt the pang Of awakening. 1t
was all so very unfortunate
By this time Mouti had got tho horses up,
and asked il he was To insnan
'No! wait bit" said John. every likely
it is all ROT" lie added to himself.
ocarct1y were the words out OF his mouth
when he caught sight of two armed Beers of
a peculiarly unpleasant type and rough ap-
pcarance riding across the veldt toward
1.-THE Palatial" gate, escorted by four car
b:neers. At the gate they stopped, and one
Of them dismounted and came up to where he
vas standing by the stable door,
"Capt. Mel" he said interrogatively in
English.
"That is my name"
"Thcn here is letter for you," and he
handed him folded paper.
John opened tit had no envelope-and
read as follows:
"SR-The bearer of this has with him q
pass, which it is understood that you desire,
giving you and Miss jess Croft safe conduct
to Mooifontein, in the Wakkerstroom district
Of the republic Tho only condition attached
to the pass which is signed by one of the hon
orable triuTvirate. is that you must carry no
dispatches out Of Pretoris. Upon your giving
your word of honor to the bearer that you
will not do this he will hand you the pass"
This letter, which was fairly written and
in good English, had no signature.
h. Al -. ~
"That is no affair Of yours" was the curt
reply. "Will you pass your word about tho
Dispatcher"
9Yes"
"Good Hero is the pass" and he handed
over that document to John. Il was in the
same handwriting as the letter, but signed by
the Boer general.
John examined it and then called to jess to
come and translate it. She was on her way
round the corner Of the house AZ no did so,
having heard the voice Of the Boer.
ut means, Pass the bearers unharmed.'"
she said, land the signature Is correct have
seen the generals signature BEFORE
"When must we startr asked John.
@At once, or not at ALL"
II must drive round by the headquarter
camp to explain about my going. They will
UaIink that hayA run aWayn
To this the Boer demurred, but finally,
after going to tho gate to consult his COM
panion, consented, and the two rode back to
the headquarter camp, saying that they
would wait for the cart there, whereupon the
horses were inspanned.
In five minutes everything was ready, and
the cart was standing in the roadway in
front OF tho little gate. After he had looked
to ali tho straps and BUCKLES and seen that
everything was properly packed, John went
to call jess He found her standing by tho
coorsteps, looking out at her favorite view
Her hand was placed sideways against her
forehead, as though to shade her eyes from
the sun. But where she was standing there
was no sun. and John could not help guessing
why she was shading her eyes. She was cry
ing at leaving the place in that quiet, harrow
ing sort Of way that some women have; that
Is to say, few big tears were rolling down
her face. John felt lump rise in his own
throat at the sight, and very naturally re-
neved his feelings j., rough language.
"What tho deuco are you afterr he asked
Are you going to keep the horses standing
all dayf
jess did not resent this The probability ia
that she guessed its reason. And besides, it
is melancholy fact that women rather like
being sworn at than otherwise. provided that
the swearcr is the man they are attached to.
But he must only swear on state occasions.
At this moment, too, Mrs. Neville came
plunging out Of the house, licking an envelope
as she ran
"There," she said, II hope I haven't kept
you waiting. haven't told the old gentle
man half tho news; in fact, Two only taken
him down to the time when the communica
tons were cut, and dare say he has seen all
that in the papers. But he won't understand
anything about it, and If he does he will guess
tho rest; besides, for all l know, he may be
dead and buried by now. shall have to owe
you for the stamp. think it's threepence.
I'll pay You when VIC meet again-that Is, if
we ever do meet again. I'm beginning to
think that this siege will 60 on for all eter-
nifty. There, good by, my dear! God bless
you'll When you get out of it, mind you write
to Tho Times, in London, you know There,
don't cry. I am sure should not cry il I
were going to get out of this place." for at
this point jess took the opportunity Of Mrs
Nevilles fervent embrace to burst out into q
sob or two.
In another minute they were in the cart.
and Mouti was scrnmbling up behind.
"Don't cry, old girl" said John, laying his
hand upon her shoulder. @What can't be
cured must be endured"
"Yes. john" shc answered. and dried her
tears
At the headquarter camp John went in and
explained the circumstances Of his departure
At first the officer who was temporarily in
commnDd-thc conlmantlans having been
wounded at tho sanc time that John was
rather denurred to his going, especially when
he learned that he had passed his word not to
carry dispatches. Presently, however, he