Waterbury evening Democrat., 1890-01-20
THE STRANGE STORY Allan Quatermain'S Wife
BY IT. RIDER HACGARD,

SAA"S SAS SOolo nave murQcrcu a mal
 who has done her no evil. the man wht
 Is the husband of her mistress. w,
 saved her from the babyans, we tanned
 her, we fed her, we taught her, and this
 IS how she pays us back. Say, my peo
 pie, what reward shall be given to her?'
 Death" said the circle of indunas
 pointing their thumbs downwards, and
 all the multitude beyond echoed the
 word Death"
 "Death." repeated tho head induna
 adding: "1f you save her, my father, we
 will slay her with our own hands. She Is a babyan-woman, a devil-woman; ah,
 yes, VIC have heard of such before; let
 her be slain before she works more evil '
 Then it was that Stella stepped for
 ward and begged for Hendrika's life in moving terms. She pleaded the sav- agery of the woman's nature, her long service, and the affection that she had always shown towards herself. She said that l, whose life had been attempted, torgave her. and she, my wife, who had nearly been left widow before she was made bride, forgave her; let them for give her also, let her be sent away, not slain, let not her marriage day be stained with blood.
 Now, her father listened readily enough, for he had no intention of kill ing Hendrika-indeed, he had already promised not to do so. But the people were in different humor, they looked upon Hendrika as a devil, and would have torn her to pieces there and then could they have had their way. Nor were matters mended by Indabi-zimbi. who had already gained great reputa- tion for wisdom and magic in the place. Suddenly the old man rose and made quite an impassioned speech, urging them to kill Hendrika at once or mis- chief would come of it.
 At last matters got very bad, for two or the fndunas came forward to drag her off to execution, and it was not until Stella fairly burst into tears that the sight of her grief, backed by MT. Car sons orders and my own remonstrances, carried the day.
 All this while Hendrika had been standing quito unmoved. At last tho tumult stopped, and the leading induna called to her to go, promising that if ever she showed her face near the kraals again sho should be stabbed like JhNhdi. ACA SpOho GO oUc1l1 in a low voice in English:
 ''Better let them kill me, mistress, bet ter for all. Without you to love shall go mad and become babyan again."
 Stella did not answer, and they loosed her. She stepped forward and looked at the natives with a stare of hate. Then she turned and walked past mo, and as she passed whispered native phrase in my ear, that being literally translated, means till another moon;" but which has the same significance as the French 'au revoir."
 It frightened me, for I knew she meant that she had not done with me, and saw that our mercy had been mis- placed. Seeing my face change she ran swiftly from me, and as she passed lndaba-Zimbi, with sudden movement her great knife from his hand. When she had gone about twenty paces she halted, looked long and earnestly on Stella, gave one loud cry of anguish and fled. A few minutes later we saw her far away. bounding up the face of an almost perpendicular clif-a cliff that nobody except herself and the baboons could possibly climb.
 LOOK, Salu lnua Oa-Zln Ol ln my ear - Look. Macumazahn, there goes the Babyan-frau. But, Macu- she arW come back a9ain. An, why will you not listen to my words? Have they not always been true words, Macumazahn?" and he his shoulders and turned away
 For awhile was much disturbed, but at any rate Hcndrika was gone for the present, and Stella, my dear and lovely wife, was there at my side, and in her smiles I forgot my fears.
 For the rest of the day, why should I ~ritc of it? there are things too happy and too sacred to be written of.
 At last l had, if only for little while, found that rest, that perfect joy which we seek so continually and so 'arely clasp.