The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1890-11-21

Nothing happened to disturb us that
night, and on the following morning /
was up early making preparations. The
| despair of the people when they learned
that we were going to leave them was
something quite pitiable. l could only
console them by declaring that we were
but on journey, and would return the
following year.
"They had lived in the shadow of her
father, who was dead" they declared;
sever since they were little they had
| lived in his shadow. He had received
them when they were outcasts and wan
derers, without mat to lie on or blan-
ket to cover them, and they had grown
fat in his shadow. Then he had died,
| and the Star, their fathers daughter,
| had married me, Macumazahn, and they
had believed that I should take their
fathers place and let them live in my
shadow. What should they do when
there was no one to protect them? The
tribes were kept from attacking them
by fear of the white man. If he went
they would be eaten up" and so on.
Alasi there was but too much founda-
ton for their fears.
returned to the huts atmidday to get
some dinner. Stella said that she was
going to pack during the afternoon, so
did not think it necessary to caution her
about going out alone, as did not wish
to allude to the subject of Hendrika and
the balloons unless / was obliged to. /
told her, however, that would come back
to help her as soon as l could get away.
Then / went down to the native kraals
to sort out such cattle as belonged to
Mr.. Carson from those which belonged
to the Kaffirs, for L proposed to take
them with us. 1t was large herd, and
the business took an incalculable time.
At length, a little before shutdown, /
gave it up, and leaving Indaba-zimbi to
finish the job, got my horse and rode
homewards.
Arriving, gave the horse to one of
the stable boys, and went into the CEN
trail hut. There was no sign of Stella,
though the things she had been packing
lay about the floor. l passed first into
our sleeping hut, thence one by one into
all the others, but still saw no sign of
her. Then l went out, and calling
Kaffir in the garden, asked him if he
had seen his mistress.
He answered: "Yes.' He had seen
her carrying flowers, walking towards
the graveyard, holding the little white
girl-my daughter-as he called her, by
the hand, when the sun stood "there,"
and he pointed to spot in the horizon
where it would have been about an hour
and half before. "The two dogs were
with them" he added. turned and ran
towards the graveyard, which was about
quarter of mile from the huts. OF
course there was no reason to be anx-
she had gone to lay the
flowers on her fathers grave. And yet
was anxious
When / got near the graveyard met
one of the natives, who, by my orders,
had been set round the kraals to watch
the place, and noticed that he was rub
bling his eyes and yawning. Clearly he
had been asleep. asked him if he had
seen his mistress, and he answered that
he had not, which, under the circum-
stances, was not wonderful. Without
stopping to reproach him, ordered the
man to follow me, and went to the
graveyard. There, on Mr.. Carson's
grave, lay the dropping flowers which
Stella had been carrying, and there in
the fresh mold was the spoor of Tota's
veldschoon, or hide slipper. But where
were they?
Iran from the graveyard and called
aloud at the top of my voi,e, but no an
swer came. Meanwhile the native was
more profitably engaged in tracing their