Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1890-12-14

him: there was something else, end II
was very soon borne in upon him that
the real cause OF his misery was Mary
Ruth.
When Dalston and his men returned
from kopje Aileen, the young lieuten-
aut was full of enthusiasm about the
"rnre md radiant maiden'' he had dis
covered i'll an out OF the way corner.
"By the way, Blaine. she was inter-
ested in you, but, lor' bless you, man
| you need no, fiutter yourself-she Is just
| Us genuinely concerned about everyone
Of us. from the captnin downwards.
| Cad, Blaine, you should have seen Dali
atom, he glowered upon us like Othello.
Betwix you, me and the tent pole he has
left his heart at Kopje AlIeeu. and 9
mighty gloom ypent mouse OF shady me-
| mories II is.
"Not going, are you. 1 say it would
be an internal shame il that black
! browed iudividua won Dinua-dash me.
| If | would not enter The lists against him
If were u marrying uian. say. Blaine.
take up the running. you re n good look
ing enough fellow, don 't-cher-know, II
you'd only drop that dashed melancholy
greeuery, yellery look that's come over
you Iattly.''
| ID alNf put ultNstll Out III lue EhuSo VI
that gathering tongue and looked more
| gloomy and melancholy than before.
| I'm get leave and visit her, he
muttercd finally, and went straight Oh
to the colonel's tent.
"Yes, go, but be back in four days
| time, us there u be some fighting u DOT
l am tired of this sitting down behind
mud walls You had better take couple
nf q
| line OF forts.
In another hour Captain Blaine, feel
| ing like his own gay self again, was
galioping away with Basuto Dick behind
| him.
"HulIo, Blane's IN harness again, -
said Dalston. What duty is he on, do
| you kuow.'
"Duty,' SAID the young lieutenant,
ready 10 tease the unpopuin: captain;
'why he's on leave. Going to Kopie
Alieen. Believe he means to propose.
Knew her before, you know
Dalstou looked black At mis- tormentor.
then strobe away 10 come point where
he could watch Blaine out of sight. He
mounted his horse then with the avowed
Intention of Inspecting the outIuyn'g
pirkets, but when he reached the fur
thtrest point, he tracked Blame for an
hour through his field glass.
"He has left the road aud shaped for
Kol je Allepn, - he uuttered. 81 will
be there TO- morrow TOO, and let him be-
ware how he cross 3 me
CHAPTER XXv.-TEE PHOTOGRAPHS.
When Capt. Blaine and the Basuito
left the beaten track AMI brauchei Off to
NJ IS Rath' 5 homestead. they climbed u
sharp ridge. which runs along the north
eru boundary of Zululand. A lew miles
10 the north stood cut kopJe Aleeu with
the wi ite walls of the farmhouse gleum-
ing near it i'll the sun, while to the south
they glanced back over the rolling sun
scared, water-worn plain, TO another
ridge out of which doomed the square
mount, so full! of painful memories to
Blaine.
well, murmurPd the young officer
turning his back upon the mountain aud
looking down upon the little white house,
81 am leaving the darker side behind
nnd entering on new, and ! hope O
brighter path.
As tie spoke there flashed out suddenly
brilliant ball OF light from the rocky
summit of kopje Alleen. A moment it
CLEANED like q planet from dark sky,
something marvellous, aud then VAIL
ished.
"Yoh. - exclaimed the Basuto. "Did
baas see, wot WIS il. ~
"A altar of hope, >" said Blaine, with q
smile at the suddennpss with which the
strange beam had answered his train of
thought.
'.Wot star doiu' there said matter
Of fac, Dick. mo sir, dat an spirit eye.
Spook dots so.
cit is n friendly spook anyway, - and
Blaine headed his horse down q steep iu-
cline.
As he approached the lonely house he
noticed the smoke curling up in Il thin
blue line from the chimney, and marked
signs about n the stuck of fuel, in the
wicker cage filled with maize co.'s. in the
harrirauiu2 of the windows uud protec-
tion of doors by walls of sodS,) of the
presence of some active spirit. He
looked sharply around then for other
and more evident traces of this person,
whom he ut once put down As Rowe, but
could see none.
Dick had no eye but for the grim peak
of stone, ut which he glanced half-tim-
Idly, as though expecting to see that
strange light tiaIae out and perhaps
scorch him up.
Blame dismounted. and with an eager
but somewhat confident look on his face,
went up TO the door, the upper half of
which after the manner of farmhouse
doors, was open, swinging on its own
hinges independent of the lower half
He knocked, but without reply, and
looking in saw that the room was empty,
As he turned away disappointed
murmur of voices from the BRONX Reach
ed hin-and thirher he went-pausing
when near to drink in the scene he had
CHANGED upon.
Beneath the shelter of a dropping will
low, where long, tre!nulous, whip-like
twigs, with spear shaped leaves, swayed
to the ground softly a. u woman 3 hair
Within the grateful shade of this canopy
of green we're q group Of three. Mr.. Raih,
the central figure. sat on q low chair,
his left arm bound up in spliHts, but his
fine. old tsce, calm and restful As the
surface of the pool at his feet. Pala
lounErd on the brink of the pool, weav-
ing long PUSHES into piaits, with nimble
fingers, while Mary stood leaning against
the stem of the tree, with one hand
gently lali on her fathers shouldei and
the other stretched up to u branch. Her
eyes were liked dreamily Oh the pool as
her mind dweit on her fathers words
The old man was talking with the clio.
oueupe of "a man who felt daaply NTH