San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1890-02-03
QUATERNAN'S WIFE.
By q. RIDER HAGGARD.
Author Of "Co'onel Quaritch, Y c." "IIr.
Nelson's VIII" "A Tale Of Three
Lions" Allan euatsrmaiR,"
"She," Jess" etc.
and a long white beard.

long since we have seen white face i'll
these wilds, and yours, if | am not mis-
taken, is that of an Englishman. There
has been no EngliShman here for ten
years, and he, | grieve to say, was an
outcast flying from justice" and he
bowed again and stretched out his hand.
looked at him, and then of a sudden
his name flashed back into my mind. |
took his hand.
How do you do, Mr.. CARSON | said.
He started back as though he had been
stung.
"Who told you that name:" he cried
at is a dead name. Stella, is it you: l
forbade you to let it pass your lips"
Il did not speak it, father | have
never spoken it," she answered.
Sir" broke in, IF you will allow
me, will show you how | came to know
your name. Do you remember many
years ago coming into the study of
clergyman in OXfOrdShire and telling
him that you were going to leave Eng
land for ever!'
He bowed his head.
And do you remember Il little boy
who sat upon the hearthrug writing
with pencil:
Il do" he said.
"Sir, was that boy, and my name is
Allan Quatermain. Those children who
lay sick are all dead, their mother is
dead, and my father, your old friend.
is dead also. Like you he emigrated,
and last year he died in the Cape. But
this is not all the story. After many adj
ventures l, one Kaflir and little girl,
lay senseless and dying in the bad lands,
where we had wandered for days with
out water, and there we should have
persisted, but your daughter Miss -
Call her Stella" he broke in, hastily.
Il cannot bear to hear that name. |
have forsworn it"
''MiSs Stella found us by chance and
saved our lives"
''By chance, did you say, Allan Quater-
main?" he answered. There is little
chance in this; such chances spring from
another will than ours. Welcome, Allan,
son of my old friend. Here we live as it
were in a hermitage, with Nature for
our only friend, but such as we have is
yours, and for as long as YOU will take
it. But you must be starving, talk no
more. Stella, it is time for food To-
morrow we will talk
To tell the truth | can recall very little
more of the events of that evening. A
kind of dizzy WEAKNESS overmastered
me. remember sitting at table next
to Stella, and eating heartily, and then |
remember nothing more
l awOke to find myself lying on COM
Portable bed in a hut built and fashioned
on the same model as the center one.
While was wondering what time it was,
native came bringing some clean
clothes on his arm, and, luxury of uxu-
ries, produced a bath followed from
wood. | rose feeling a very different
man; my strength had come back again
to me. | dressed and, following a Gov
cred passage, found myself in the center
hut. Here the table was set for break.
fast with all manner of good things. such
as had not seen for many a month,
which | contemplated with healthy sat
iSfactiOn. Presently | looked up, and
there before me was more delightful
sight. for standing in one of the door
ways which led to the sleeping huts was
Stella, leading little Tota by the hand
She was very simply dressed in loose
blue dress, with wide collar, and girdled |
in a the waist by little leather belt. |
In the bosom of her robe was a bunch Of |
orange blooms, and her ripping hair
was tied in single knot behind her |
shapely head. She greeted me with a |
smile, asking me how | had slept. and |
then held TOta up for me to kiss. Under
her loving care the child had been quite
She was neatly dressed in
a garment of the same stuff that Stella
wore, her fair hair was brushed; indeed,
had 1t not been for the sun blisters on her
face and hands, one would scarcely have
believed that this was the same child
that lndaba-zimbi and had dragged for
hour after hour through the burning
waterless desert.
owe must breakfast alone, Mr.. Allan
she said; my father is so upset by YOUR
arrival that he will not get up yet. Oh,
you cannot tell how thankful | am that
you have come. have been so anxious
about him of late. He grows weaker
md weaker; it seems to me as though
he strength were ebbing away from
nm. Now he scarcely leaves the kraaI:
have to manage everything about theI
arm, and he does nothing but read and
hink."
Just then Hendrika entered, bearing a
ug of coffee in one hand and of milk in