The Globe-republican., 1890-11-05
her truly; if ever a woman was loved in
this world 7 lovo bor

her truly; if ever woman was loved in
this world. love her"
Il thank Heaven for it" said the old
| man. Listen, nv children. Many
years ago great sorrow and shame fell
upon me, SO great a sorrow that, as
sometimes think. it affected my brain.
At any rate, l determined to do what
most men would have considered the
act of . mailman, to 60 far away into the
| Wilderness with my only child, there to
| live remote from civilization and its
evils. AID so: found this place and
here wa lave lived for many years, hap
| PLY enough, and perhaps not without
| doing good in our generation, but still
| in a way unnatural to our race and
status. At first thought that would
| let my daughter grow up in state of
| complete ignorance, that she should be
| Natures child. But as time went on l
saw the folly and the wickedness of my
plan. had no right to degrade her to
| the level Of the savageS around me, for,
| if the fruit of the tree of knowledge is a
| bitter fruit, still it teaches good from
evil So educated her as well as l was
able, till in the end knew that in mind,
as in body, she was in no way inferior to
her sisters, the children of the civilized
world. She grew up nd entered into
| womanhood, and then it came into my
mind that l was doing her a bitter
| wrong, that 1 was separating her from
her kind and keeping her in wilder
ness where she could find neither mate
nor companion. But though 1 knew
this, could not yet make up my mind
to return to active life; I had grown to
love this place. dreaded to return into
the world l had abjured. Again and
again put my resolutions aside. Then
at the commencement of this year felt
i'll. For awhile 1 waited, hoping that l
might get better, but at last realized
that should never get better, that the
hand Of death was upon me-"
"Ah, no, father, not that Stella said,
with cry.
Yes, love, that, and it is true. Now
you will be able to forget our separation
in the happiness Of new meeting" and
he glanced at me and smiled. ''Well,
when this knowledge came home to me
l determined to abandon this place and
trek tor the coast, though 1 we'll knew
that the journey would kill me. should
never live to reach it But Stella would,
and it would be better than leaving her
here alone with savages in the wilder
ness. On the very day that had made
up my mind to take this step Stella
found you dying in the Bad Lands,
| Nd
here. She brought you, Of all men in
the world; you, whose father had been
my dearest friend, and who once with
your baby hands had saved her life from
fire, that she might live to save yours
from thirst. At the time l said little,
| but l saw the hand of Providence in this.
and l determined to wait and see what
came about between you. At the worst.
if nothing came about, I soon learned
that could trust you to see her safely
to the coast after was gone. But many
days ago 1 knew how it stood between
you. and now things have come about as
l prayed they might. God bless you
both, my children; may you be happy in
your love; may it endure till death and
beyond it. God bless you BOTH" and he
stretched out his hand towards me.
l took it, and Stella kissed him.
Presently he spoke again:
1T is my intention" he said, III you
two consent, to marry you next Sunday.
| 1 wish to do SO soon, for do not know
how much longer will be allowed to me.
l believe that such a ceremony, solemn
| " celebrated and entered into before
| witnesses, will. under the circumstances,
be perfectly legal; but of course you
will repeat it with every formality the
first moment it lies in yoIr power so to
do. And now there is one more thing.
When l left England my fortunes were
in shattered condition; in the course
OF years they have recovered themselves;
the accumulated rents, as l heard but
recently when the wagons last returned
from Port Natal, have sufficed to pay off
all charges, and there is considerable
balance over. Consequently you will not
marry on nothing, for of course you, Stel-
la, are my heiress, and wish to make
stipulation. 1t is this: That so soon as
my death occurs you shall leave this
place and take the first opportunity Of
returning to England. do not ask you
to live there always; it might prove too
much for people reared in the wilds,
as both of you have been. But do ask
you to make it your permanent home.
Do you consent and promise this?'
II do" answered.
And so do l." said Stella.
Very well" he answered. land now
| am tired out. Again God bless you
both and goodnight"
CHAPTER Y
On the following morning I had a
conversation with Indaba-zimbi First