Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1890-02-27
-cHAPrER VI

y
quite as happy as we found ourselves.
Cynics, growing class, declare that few
illusions can survive honeymoon.
Well, ] do not know about il, for | only
married once, and can but speak from
my limited experience. But certainly
our illusion, or rather the great truth
of which il is the shadow, did survive,
as to this day it survives in my heart
across all the years of utter separation,
and across the unanswerable gulf Of
doom.
But complete happiness IS not allowed
in this world, even for an hour. As our
marriage day had been Swallowed by the
scene which has been described. SO our
married life was Swallowed by its own
sorrow.
Three days after our wedding Mr.. Car
son had stroke II had been long inn
pending. now it fell We came into the
center hut to dinner and found him ly-
ing speeches. on the couch. At first |
thought that he was dying, but this was
not so. On the contrary, within four
days he recovered his speech and some
power of movement. But he never re-
covered his memory. though he still
knew Stella, and sometimes myself.
Curiously enough he remembered little
Tota the best of all three, though occa-
sionally he thought that she was his
own daughter in her childhood and
would ask her where her mother was.
This state of affairs lasted for some
seven months. The old man gradually
grew weaker, but he did not die. OF
course his condition quite precluded the
idea of our leaving Babyan kraal till all
was over. This was the more distress
ing to me, because / had nervous pre-
sentiment that Stella was mourning
danger by staying there. and also be-
cause the state of her health rendered
it desirable that we should reach civ
ilized region as soon as possible. How
ever, it could not be helped
At length the end came very suddenly
We were sitting One evening by Mr.. Car
sons bedside in his hut, when TO our as
constituent he sat up and spoke in
strong, fun voice:
81 hear YOU" he said. YES,
lcHSAN6 Juu' a ONA RoMdbs YOU NOot
have suffered. and he fell back dead.
| have little doubt that he was ad-
dressing his lost wife, some vision OF
whom had flashed across his dying
senses. Stella, of course, was over
whelmed with grief at her loss. Till l
came her father had been her sole com
panion, and therefore, as may be imag-
ined, the tie between them was much
father and daughter. So deeply did She
mourn that began to fear for the eff
feet upon her health. Nor were we the
only ones to grieve; all the natives on
the settlement called Mr.. Carson ia
ther,' and as father they lamented
him. The air resounded with the wall
ing of women, and the men went about
with bowed heads, saying that the sun
had set in the heavens. now only the
Star (Stellal remained" lndaba-zimbi
alone did not mourn. lie said that it
was best that the lnkoos should die, for
what was life worth when one lag like
log?-moreover that it would have been
we'll for all i he had died sooner.
On the following day we buried him in
the little graveyard near the waterfall
1t was sad business, and Stella cried
very much. in spite OF ali ! could do to
comfort her
That night as sat outside the hut
smoking-tor he weather was hot and