San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1890-02-04

Zahn? No! no! when we find, we lose;
and when we seem to lose, then we shall
really find. | am not a Christian, Ma
cumaZahn, but | am old, and have
watched and seen things that perhaps
Christians do not see. There, | have
spoken. Be happy with your star, and
if it sets, wait, Macumazahn, wait till it
rises again. 1t will not he long: one day
You will go to sleep, then your eyes will
open on another sky, and there your star
will lie shining. MaCumaZahn."
! ma'lc no a.I~wcr at the time.
could not bear to talk of such thing.
But often and often in the after years |
have thought of Indaba-Zimbi and his
beautiful shmile and gathered comfort
from 1t. He was a strange man, this old
rain making savage, and there was more
wisdom in him than in many learned
atheists-those spiritual deStrOyers who,
in the name of progress and humanity,
would divorce hope from life, and leave
us wandering in lonesome, self con-
secrated hell,
"Indaba-zimbi," | said, changing the
| told him of the threats OF Hendrika.
He listened with an unmOved face,
nodding his white lock at interval as the
narrative went on. But saw that he
was disturbed by it.
"Macumazahn," he said at length,
Il have told you this is an evil woman.
| She was nourishcd on babDon milk, and
| the baboOn nature is i'll her veins. Such
creatures should be killed. not kept.
She will make YOU mischief if she can.
| But | will watch her, MaCumazahm.
Look. the S;ar is waiting for you; go,
or she will hate me as Hendrika hates
| you.
So went. nothing loath, for attrac-
tive as was the wisdom of lndaba-Zimbi,
| found Il deeper meaning in Stellas
simplest word. All the rest of that day
| passed in her company, and the greater
part of the two following days. At last
came Saturday night, the eve of our
marriage. 1t rained that night, SO we
did not go out, but spent the evening in
the hut We sat hand in hand saying
| little, but Mr.. Carson talked a good
| deal, telling lis tales of his youth. and of
countries that he had visited. Then he
read aloud from the Bible, and babe us
| good night. ! also kissed Stella and went
to bed. Preached my hut Ivy the COW
cred way, and before undreSSed opened
the door to see what the night was like.
1t wa, vrrr dark. and rain WIS still fall
ing, but ;la the light streamed out into
the gloom | fancied that | caught sight
of a dusky form gliding away.
The thought of Hendrika flashed into
my mind could she be skulking about
outside there: Now | had said nothing
of Hendrika and her threats either to
| Mr. Carson or Stella, because | did not
wish to alarm them. Also | knew that
Stella was attached to this strange per-
son, and did not wish to shake her con-
fidence in her unless it was absolutely
necessary. For minute or two | stood
hcsitating, then, rejecting that. if it was
| Hendrika out there, there she should
stop, | went in and put up the stout
wooden bar that was used to secure the
door. For the last few nights Old Indaba-
zimbi had made a habit of sleeping in
the covered passage, which was the only
other possible way of access. As | came
to bed had stepped over him rolled up
i'll his blanket, and to all appearance
fast asleep. SO, it being evident that |
had nothing to fear, | promptly dismiss
ed the matter from my mind, which, as
may be Imagined, WIS indeed fully Oc
cupied with other matters.
| got into bed. and for awhile lay
awake thinking of the great happiness in
stor for me, and of the proTidential
course of events that had brought it
within my reach. \ few weeks since
| and | was wandering in the desert
dying man, bearing dying child, and
with scarcely possession left in the
world except Il store of buried ivory that
never expected to see again. And now
| was about to wed one of tho sweetest
and lOveliest women in the whole world
woman whom loved more than could
have thought possible, and who loved
me back again. Also, as though that
were not good fortune enough. | was to
acquire with her considerable possessions,
| quite sufficiently large to enable us tC
follow any plan of life we found agree
able. As lay and reflected on all this
| grew afraid of my good fortune. Old
Indaba-zimbi's melancholy prophesies
came into my mind. Hitherto he had
always prophesied truly. What if these
should be true also? l turned cold as
thought of it, and prayed to the power
above to preserve us both to live and love
| I