The Florida agriculturist. [volume] (DeLand, Fla.) 1878-1911, 1890-04-23

our only friend, but such as we have is
yours, and for as long as you will take
it. But y@su 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. l remember sitting at table next
to Stella, and eating heartily, and then /
remember nothing more &
awoke to find myself lying on a COM
Portable bed in a hut built and fashioned
on the same model as the center one.
While was wondering what time it was,
a native came bringing some clean
clothes on his arm, and, luxury of luxu-
ries, produced a bath followed from
wood. l rose feeling a very different
man; my strength had come back again
to me. | dressed and, following COW
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 month,
which l contemplated with healthy sat-
isfaction. Presently l looked up, and
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 at the waist by little leather belt
In the bosom of her robe was bunch of
orange blooms, and her ripping hair
was tied in a single knot behind her
shapely head, She greeted me with
smile, asking me how I had slept, and
then held Tota up for me to kiss. Under
her loving care the child had been quite
transformed. She was neatly dressed in
a garment of the same stuff that Stella
wore, her fair hair was brushed; indeed,
had it not been for the sun blisters on her
face and hands, one would scarcely have
believed that this was the same child
that Indaba-zimbi and had dragged for
hour after hour through the burning.
waterless desert.
eve 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
and weaker; it seems to me as though
the strength were ebbing away from
him. Now he scarcely leaves the kraal;
| have to manage everything about the
farm, and he does nothing but read and
think.
Just then Hendrika entered, bearing a
Jug of coffee in one hand and of milk in
the other, which she sat down upon the
table, casting look of little love at me
as she did So.
"Be careful, Kendrika; you are spill
ing the Coffee said Stella. "Don't you
wonder how we come to have coffee
here, Mr. Allan? will tell you've
grow it. That was my idea. Oh,
have lots of things to show you. You
don't know what we have managed to
do in the time that we have been here
You see, we have plenty of labor, for
the people about look upon my father as
their chief
YES" I said, "but how do you get
all of these Injuries of civilization?'' and
pointed to the books, the crockery, and
the knives and forks.
Every simply. Most of the books my
father brought with him when he first
trek1ed into the wilds; there was nearly
wagon load of them. But every three
years we have sent an expedition of
these wagons right down to Port Natal
The wagons are loaded with ivory and