The Dickinson press. (Dickinson, Stark County, D.T. [i.e. N.D.]) 1883-1927, 1890-04-26

men, who were as jealous of the affec.
tion of their friend or master as any
lover could be of that of his mistress;
and who has not seen cases of the same
thing where parents and their children
were concerned? But the lower one gets
in the scale of humanity the more read
lily this passion thrives; indeed, it may
be said to come to its intensest perfection
in brutes. Women are more jealous than
men, small hearted men are more jeal-
GUS than those of larger mind and wider
sympathy, and animals are the most
jealous of all. Now Hendrika was in
some waysnot far removed from animal,
which may perhaps account for the fe.
rocity of her Jealousy of her mistress
affection.
Shaking off my presentiments Of evil,
entered the center hut. Mr.. Carson
was resting on the sofa, and by him
knelt Stella holding his hand, and her
head resting on his breast. l saw at
once that she had been telling him of
what had come about between us; nor
was sorry, for it is task that a would.
be son-in-law is generally glad to do by
deputy.
"Come here, Allan Quatermain," he
said, almost sternly, and my heart gave
a jump, for feared lest he might be
about to require me to 60 about my
business. But came.
"Stella tells me-" he went on, THAT
you two have entered into a marriage
engagement. She tells me also that she
loves you, and that you say that you
love her"
II do indeed, sir" broke in; II love
her truly; if ever a woman was loved in
this world 1 love her."
II thank heaven for it," said the old
man. "Listen, my children. Many
years ago great shame and sorrow 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 a madman, to so far away into the
wilderness with my only child, there to
live remote from civilization and its
evils. l did so; / found this place, and
here we have lived for many years, hap
PLY enough, and perhaps not without
doing good in our generation, but still
in q way unnatural to our race and
status. AT first I thought that 1 would
let my daughter grow up in state of
complete ignorance, that she should be
natures child. But as time went on,
saw the folly and the wickedness of my
plan. l 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 rs 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 tho civil
lied world.
She grew up and entered into woman
hood, and then 1t came into my mind
that was doing her bitter wrong. that
was separating her from her kind and
keeping her in wilderness where she
could find neither mate nor companion.
But though l knew this, could not yet
make up my mind to return to active
life; had grown to love this place. ]
dreaded to return into the world had
abjuret. Again and again put my
resolutions aside. Then at the com.
n1encelnent Of this year fell Ill. For a
while waited. hoping that | might get
better, but at last realized that should
never get better, that the hand OF death
was upon me.
"Ah, no. father, not thati" Stella said
with cry
Eyes, love, that, and it is true. Now
you will be able to forget our separation
in the happiness of a new meeting" and
lie glanced at mo and smiled. "Well.
when this knowledge came home to me,
determined to abandon this place and
trek for the coast, though well knew
that the journey would kill me. should
never liveto 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, Allan
| Quatermain, and brought you 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 said little, but saw the
hand of Providence in this, and I deter
mined to wait and see what came about
between you. At the worst, if nothing
came about, soon learned that could
trust you to see her safely to the coast
after l was gone. But many days ago
knew how it stood between you, and
now things have come about as prayed
they might. God bless you both, my
children; may you be .happy in your
love; may it endure till death and be-
yond it. God bless you both," and he
stretched out his hand toward me.
l took it, and Stella kissed him.
Presently he spoke again:
"It is my intention" he said, eff you
two consent. to marry you next Sunday.
wish to do so soon, for do not know
how much longer will be allowed to me.
believe that such a ceremony, solemnly
celebrated and entered into before wit.
nesses, will, under the circumstances, be
perfectly legal; but of course you will
repeat it with every formality the first
moment it lies in your power to do so.
And now, there is one more thing: when
| left England my fortunes were in a
shattered condition; in the course of years
they have recovered themselves, the ac-
cumulated rents, as heard but recently,
when the wagons last returned from
Port Natal, have suffced to pay off all
charges, and there is considerable bal
ance over. Consequently you will not
marry on nothing, for of course you,
Stella, are my heiress, and I 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. 1 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 this3"
81 d." answered.
"And so do l." said Stella.
Every well, he answered.; land now
am tired out. Again God bless you
both. and good night"