Waterbury evening Democrat. [volume] (Waterbury, Conn.) 1887-1895, 1894-12-19

mind she could never pass.
:" A farewell present Keep IL in men,
DRY of me-. The words yet echoed In his
ears, AID to Leonard they seemed fateful
| "a prophecy of utter loss. Signing heavi-
iy, he opened the packet and examined its
contents by the feeble moonlight. They
were not large-a prayer book bound in
morocco, her own, with her name inside
| it and a short inscription beneath, and in
/ the memorandum pocket of its binding a
lock of auburn hair tied round with silk.
| An unlucky gift" said Leonard to
himself. Then putting ON his coat, which
was ycs warm from James shoulders, he
| also turned and vanished into the snow
and the night, shaping his path toward
the village inn.
| He reached IL in due course and passed
| into the little parlor that adjoined the bar.
I Ii was a comfortable room enough, not
| withstanding its adornmcnt of badly stuff.
ed birds and fishes, and chiefly remarkable
for its wide old fashioned fireplace with
wrought iron dogs. There was no lamp
| in the room when Leonard entered, hut
the light of the burning wood was bright,
and by it he could see his brother seated
in a high backed chair gazing into the fire.
his hand resting on his knee.
Thomas Outram was Leonard's elder
by two years and cast in a more fragile
| mold. His face was tho face of dream
| or; his brown eyes were large and re-
| Elective, and the mouth sensitive as q
| child's- He was n scholar and philoso-
pher, man of much desultory reading.
| with refined taste and n really intimate
knowledge Of Greek gems
lis that you, Lconard!' he said, look.
| ITO the rectory," answered his brother
] shortly.
| "what have you been doing therer''
DO you want to know"
| Yes, of course. Did you see janet"
| Then Leonard told him all the story.
What do you think she will dol" asked
| Tom when his brother had finished.
Given the situation and the woman, 1t
| Is n rather curious problem"
1t may b." answered Leonard, but
rs l am not an equation in algebra ycarn-
ing to be worked out don't quite see the
| fun OF it. But IL you ask me what think
she will do l should say that she will fol
| low the example OF everybody else and de
| sert me-
You seem to have poor idea of wom-
en-, old fellow. l know little of them my,
! self and don't want to know more. But
| / have always understood that it Is the
[ peculiar glory of their sex to come out
strong on these exceptional occasions.
| Woman in our hours of case etc"
We'll, we shall see. But 1t is my opin-
| ion that women think a great deal more
| of their own hours of case than of those of
nybody else. Thank heaven, here omes
| our dinneri''
| That night the brothers resolved to
| make n lasr visit to their ancestral home.
| Then they sworc upon an ancient Bible
| never to return to it till they could call IL
| their own.
On the morrow they went to London
and waited there awhile, but no word
| came from Jane Beach, and for good or
| ill the chains of the oath that he had
| taken rivctcd themselves around Leonard
| Outram's neck.
Within three months of this night the
brothers We're nearing the shores of Africa,
the land of the Children of the Mist.
CHAPTER III.
| Seven years passed. The brothers had
\ toilcd in Africa, seeking the gold with
\ which to buy back their ancestral estate.
Tom sickcned and died.
One morning, IL was the day after
Toms death, Leonard called his servant
Otter and hadc him prepare for the burial
| Otter was a knob noscd kaflir-that Is,
a member Of the bastard Zulu race The
brothers had found him wandering about
the country in state of scmistarvation,
| and he had served them faithfully for
Il
1 OF Otter, his native pat ronymic being quite
unpronouncrablC. because of his extraordi-
| nary skill in swimming, which almost
| equaled that of the animal itself. In face
he was hideous, though his ugliness was
not unpleasant, being due chiefly to the
great development of the tribal feature
/ the nose-and i'm body misshapen to the
| verge of monstrosity. In fact, Otter was
| dwarf, measuring little moro than 4
/ feet in height. But what he lacked in
height he made up in breadth. 1t almost
seemed as though, intended 10y nature TO
| be man of many inches, he had been
compressed to his present dimensions by
art. His vast chest and limbs, indicating
/ strength nearly superhuman, his long iron
arms and massive head. all gave counte-
nance to this idea. Otter had one redeem
ing feature. howevcr-his eyes, that when
visible. which at this moment was not the
case were large, steady and, like his skin,
] of q brilliant black.
| When the funeral was over and Thomas
Outram slept his last sleep beneath six
feet of earth and stones, his brother took
out the prayer book that Jane Beach had
given him, which in truth formed all his
library, and read the burial service over
the grave. finishing it by the glare of tho
lightning flashes. Then he and Otter
went back to the cave and ate, speaking
no word. After they had finished Leonard
called to the dwarf, who took his food ut
a little distance.
Listen, Otter Tho tale is yet to tell
The baas who is dead dreamed before he
died. He dreamed that should win the
gold with which to purchase my home;
that I should win it by the help of a WON.
an, and he bade me wait here awhile after
he was dead. Say now, Otter, you who
come of n people learned in dreams and
arc the child of n dream doctor, was this
true dream or n sick mans fancy"
Nay, baas, who can tell for sures" the
I dwarf answered, then pondered awhile,
drawing in the dust of the floor with his
finger, and spoke again: Yet say that
the words of the dead uttered on the edge
of death shall come true. He promised
that you should win the wealth You will
| win it by this way or that, and once morC
the great kraal across the water shall be
! yours again, and the children of strangers
shall wander there no more. Let us obey
the words of the dead and bide here awhile
as he commanded"
Seven days had passed, and on the night
of the seventh Leonard Outram and Otter
sat together.
"Baas." said Otter, you are sick
baas.'
NO." he answered-''that is, perhap.
| u little
Yes, haas, a little. You have said moth
ing, but know, 1 who watch. The fevei
has touched you with his finger. BY ant
by he will grip you with his whole hand
and then, baas''-
And then, Otter, good night
Yes, baas, for you, good night, and fol
me, what! Baas, You think too much
and you have nothing to do that is WHY
, ! you grow sick. Better that we should q,
and dig again"
What for, otter' Ant bear holes max,
good graves"
Evil talk, baas. Better that we shoulC
| go away and wait no moro than that vol