The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1895-05-30


Without vouchsafng a word, she
turned from the two men and moved
slowly away. But her strength failed
her, and, with eyes bedimmed, she sank
| into the first seat that presented itself.
As she sat there with bowed he a and
broken heart, she might have I'm in
the tomb for any impression that her
surroundings could make upon her.
When she awoke from this state OF
trance, she found Manniko standing
by her side.
"Biyo' (daughter), said he, lit is not
| good for thee so to tear thy soul with
thoughts of Sattoo. He is bad man,
and made but pretense to love thee;
and when thou wentest to the hills he
i married Dede; and have l not seen
Them after the days toll, at sunset,
walking hand in hand, making great
love to each other? Think no more Of
Sattoo, little Zeelah. I have plans foi
\ t2ee that will make thee haapy."
What wouldst thou have me do,
father?" SAID the sorely stricken girl.
The question was asked somewhat
abruptly as she rose from the bench on
which she had thrown herself. She
had fine sensibility, and was stung
by the heartlessness of Manniko's sug,
gestion that she could so easily effacS
the memory of her own true-love.
Manniko bent forward-his fat face
SINNER than ever, his eyes glintine
with more than usual devilishness--an6
whispered rather than spoke aloud.
Marry Kaki."
No sooner were these words uttered
| than it seemed to Zeelah that light
straight from heaven revealed to hel
the true situation. She knew that
Manniko was well acquainted with
everything concerning her, as indeed
he was concerning every man, woman
and child in Accra. From the time
that she had been left an orphan and
had been adopted by the widow TalSki.
an eccentric but philanthropic old lady,
he had kept a watchful eye upon her,
and had taken good care not to allow
her to stray from his fetch fold. She
felt that he had evinced considerabl
interest in the legacy left to her by
old BOmbolo, the stevedore, which con.
sisted of valuable pair of elephants
tusks and half-a-dozen sheep. (Old
Bombolo had died just before she. was
sent to the hills.) 1t also required to
her how people said that Kaki was the
son of Manniko. The thoughts OF
these things rushed into Zeelah's mind.
Was there not an explanation in them
for Sattoo's absence, and the evident
desire of Manniko to see her welded
to kaki. an alliance which she knew
could be made binding almost on the
instant if she would only consent to itf
In different circumstances, MSnnikos
personality would doubtless have ap-
pealed to her as one in which was cen.
tered all that was awful and mys.
ferrous in the diabolical practices OF
fetchism, and no such thought of re.
sisting its influence would have entered
her head. But now every sentiment OF
obedience was cast to the winds She
felt that she was the victim of plot,
and rightly or wrongly-hardly, in.
deed, knowing what she did, except
that she followed the lead of her emo.
tions-she roundly declared her be-
lief that the whole story of Sattoo's
desertion was false. Throwing the
ugly phrase straight into Manniko's
teeth, she also demanded to know
whether it was true or not that Kaki
was his son-and then-well, she did
what most women would have done
under the circumstances-relie the
tension of her feelings by bursting into
tears. She had bearded the majesty of
fetchism, and what the results would
be, now that she had done it, she trem.
| bled to think.
The fiendish expression that came
over the Silenus-like visage of Man
nike, when he found himself thus de-
fed by girl over whom he had never
doubted the completeness of his au.
thority, can be more easily imagined
| than described. He was convulsed
with rage, and positively gasped for
speech. When articulation did come,
however, it was full of malice and all
uncharita bleness. He swore by all the
ghosts of his ancestors that her tongue
should be split, and that she should do
at least twenty moons of penance. And
| lOl IllttIc.
! AT her flow of tears Zeelah felt re-
lieled, but she was not unreasonab bly,
frightened at Manniko's threats. and
turned as if to flee from his presence.
But the priest OWNED her intention,
and, as he had not yet nearly ex-
hausted his stock of maledictions,
stepped forward as quickly as his
| obesity would permit and seized her
by the wrist. The electric shock of
loathing conveyed by his clammy hand,
and the pain that the grasp itself in
tlicted, produced the piercing sariek
from Zeelah that followed
l had sprung to my feet with the OBJ
| ject of rushing to the rescue, when
there came a sound as of swirling
wind. A swarthy form had cleared
the hibiscus hedge at bound and be-
fore Mannllxo had time to meet the
turn that events had taken, further
than to release his hold of Zeelah, he
was clasped round the middle by pair
of arms endowed with giants
strength, lifted on high, and thrown
literally in heap on the gravel path.
In the next instant Zeelahs palpitat
ing heart was beating against the he
roic breast OF her own true lover.