The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1897-12-05

| for the scrunch of bark under the feet of
| someone who was approaching the further
side of the waterhOle from the back of the
! plantation, forty yards away. His quick
ear told him that there were pauses in the
| noise that showed the newcomer to DE a
| stranger like themselves, laundering
| through the darkness with tagging, hesi-
| tating steps, The knowledge relieved the
| tension upon his nerves. There was
nothing ghostly in the sound, and he was
ready to declare, with Walmsley that it
was a man.
Has he too been attracted by the light,
or is it our pratical joker returning TO the
| scene of his eXploit?" meditated Walms-
ley half-aloud. And then he paused, for
the voice of the unknown broke from be-
| hind the trees in a quavering appeal.
Robbie! Robbie Self! Show a flare to
tell me where you be- It's mortal dark"
| Heavisdes fears started up once more.
The name! Do you hear the name?"
he said, and caught his friend by the arm.
| He is calling the dead drover."
| Walmsley shrank back little into the
gloom.
IT'S part of the game, no doubt" he
said. And now lookers-on may see the
best of it. Only-wait. All, he's nearer
| now!
The voice came again, and the scrunch
of the underground grew louder.
Il swear to you 1 be a-comiug, Robbie.
For the dear Lords sake, show a harer
There was the note of pitiful entreaty
in the appeal. In the hush that followed
the listeners could hear the labored
breathing of some one forcing his way
| painfully toward the water. Then the
| black wall of shadow beyond it gaped sud
denly, and a man stumbled into the clear
| ing, with the moonbeams dancing down
| upon his face.
He was an old man, bent and ragged,
and the finger of moonlight pointed out
to them a thin sunken face and struggling
beard under battered wideaWake. once
in the clearing he stopped, swaying like
a drunken man, and looked about him,
! searching the twilight with his hand over
his eyes, like a man uncertain of his
sight. Then he muttered to himself, and
the men beyond the waterhoe strained
| their ears to hear him.
"He Gamma have gone away! Robbie
wouldna play the old man false, after The
weary miles, and calling, calling, calling,
| a the way" He raised his voice again.
Eye may hear me now Robbie Self, for
I've come out from the never-never to
| do your bidding. And-Pm--tired." The
voice whimpered like fretful childs.
Walmsley's whisper came to Heavside.
you know the story. Can you get the
drift of this?"
But Heaviside had stepped forward with
an unexpected movement. He was stand
ing at the edge of the water, and he lift
|
| figure beyond.
ut is the bidding of God that has
| brought you here tonight, Rake Jenkins;
Robert Self will not answer you; no, not
though you called to him with your last
| breath. But you were not brought here
without purpose, and you know in your
heart what that purpose is
Walmsley had started as the voice rang
out but the accent of certainty in the tone
told of Heaviside's confidence in his sud-
den action, and he waited, GREATNESS. The
figure of the old man Strengthened itself
momentarily, but he answered without
sign of hesitation of surprise.
"Ay, ay! know the purpose, but twas
Robbie's ain voice that brought ME here
And there would be them that would be
ready to hear, to tell it to- kennel that
Do We come over to me, sirs, for 1 am
an old man to have come a the weary
miles, and there is not strength for an
other step left in me-
HeaViside'S response was to crash
through the underground encircling the
waterhole, and Walmsley, following at his
heels, found himself brought to d stand
still in the little clearing. His friend was
kneeling on the ground with the old
mans head upon his knee, and a hatful
of water in his hand The recumbent
figure lay very still, but the eyes moved
and some words struggled out from the
feeble lips
Il.
Heaviside."
MY God, look at his feetv' said Walms-
ley. "He must have walked the breadth
of Australia"
Heaviside gave one look and averted
his eyes. 1t was not a pleasant sight.
} Then he said:
The man is dying of exhaustion. Can
we move him. do you Think"
Walmsley would have answered, but the
! nj ma haH nf no
gestion, and he made a futile effort to
struggle into a sitting posture.
you will ma move me- sirs. 1 was bid
den to speak here, and It's here 1 must
say it. I've not many words left. I'm
! thinking, and we had better hearken while
We may"
His eyes sought theirs. Heaviside felt
the clammy forehead and nodded in re-
ply. The moon had climbed high up into
the sky now, and shone down fully. 1t
showed the dying face as clearly as might
have done the daylight, and it chased
back the weird night shadows from the
little group. The waterhole lay still in
darkness with only the faint CLEAN OF
. reflected light upon its surface.
at was when we camped here, drovine
Ireson's sheep from the north. 1 dinna
mind now how the talk came round to
her, but Robbie was always one for the
women. He didna ken-I grant We he did
|
when her name ran off his tongue 1 gave
him the lie in his teeth. But /
Gamma doubt it was the true word for ]
was never the man to take young las
sizes fancy, and he had but to lift his
little finger to them-young and old alike
But 1 loved her-ech, sirs, 1 low
ed her purely. And so might any man.
But it reused me, for he laughed
wi it. He had always a loose man.
ner of speech, had Robbie do not say
to you he had served the lassie i'll. And ]
gave him the lie in his teeth, and he
struck the word back upon my mouth
1t wasna for myself that the blood
went to my head. I should have
. known 1 was not man for any lassie's
fancy 1t was the laugh that went
wi it. The knife was ready TO my hand
and L sent it home. He fell down
sideways and he screeched he
screeched."
He stopped, and his eyes closed for a
moment. Heaviside wiped the damp fore
head again, and presently the voice went
on.
"Then he died, though 1 would ha' given
I