Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1899-11-16


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his hands and nodding his head pro-
digiously when pleased at anything.
He stood out at the kraals in the blaz-
ing sun, explaining to two Kaffir boys
the approaching end Of the world. The
boys as they cut the cakes of dung
winked at each other and worked as
slowly as they possibly could, but the
German never saw it.
Away beyond the "kopje" Waldo, his
son, herded the ewes and lambs, a
small and dusty herd, powdered ali
over from head to foot with red sand,
wearing ragged coat and shoes of un-
dressed leather, through whose holes
the toes looked out. His hat was too
large and had SINK down to his eyes,
concealing completely the silky black
curls. 1t was a curious small figure.
His flock gave him little trouble. 1t
was too hot for them to move far.
They gathered round every little milk
bush as though they hoped to find
shade and stood there motionless in
clumps. He himself crept under q
shelving rock that lay at the foot Of
the ''kopje," stretched himself on his
stomach and waved his dilapidated lit
tie shoes in the air.
Soon, from the blue bag where he
kept his dinner, he produced frag-
ment of slate, an arithmetic and pen
Gil. Proceeding to put down a sum
with solemn and earnest demeanor, he
began to add it up aloud, "Six. and 2
is 8, and 4 is ~, and 2 is IA, and Is
49," Here he paused. ''And 4 is IS,
and-4 ISIS" The last was very much
drawled. Slowly the pencil slipped
from his fingers, and the slate follow
ed it into the sand. For awhile he lay
motionless, then began muttering to
himself, folded his little arms, laid his
head down upon them and might have
been asleep but for muttering sound
that from time to time proceeded from
him. A curious old eve came to sniff
at him, but it was long before he rails
ed his head. When he did, he looked
at the faroff hills with his heavy eyes.
aye shall receive-ye shall receive
shall, shall, SHALL" he muttered.
He sat up then. Slowly the dullness
and heaviness melted from his face.
1t became radiant Midday had come
now, and the SUMS rays were poured
down vertically. The earth throbbed
before the eye.
The boy stood up quickly and cleared
a small space from the bushes which
covered it. Looking carefully, he found
II small stones of somewhat the same
size. Kneeling down, he arranged
them carefully on the cleared space
in a square pile, in shape like an altar.
Then he walked to the bag where his
dinner was kept In it were a mutton
chop and large slice of brown bread.
The boy took them out and turned the
bread over in his hand, deeply consid.
ering it. Finally he threw it away and
walked to the altar with the meat and
laid it down on the stones. Close by
In the red sand he knelt down. Sure,
never since the beginning of the world
was there SO ragged and SO small a
priest. He took off his great hat and
placed it solemnly on the ground, then
closed his eyes and folded his hands.
He prayed aloud:
20 God, my Father, l have made
thee sacrifice. have only twopence,
30 cannot buy lamb. If the lambs
were mine, ! would give thee one. But
now have only this meat. 1T is nv
dinner meat. Please, my Father, send
fire down from heaven to burn II, Thou
hast said. 'Whosoever shall say unto
this mountain, Be thou cast into the
sea. nothing doubling, it shall be done
l ask for the sake of Jesus Christ.
Amen"
He knelt down with his face upon
the ground. and he folded his hands
upon his curls. The fierce sun poured
down its heat upon his head and upon
his altar. When he looked up, he knew
what he should see-the glory Of God!
For fear his very heart stood still; his
breath came heavily; he was half suf-
located. He dared not look up. Then
at last he raised himself. Above him
was the quiet blue sky, about him the
red earth. There were the clumps of
silent ewes and his altar; that was all.
He looked up. Nothing broke the
intense stiffness of the blue overhead.
He looked around in astonishment.
Then he bowed again and this time
longer than before.
When he raised himself the second
time, all was unaltered. Only the sun
had melted the fat of the little NUT
ton chop, and it ran down upon the
stones.
Then the third time he bowed him
self. When at last he looked up, some
ants had come to the meat on the altar.
He stood up and drove them away.
Then he put his hat ON his hot curls
and sat in the shade. He clasped his
hands about hisynees. He sat to watch
what would coMe to pass. The glory
of the Lord God Almighty-he knew
he should see it!
My dear God is trying me-" he said,
and he sat there through the fierce
heat of the afternoon. Still he watched
and waited when the sun began to
slope. and when it neared the horizon
and the sheep began to cast long shad-,
ows across the ''karroo" he still sat
there He honed ,vhan ~, a,,..