The times., 1899-12-10
OUT OF SOUTH AFRICA.
. story OF the Diamond E7icld~.

1
"Trom Africa" said Dorothy Armstrong
interrogauyely. her tea-cup poised in air
and a real. not society, ring of interest in
her voice
John Davis stood stifly in front Of her.
feeling nervous and looking unhappy, his
mind full of the belief common to all shy
persons who go little into society that
every one was observing him and CRITICS
ing his attire. He had just been wondering
what madness made him promise Mrs.
Playfair to attend her 'At Home and
feeling like a fish out of water, stranger
in a strange land. was calculating how soon
without positive rudeness he could sneak
out and take hanson 10 the club he had
just joined As a matter of fact, no cne
regarded him. and even his hostess had
forgotten him. He could have left without
anyone being in any degree injured, but
this he did not know. Then Mrs. Playfatr
spying him in a corner remembered his
presence and dragging him forth pre-
sented him to a girl in white trock as
Mr.. Davis-frOm Africa.
The pretty girl, with the sunny face and
=
chair and making. in the freshness Of her
youth and beauty. the most charming pic
ture possible did not seem very formidable
and seeing that he must say something,
John turned himself to the art OF making
conversation.
Yes; I've only been in England a fort
night; two months ago l was in Quill
name
"Quilimane, she echoed, and her face
grew pink with sudden excitement. Nj
Davis-look, there's a chair vacant there
bring il beside me- want to knOW-did
you meet my brother there?"
I'm afraid. confessed John, that when
We were introduced didn't quite catch your
name.
Armstrong. My brother is Henry Jo-
seph Armstrong"
4 don't remember ever meeting
"Oh," she cried don't say that, think
sgain!"
I've met so many men in Africa he eX-
planned, but tell me something about him
and | may recall him; or perhaps he went
under another name out there"
Il shouldn't think So said the girl sim
ply: its three years since he left Eng
land he was in a bank and quarreled with
/ the manager, said he was sick of home, and
so went 10 Africa; first to Cape Town and
1 then to Johannesburg and then Salisbury
he wrote fairly regularly for two years, and
/ the last letter we had was about year
| ago and dated from Quilimane. We have
/ never had line since and are getting ter
/ ribly anxious; sometimes we fear he must
/ be dead.
Describe him to me-"
He was a big man. oh, almost as big
/ as you, with light curly hair and blue eyes
! awfuily good looking he was considered
] He plO5 opravh a himself tRC
/ years ago taken in Johannesburg and theL
| he had grown beard"
John shook his head.
L have never met him to my knowledge
but, Miss Armstrong. I don't think ne.
dead; it's strange how quickly men droI
writing home, even to sweetheart or moth
er, especially if their luck is bad. Was EC
! prospecting, do you think?"
No / don't think so. He used to grum.
bic in his letters, but never said definitely
what he was doing l think mother UseC
10 send him money. But surely, if he were
/ alive, he would write or you would have
met him.
'It would be far more surprising if l hat
met him. But | repeat l don't think he j.
dead and therefore, you may take his lonl
silence to signify that he is alive. We're n
dead. you would have heard; and for thi
reason: When a man dies out there he i
never utterly lEttuNitSSp anu luGtt NbuA'
be someone to write home and acquaint hi
people with the news OF his death. That
( always done, however unpopular the MAJ
may be- Why, I've had 10 do it three time
in the course of my wanGeTings"
Then we need not give up hope?"
BY no means" said John, decidedly.
The girl. who had followed his speecl
with the closest attention, frightened IN
der these words.
:
lar to me: surely you're the diamond mil
lionaire everyone is talking about; the ma
who made the wonderful find somewhere i
! NyassIland2 Do tell me about it
John was not loath to comply with thi
request; his shyness had passed his long
ing to escape forgotten. Moreover the fac
of his riches, the wonder of his discovery
was still novel, and he had no objection [
talk of il.
My good fortune is very recent; lis t.
years since / left England, and now II
back it seems like a century; old friend
vanished, familiar faces changed out {
recognition. Several times in my wander
ings / just missed making a pile, and
thought fortune had turned her back o
me for good. Well, a little over Il year ag
I was in Durham, and glad enough TO ge
| the Job OF assistant bOokkeeper TO a Dun
bah merchant who was opening a brenc
at Blantyre. The other man and | too
ship by the German line that monopoizl
the East Coast trade past Delagoa Bay an
Beira to Quilimane. We stopped there
few days before we went up country The
quarreled with the other man, who "a
the store and went prospecting for sol
alOng the Shire River. l never thought
finding diamonds; but in q dried wa.el
course of what had once been trbutar
TO the main stream I blundered on then
There they lay among the pebbles. just .
the first diamonds were found at KimbeI
ley. / rose that morning paupeT, and Ia
down a millionaire. Such are the yiciss
tudes of South Africa, Miss Armstrong
Perhaps one day your brother may hay
similar luck
That's too good to come to pass" sal
the girl. shaking her golden head; ;
should be content, and so would mothe
10 get him back a beggar."
Then she looked with interest on III
brand new millionaire.
ITS like a fairy tale, picking up diS
nonds Didn't you sometimes wonder
il were not all a dream?'
No" said John. practically. 4 W.
thirty-nye; 1 wasn't even much eXcite'
Then I was nearly robbed Of them, an
life as well, by stray white man WI
came to hear Of my luck.
! Il hope the man was punished"
I shot him, answered John grimly "
was his life or mine, and l shot Il
straightest."
Dorothy thrilled as she gazed She h
never met anyone like this before. He
was a man indeed.
And now a curious thing occurred.
The big. masterful looking man. with II
tanned face, even as she looked at hiI
grew strangely white and a look of fear
were rot such an idea absurd-seemed
come into the dark eyes which a minute b.