Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1900-02-03

He pecked about for few sticks and found
them Piling them together with fingers
that shook pitifully, he tried TO light little
fire, but again his hand shook so that every
one of the matches in his box was struck in
vain Cursing, he turned to the coneshapeC.
abandoned anthill which had sheltered him
to some extent from the night wind, ana b
gan to roll his blanket That was as WEI
with dew as though river soaked and heavy
He rolled it soldierwise and slung it across
his boGs- Then, very stiffiy, he stumbled
back to the al. and cursed again as the
old veldtschoen ne wore stubbed the
ruts of passing heavy oxwagons. and his
already bruised feet Were freshly tortured
Blast the country he groaned, land
the man who forced me out to it,
The moon was instantly hid by massy
clouds as he spoke, and he was LETT in sud-
den shadows He laughed and looked up
at the sky.
Shocking isn't it?" he sneered. mo
wonder You run away. OF course, it is very
wrong to curse ones father"
As ne halted, shivering, the unmistakable
and most characteristic sound of lonely
veldt roads reached him from the front.
He heard the creak of heavy wheels as
wagon Jolted toward him. and the clack of
oXenS long horns against the wooden
Jokes, the shrill, protesting call of the voer
loeper to the leaders, and the rifle crack of
the drivers long, unerring lash. Lawrence
listened to at first with sumo interest then
with disgust. for the voices borne on the
wind were those of neither Boer Eng
lander, but of Kaffirs. In his present stale
OF mind he was too exhausted, too wretch
ed too desperately furious with himself,
and his present state, the punishment for
his past to desire company. An utterly
miserable man seeks no wordy consolation.
Like dying deer, he hunts solitude His
stomach, however, craved heating food,
but, though he might have asked for coffee
from a Boer, he could not of native.
He came to a puzzled Standstil as some
thing entirely n6veland unexpected reached
his ears Rising above the rumble of the
wagon Sg there there now fo0 came song Lawrence
trusive strangers were rudely meddliug
with his affairs. offering him advice. He
had felt much the same once when he had
wandered by chance into the evening meet
ing of a mission the Rand and a youth
laying a familiar hand upon his shoulder
had asked if he were saved. This song of
the dawn was hymn, and very well known
10 him, or had been once. The words were
not those he had sung when, rosy boy in
white surplice, he had stood in the choir of
the old school chapel at home but the
muSlc-there Is no need to translate music
into the hatfir tongues, that escaped the
curse of Babel, and therein, ar least all men
and angels can undersIandingly converse.
From mlssiOn-trained lips there came the
hymn, sweetly breathing through the
grasses. Jnconsciously Lawrence accom-
panied them in English:
When other comforts fail, and helpers flee,
Help of the helpless then abide with me-
He stumbled off the trail and sought to
nlde IN the maze of shadows from cloud
and tree which strewed the plain. There
was no tear in his eye. but his throat was
choked. He shook with unreasoning rage
against the black nonentities who had thus
added to his despair by flashing his dead in
nocence into momentary memory so clearly
and wildly. He too late and too sore
TO get out of sight. They passed close by
In the now awakening morning. He turned
his eyes to the veldt, but the song ceased,
and he knew they were watching him The
swinging oxen numbered past and the voer-
loepers cry and the laShcrack sounded soon
behind him, but he would not look round.
Then came pattering bare feet, and a child
with wide black eyes slipped to his side
ard, murmuring haas held up to the
gaunt bearded dusty, ragged, shiyering
Englishman a tin cup full of smoking black
coffee He gu-ped it ravenously without
speech, and the little negro darted away
with the empty cup For a minute Lawrence
stood staring unseeingly before him, his
lips twttch1ng convulsvely Then he Drop
ped in the road, his face covered by his
hands, and sobbed. What matter of re-
morse and penitence there might be in the
chemistry of his tears II would be hard to
tell, but the shame-faced curse that sprang
from his lips as at last he rose I'D betray-
ed the hurt his pride sustained at having
fallen so low as to excite the pity of even
q naked, haIf-starved Kaffir
A mile more was wearily trudged, and at
last he came to the boundary line which
separates the Transvaal- from British Bech-
uanaldnd. low house stood almost on the
surveyed line-a canteen, and from its open
door came more melody. The sun was now
up and the air was already warmed Conn
Portable smells of cooking meats drifted ont
to the roadway, and smoke assembled from
the chimney in the buildings rear. As
Lawrence stopped to reconnoiter a shout
gave witness to the existence of a COM
pany within, a joyous company
Three, four-Napi Hand over Won
tcperIT
Beastly luck, No more Nap-Hi you, AL
phonse. Jupiter, GABRIEL What's your
heather name? Bring US the dicel m
throw You for a drink before breakfasts
ready Come, best of three,'
I'm with you:
Oh. dig my grave both wide and deep,
With jug Of punch at my head and feet
Lawrence stepped to the door and looked
IN Two tall young fellows were throwing
dice at a table, glasses at their elbows
Ihey were dressed in a dull yelowfsh uni
form OF corduroy stuff with spurred boots
and broad-brimmed campaign hats. Law
renee knew them at once to be troopers
OF the Beehnanaland force. They looked
up and eyed him with swift scrutiny as
he stepped inside, still tremulous with hun
ger and the chill of the heavy night dews
He seemed utter wreck a confirmed
tramp. but that did not debar him from a
greeting In restless country, where near
ly every pioneer has at some time been a
wallaber -
Morning, matey." said a trooper cheer
fuiiy Camped on the ve,dt last night?"
Lawrence slipped off his blanket roll and
essayed to answer with some appearance
of a similar cheerfulness.
Good morning" he said. Yes, that was
my III fortune, and fancy that even in
Africa there are occasionally obtainable
more sumptuous couches"
Inc troopers laughed and looked again
al him more keenly. In the freemasonry
OF gentlemanhOOd there Is no need of grin.
the voice is countersign. The troopers
asked him to sit down
We can sympathize with you" said the
nrst speaker, and at once the ruder sal1ta-
tion of matey" was discarded Most of
US have sought the lee of a rock in orr
time Allow me- My name is Donne, and
my friend is Wyvi-both guileless products
OF Harrow"
HarrowT' cried Lawrence, with a sud-
den flush Of anxiety. 'Ah, yes. but you
must have been long after my time. Nv
name ls-ah.Lawrence, also of Harrow
and Trinity, Cam"
They shook hands On that, and Donne
called the servant.
Such Il coincidence" said he, "as that
OF three old Harrovians meeting In desert
wilds must not be allowed to pass untoast
ed Won't you take something 10 kill that
chill? Hi. you! Lay another plate for
breakfast
Al the meal the wreck exerted himself
TO be agreeable in spite of his wearinass