The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1900-04-15
A Transvaai
Cinderella
THE STORY OF MARIE DUTOIT, 4
GIRL OF THE SOUTH AFRI-
CAN VELDT.
BY P. Y. BLACK.

of South Africa. Some of them are capt.
tai markswomen and nearly all have the
fanatical courage which is noticeable in
religious enthusiasts Of all ciimes. The
women, who to-day are lighting in the
trenches against the British, are doing no
new thing. Their mothers and grand
mothers assisted in the defense Of many
lager against the rush of Zulu impis. Far
from detracung from their womanly fas-
cinations, the young men Of the Transvaal
look upon such masculine prowess as
greatly enhancing them. Rifle skill and
I Amazonian dash in time of war on the
part of the maids compel the admiration
of the young men, as witness the recent
case of Marie Dutoit
Marie was little Cinderella of the veldt.
Not all the glamor Cf fairydom could,
however, have persuaded prince that lit
: tie Marie was pretty. She was, indeed,
quite homely. The child was an orphan
and lived with the Van Pelts her uncle
and aunt, and her elder cousins, Hendrick,
young man, and Greta and Anna, woo
may be said 10 have taken the place of
Cinderellas ill conditioned sisters. These
latter We're bellies of Boerland, aud well
portioned. but Marie had been left, a skin
ny babe, without a penny. This, with her
. nOneIlneSS, leSSGfleu NtI tHdiCC u tNtA bC-
. ing nicely married, for the shreWd Beer
has a careful eye on a girls dowry. An
old maid, or a bachelor, is a by-word ard
a thing of adherence in the TransVaal. 50
Maries lot was sad
Dom Kris Van Pelt was not bad man
by any means. He was a typical farmer
and hunter of the TransVaal-a tall,
broad. bearded, grave, religious patriot.
When Marie's parents died, he gave the
child a home, more from duty than aifec-
tion or pity and after that paid little heed
to her. Tante Anne, his wife, was anoth-
err matter. She would never have turned
away the little Marie, partly from sense
that such conduct would scarcely have
been Scriptural. but chiefly from a fear of
what her neighbors would say; but she did
not conceal her opinion that the DUCTS
had sinned greatly in dying without leaV-
ing provision for their child.
In the hard years when the mealie crop
was burned by the sun and the oxen per-
ished from lack of water, Tante Anne
made things unpleasant for little Marie,
for she was feverish, complaining Wo-
man.
Another such year" she would cry,
and we will be ruined The good LORD
knows best, but there are so many mouths
to feed, SO many mouths"
SuLh outcries were absurd, for the Van
Pelts were better off that many burgh-
ers. Her neighbors knew this and smiled
at the worrying old woman; but Marie
took it all very seriously and redoubled
her labors. From babyhood she worked,
until her hands were hard as boys, and
her face was darkiy tanned. A hard, hard
| childhood was that of Marie DutOit, whose
older cousins Were in no wise distressed
to see how she shaved. There is only one
career open TO the average Boer girl and
that is marriage. Greta and Anna COM
placently and leisurely looked forward to
taking their choice of suitors, but Marie
could only sigh and be resigned and Sc
cretly dream of some impossible day when
the prince would ride over the veldt and
sound his bugle horn. She always reused
herself sharply from such extremely fool
ish dreams and dashed more reluctantly
than ever at all the drudgery of the farm.
Yet one great delight was hers and that
was when Hendrick, her big silent cousin,
took her out the broad plain when he
was shooting at the targets and taught
her TO handle a rifle. Sometimes he even
took her on a hunt, and so keen were her
eyes and so firm her grip, and so steady
her open-air-trained nerves that Marie Du-
toit, when 16 years old, was nigh as good
a shot as Hendrick himself. When she
was 16 the troubled days began, and the
Transvaal declared war against Great
Britain.
Veldt Cornet Hausmann brought the
news but it was not altogether news. All
night the beacon fires had been burning on
the higher kops. All night Kaffir run
ners had been securing the country with
messages from the commandments to the
burghers. All night in many farm houses
the women had been at work preparing
the rations of biltong, and cleaning the
arms of the patriots. All night, through
out the length and breadth of the land
prayers had gone up and the veldt had
echoed the deep-voiced songs of David.
The cornet was a close friend of Hen
! driCI< van pplt A rich man was 10 and
influential in so much that he was even
in the councils of Paul Kruger himself.
Very popular also was Rick Hausmann,
and so well looking that. even without
his wealth, the maidens would have been
gracious to him. 1t may be imagined
that in come of the little Marie's day
dreams. the Prince who galloped so cav
alierly over the veldt was not altogether
unlike the young cornet.
IT'S war" he said, gravely as he
sat down in the farmhouse. Il have come
for Dom Kris and Hendrick. If they are
ready we Will join the commando to-
gether. Yes thank you Greta, thank you,
Anna, viii take coffee"
Marie had made the coffee, but her cous-
ms served the cornet. Tante Anne and
they lowered about him and chorused
denunciationS of the rooineks and eulOgies
OF the Boer patriots. Then first Rick
Hausmann smiled on Greta, and again
he was cordial 90 Anna. When Greta
smiled, Anna frowned, and when Anna
beamed, Greta tossed her handsome head
and shifted. But Marie made coffee, and
hid her homely face and looked not at
all at the prince of the veidt When the
Van Pelts We're ready the women hung
about their horses, delaying them to make
sure that nothing was forgotten, the bill
tong, the coffee, the sugar the home
grown tobacco. Tante Anne, in tears. ca
ressed her spouse and son, but the daugh-
tiers were more solicitous about the rich
and handsome veldt cornet. They were
quite CHEEKY. They had no doubts of the
outcome Of the war.
"Slay them as the Philistines were
slain" they cried 10 Rick Drive the
Uitlanders into the sea! Oh! how l wish
l was a man 10 go and fight themr'
"Oh! yes, 20 be a man" cried Greta;
ito be brave and strong"
ITO be such a horseman" cried Anna,
cutting out Grota.
ITO be such sharpshooter" cried
Greta, rudely ntcrruptng Anna.
1--WE will make much of you when you
gopna baax tsiaforfopa tbov orf.J