The Sauk Centre herald. (Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minn.) 1886-current, 1900-02-22

he came to deep gully which the rain
torrents had washed out. but which
was now dry. Gregory sprang down
into it's red bed. 1t was a safe place
and quiet When he had looked about
him, he sat down under the shade Of
an overhanging bank and famed him
self with his hat, for the afternoon
was hot, and he had walked fast. At
his feet the dusty ants ran about, and
the high red bank before him was COW
cred by a network of roots and fibers
washed bare by the rains. Above his
head rose the clear blue African sky.
At his side were the saddlebags full Of
women's clothing. Gregory looked up
half plaintively into the blue sky.
"Am l. am l Gregory Nazianzen
Rose?" he said.
1t was all so strange, he sitting there
in that "sloot" In that up country
plain-strange as the fantastic, chang
ing shapes In a summer cloud. At last,
tired out, he fell asleep, with his head
against the bank. When he woke, the
shadow had stretched across the
"sloot," and the sun was on the edge
| of the plain. Now he must be up and
doing. He drew from his breast pock-
ct little sixpenny looking glass and
hung it on one of the roots that stuck
out from the bank. Then he dressed
himself in one Of the old fashioned
gowns and a great pinked out collar.
Then he took out a razor. Tuft by tuft
the soft brown beard fell down into
the sand, and the little ants took it to
| line their nests with. Then the glass
showed face surrounded by frilled
cap, white as a woman's, with little
mouth, very short upper lip and a
receding chin.
Presently a rather tall woman's fig
ure was making it's way across the
weld" AS it passed followed out
ant heap it knelt down and stuffed in
the saddlebags with the mans cloth
ing, closing up the ant hill with bits Of
ground to look as natural as possible.
Like a sinner hiding his deed of sin, the
hider started once and looked round,
| but yet there was no one near save a
'meerkat," who had lifted herself out
of her hole and sat on her hind legs
| watching. He did not like that even
she should see, and when he rose she
| dived away into her hole. Then he
| walked on leisurely, that the dusk
might have reached the village streets
| before he walked there. The first
| house was the smiths, and before the
| open door two idle urchins lolled. AS
he hurried up the street in the gather
ing gloom he heard them laugh long
and loudly behind him. He glanced
| round fearingly and would almost have
fed but that the strange skirts chung
| about his legs. And, after all. it was
only a spark that had alighted on the
head of one and not the strange figure
| they laughed at.
The door Of the hotel stood wide
open. and the light fell out into the
street He knocked, and the landlady
.. came. She peered out to look for the
cart that had brought the traveller. but
Gregory's, heart was brave now he was
so near the quiet room. He told her
he had come with the transport wag-
ons that stood outside the town.
He had walked in and wanted lodg-
ings for the night.
1t was a deliberate lie, glibly told.
He would have told so, though the re-
cording angel had stood in the next
room with LIS pen dipped in the ink.
What was it to him? He remembered
that she lay there, saying always, Il
am better"
The landlady put his supper in the
little parlor where he had sat in the
morning. When it was on the table,
she sat down in the rocking chair, as
her fashion was, to knit and talk, that
she might gather news for her custom
ers in the taproom. In the white face
under the queer, deep fringed cap she
saw nothing of the mornings traveller.
The newcomer was communicative.
She was a nurse by profession, she
said; had come to the Transvaal, hear
ing that good nurses were needed
there She had not yet found work.
The land1ady did not perhaps know
whether there would be any for her in
that town?
/ The landlady put down her knitting
and smote her fat hands together.
If it wasn't the very finger Of Gods
providence, as though you saw it hang
ing out of the sky, she said. Here was
lady ill and needing new nurse that
very day and not able to get one to her
mind, and now-well, If it wasn't
enough to convert all the atheists and
freethinkers in the Transvaal she
didn't know!
Then the landlady proceeded to de-
tail facts. ~
"I'm sure you will suit her." she add
ed. You're just the kind. She has
heaps of money to pay you with, has
everything that money can buy, and
got a letter with a check in it for ESQ
| the other day from some one who says
Pm to spend it for her and not to let
her know. She is asleep now, but I'll
| take you in to look at her."
The landlady opened the door Of the
next room, and Gregory followed her.
A table stood near the bed, and a lamp
burning low stood on 1t. The bed was
a great four poster with white cur
tains. and the quilt was Of rich GRIM
son satin, but Gregory stood just in
side the door, with his head bent low,