Manchester Democrat. [volume] (Manchester, Iowa) 1875-1930, 1901-09-25
900 oooo oooo oooo Coco 100000
THE TRAITRESS.
The Story of the British Rout
at Majuba Hill.
I BY P. Y. BLACK.
BY P. Y. BLACK.
Copyright, 1901. by p. Y. Black.

mend0uS roarS OF rage FAR more than
filed the house. They volleyed down
the one street Of the village. His
wrath, as his JOY, us his good fortune,
he seldom hid within himself, nor even
in the immediate circle of his family.
His heart, like those of most men of
n natural and not acquired honesty,
was worn upon his sleeve. Already the
village was aware Of Martha de Kalb's
Incredible treachery and was at Its
doors, sorrowful, wondering, angry, in
Its divers moods.
Major de Kalb now stood at his own
open door, brandishing the fatal letter.
Young Peter was in the spider, already
prepared to drive the trembling rene.
gade from her home forever. Inside,
the fat and motherly Tante de Kalb
sat In huge chair and walled and
wept and impiored her husband to be
less hasty, to be more merciful.
There are three things which the old
lime Boer loves, and these three are
placed in interchangeable order-his
God, his country and his home-that is,
his family. AS his country would yield
preference to his religion If such case
might occur, SO must his child give
place to his country. To ask him to
shelter Martha, who had hurt the
Transvaal's cause, was to ask too much
from Dom Jan. Therefore poor Tante
de Kalb walled In vain. The broad
shouldered, bearded, steel hearted old
Boer only turned the torrents Of his
rage upon his wife.
mo fault but yours, vrouww he
shouted, and In the orange scented
silence of the village in the valley his
voice sounded distinctly in the ears OF
the listening neighbors and passed up
the hillsides to tremble fur into the
heart Of the woods. mo fault but
your own! To play the plano Che
brought his fist down on the cottage
instrument bought for his daughter Sc
that he split the top in halves, to jab-
Der poetry, to be educated, to be like
my cursed Englishman's daughter
that's what you insisted upon and
coaxed and cried for"
"Oom Jan! Dom Jan!' his wife wall.
ed. "Why not? Are the English to
enjoy everything, and our children
nothing?
1--WE enjoy what our fathers enjoy
ed; our children can enjoy the same.
They We're Mt peace and happy and
blessed in the Lord, without pianos and
education-wlthout the English. The
English! They have invaded my coun-
try, and now-they have destroyed my
home"
The old woman sobbed.
Don't send the daughter away" she
cried. "After all, do not all the maid
ems love ut some time?
Love" roared the old patriot.
Love! Love an Englishman! What
kind of love has she who will betray
her fatherland for her love? Listen
again, then, you old, foolish woman, to
the letter."
In the same loud voice he began to
read the missive which the unhappy
mother had found among her daugh-
ter's things. and innocenty handed to
him.
. Dear Grill love you all the more for the 90.
licitude with which you write me OF what you
cal my danger, but how could ], my dear even
II desired to. leave my post at this late dayI
All that you say OF the Transvaal's preparations
may be true. Still what can unskilled farmers DC
against the trained troops we havef It will b.
ono brush, and they will see their folly. Their
there will be quick peace. and you and 1 viii
meet again, us in the happy days when I frs,
met you In Cape Town. To that tImel Your own
NED VENABLE.
=. sGhy dear, your news is very interesting
out Is 1t not dangerous-dangerous for you-ts
write such things9 This goes by your own Kafal
messenger.
"And that Kafflr is pretty vel
thrashed to deathw cried the Boer. rim
ping the letter furiously and stamping
on the scraps. $50. by my fathers
would you be, girl, If you were not {
girl and my yrouw's child"
Father, father, meant no wrongr
cried his daughter and clasped he
hands and wrung them, sobbing.
She had come in from her chambe,
dressed for her enforced journey. Sh,
did not look like the traitress they de
nounced her as, although undoubtedl,
She had given information to an Office
OF the enemy's army. She was of tn,
pest Boer type-almost of the oil
Dutch, save that her cheeks were NOR,
flushed with the kiss of the sun ant
her blue eyes were usually, though no
now, clear with the light of freedom
Her yellow hair was neatly coIled OF
her white neck. Even now in her grie,
and humiliation there was in her wall
and her carriage the grace Of a woman
accustomed from childhood to run OF
the yeldt, to gallop across it bareback
to take part in many of the exercises
which had helped to make Of her IA
Their, Dom Jan, the physically grand
man who now stood glazing upon her.
Father, father, meant no wrongp
she cried.
mo wrong" he repeated and pointed
almost pathetically to the torn paper
ut his feet HAS all your education ir
Cape Town not taught you what
treachery means? Is 1t no wrong tt
send secret messages of the Trans
walls preparations to send news
which might be dangerous to an off
Ger in the army of invaders? Is 1t nc
wrong to love man, and he an Eng
lishman, and never tell your mother as
q good Boer girl would?"
His voice was now more reproachful
than furious, and she was encouraged
nv that to look up at him with plead
ing. Her eyes werci us ,guileless ash.
child's.
Il cannot see yet where itwas wrong
she said simply. 81 am his ibetrothet
wife, but because he wass English W,
thought 1t better to say nothing unit
peace had come. ! AS to thelrest, father
1 saw SO muchiwhen was with 70,
among the soldiers that was afrait
for him. They think SO lightly, of tn,
danger they are running into. wrote
to him to prevent him. coming with thu
English soldiers"
$50 you told himsour plansl" he cried
bitterly. And by this time,he has re
ported to his general"
MY private letter. she, cried in
genuously, buthe would'not qisten.