The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1901-09-14

ana lelL MS WIDOW ana the nICe one &c
seek again the refuge of her fathers
roof. And so, musing on that, he fell &c
thinking of his own first arrival at the
old Beers farm-how the old man had
roughly ordered him away, called him
-rooinez," and babe him be a man
and work, and not roam the country to
beg, or Worse-and how, turning wear
lily away, he heard little English voice
ask that she might give him her cup
of coffee, because he spoke just as Dad
da used to- and how at that the old
Boer relented, and shook him by the
hand, and babe him stay and eat and
sleep that on the morrow he might go
onward with good courage
He remembered, too, the old Boer 5
joy when he and the child had held an
amazing converse ton in English as to
the comparative merits of a wooden doll
with no limbs and a brilliantly colored
Scriptural story book with a. neVer-to-
be-forgOtten picture on it's cover of Jo-
nah clad in a vivid pink Powered sort
Of dressing gown calmly reposing in the
mouth of a sky-blue whale
How the old man and his big sons had
laughed to hear these two sing, in that
strange language of which they hardly
understood one word, those charming
ballads of Little Bo-Peep who was con-
tinually losing her sheep, and who had
evidently not the ghost of an idea where
to find Them and of the adventurous
Jack and Jill who so boldly climbed the
hill, and who, alas met with such dire
disaster on their return journey.
He thought, too, Of his parting on the
following day with little Meta. How,
with tear-dimmed eyes. she had besought
him to come and play with her doll
again, because, although her uncles
We're very kind. and tried hard in their
clumsy way to play with her doll. it
wasn't really half so nice, as the doll
was one her dear t.Dadda" had given
her and c0llIdnsf understand a word IF
Dutch.
The old man, too. had shaken him by
the hand and loaded him with good
things, and told him that, should his
search for work prove fruitless to come
back and help awhile on the farm until
something better should turn up. Only
Netta's mother had said nothing; but
had covered her face with her rusty
black apron and wept silently alone in
the parlor. And that also he under
stood.
And now he was returning, disheart-
ened. from long and fruitless tramp
Of 200 miles over as rough a bit of
country as the Transvaal could offer.
Yet, as he came nearer and nearer to
the stream, across which the homestead
showed quite clearly through the trees,
tired and wet through he was, he fell
into happier mood than he had Known
for months past
The rain had ceased and the sun was
flooding the weld with that rich red glow
peculiar to the last hour of sunshine
after a Storm Over Machaliesburg's
dark hills was poised a great white
cloud, like a gigantic angels wing, and
where the full force of the gorgeous
suns rays fell upon it they gilded its
edge with a lovely golden
tint, that in turn merged by beautiful
gradations into a soft pinky mauve,
which, becoming imperceptibly paler
lost itself finally IN the pure whiteness
Of the pinion's farther edge.
To the wanderer it looked like an en-
blem of peace, and, musing upon it, he
came to the bank of the stream But
what was this? The stream he knew
of Old-that gently ripping rivu-
let whose sheen he had seen
afar off only this morning ~ was
gOnei In its place a turgid, rushing tor
rent that filed the riverbed almost to its
bearing upon it's crest bran hes of trees
ruthlessly torn from the parent trunks BY
he stood aghast He had not recloned
upon this barrier between his WEAKNESS
and the rest promised by the farmhouse
Then he bethought himself of a ford
higher up, where the river was wider and |
the force of the current would be greatly
essened. 1t meant another miles tramp.
though, and so he turned away with a |
sigh, and prepared to follow the trend Of |
the river up to the ford But. he turned /
upon the farther shore he saw come hur- |
-ylng a tiny figure, staggering along un- |
llLl, litted up two little arms and shouted |
'Englishmani Englishman!'
Then a great warmth came about his /
heart. The little one knew him; remern- /
0ered him 50 well that she had recognized /
brew down his battered camp kettle and /
waved his poor old hat aloft- Meta, Net /
ishman has come back to play with your
iOll. Then. as she came nearer 70 the
title one" he said-O so tenderly-"Cso (
Jack. Meta! am coming round by the
ord"
But anxious to be yet nearer to her big
riend, the little one hurried on unheed-
ng, TIL arriving at the extreme end of
warming once more Too latei The tiny |
Get Just stumbled upon the slippery grass
NO the tiny mead made one endeaNor TO
rasp the weeds upon the sloping bank,
oiled helpless into the raging HOOD
Without a cry, without prayer. with
ut even staying to cast off that poor old
ul strokes and he had seized her helpless
tile bundle of clothes, and in his joy at
er; thought only of her-the child who
'ved him-and Raising her head he kissed
Then he turned and struck out for the
ank; and now he realized for the first
me the currents awful strength.
1t was in vain, with stern brow and
q might have Succeeded but hampered
18th that little clinging figure. the awful
lsh of waters bore him along like a
-raw helpless to resist For a moment /
e let the stream bear them along. They
ere being hurried fast to a bend in the
yer. Below that it widened out, and he
neW-GOdl how we'll he kneWi-that
lere stood roclks-huge, rough blocks of
uartz. hewn out of the solid river bed
y the rushing storm water of countless
gesi
She must not reach there. With mad
aned strength he strove again to reach
le bank and partially aided by the cur
mt which took a wider sweep as it APP
coached the bend, he reached it, and
ung to the coarse river grass with his
1ees, teeth and hands. If he could only
tt her to the top of the bank all would
we'll, for the ground shelved gently
)wnwards and outwards from the
eacherous river He must make haste
Tough. That old pain in his side had
ade itself felt again, and one more stab
that would leave him helpless. With
lightly, despairing effort he lifted the
ny form clear out of the water. and
it'll his last bit of strength threw her
ear over the edge Of the bank, whence