Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1901-12-27
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however, COuIu not De 1aF Oh, anu
the hours before dawn were too chill
ly to permit sleep. lie pecked about
for few sticks and found them. Pill
ing 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 turn
ed to the cone shaped, abandoned ant
hill which had sheltered him to some
extent from the night wind and began
to roll his blanket. That was as wet
with dew as though river soaked and
heavy. He rolled 1t soldierwise and
slung it across his body. Then very
stiffiy he stumbled back to the road
and cursed again as the old veldt-
schoen he wore STUDDED on the ruts
of passing heavy OK wagons, and his
already bruised feet were freshly tor
tured.
"Blast the country" he groaned, "and
the man who forced me out to It."
The moon was instantly hid by
massy clouds as he spoke, and ne was
AsS0oAASs
and looked up ut the sky.
Shocking, isn't it7' he sneered. mo
wonder you run away. OF course 1t is
very wrong to curse ones father"
AS he halted, shivering, the unmis-
taxable and most characteristic sound
Of lonely veldt roads reached him from
the front. he heard the creak OF
heavy wheels as wagon 1olted to-
ward him, and the clack Of oxen's long
horns against the wooden yokes, the
shrill protesting call Of the voerloeper
to the leaders and the rifle crack OF
the drivers long, unerring lash. Law
renee listened at frst with some inter-
est, then with disgust, for the voices
borne on the wind were those OF nell
ther Boer nor Highlander, but OF KAT
frs. In his present state of mind he
was too exhausted, too wretched, too
desperately furious with himself and
his present state, the punishment for
his past, to desire company. An ut
terly miserable man seeks no wordy
consolation. Like dying deer. he hunts
solitude. Els stomach, however. crav-
ed heating food; but, though he might
have asked for coffee from . Boer, he
could not Of q native.
+ He came to puzzled standstill 90
something entirely novel and unexpect-
ed reached his ears. Rising above the
rumble OF the wagon there now came
song. Lawrence bent forward, frown-
ing. He felt us IL intrusive strangers
were rudely meddling with his Affairs.
Offering him advice. he had felt much
the same once when he had wandered
by chance into the evening meeting OF
mission on the rand, and q youth.
laying familiar hand upon his shout
der, had asked II he were saved. This
song OF the dawn was hymn and very
well known to him, or had been once.
The words were not those he had sung
when. q rosy boy In white surplice. he
had stood In the choir Of the old school
chapel at home, but the music-ther Is
no need to translate music into the
Kafiir tongues. That escaped the curse
OF Babel, and therein at least all men
and angels can understandingly con-
verse. From mission trained lips there
came the hymn. sweetly breathing
through the grasses. Unconsciously
Lawrence accompanied them In Eng
lish:
when other comforts fail and helpers dee.
Help Of the helpless, then abide with me-.
He stumbled Of the trGil and sought
to hide In the maze Of shadows from
cloud and tree which strewed the plain.
There was no tear In his eye, but his
throat was ch0ked. He shook with I'M
reasoning rage against the black nonen-
titles who had thus added to his de-
SPAR by flashing his dead innocence In
to momentary memory SO clearly and
wildly. He was 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, aud he knew they were
watching him. The swinging oxen
numbered past, and the voerloeper's cry
and the lash crack sounded soon behind
him, but he would not look round. Then
came pattcring bare feet. and a child
with wide black eyes slipped to his side
and, murmuring "Baas," held up to the
gaunt bearded. dusty, ragged, shiver-
Ing Englishman tin cup full OF smok-
ing black coffee. He gulped It raven
ously without speech. and the little me-
gro darted away with the empty cup.
For minute Lawrence stood staring
unseeingly before him, his lips witch
ing convulsively. Then he dropped in
the road, his face covered by his hands.
and sobbed. What matter OF remorse
and penitence there might be in the
chemistry of his tears 1t would be hard
to tell, but the shame faced curse that
sprang from his lips as at last he rose
up betrayed the hurt his pride sustain
ed at having fallen so low as to excite
the pity even Of naked. half starved
Kafflr.
A mile more was YEARLY trudged,
and at last he came to the boundary
line which separates the Transvaal
from British Bechuanaland. A 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.
Comfortable smells Of cooking meats
drifted out to the roadway, and smoke
ascended from the chimney in the
buildings rear. As Lawrence stopped
to reconnoiter . shout gave witness to
tne existence Of company within, q
= ~ov,r,