Manchester Democrat. [volume] (Manchester, Iowa) 1875-1930, 1902-03-05
! Food For
! Powder
! A Tale of DR.. Z ByP;Y.
Copyright, 1901, By p. Y. Black.
Copyright, 1901, By p. Y. Black.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
f1TA HE moon was hanging, thin
crescent. just above the hori-
fc[s-Sa ION when Lawrence awoke.
aSEsSs] The stars still shone. Day,
however, could not be far off, and
the hours before dawn were too chill
ly to permit sleep. He 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 it soldierwise and
slung 1t across his body. Then very
stifiiy he stumbled back to the road
and cursed again us the old veldt-
schoen he wore stubbed 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 us he spoke, and he was
left in sudden shadows. He laughed
and looked up at the sky.
shocking, isn't it," 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 jolted 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 first with some inter
est, then with disgust, for the voices
borne on the wind We're those of nell
Their Boer nor Englander, 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. His stomach, however, crav-
ed heating food; but, though he might
have asked for coffee from n Boer, he
could not of native.
He came to puzzled standstill as
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 MS If 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
a mission on the rand, and a youth,
laying familiar hand upon his shout.
der. had asked if he were saved. This
song of the dawn was hymn and very
we'll known to him, or had been once
The words were not those he had sunl
when, rosy boy in white surplice. HI
had stood in the choir of the old schoo
chapel at home, but the music-there Il
no need to translate music into tn,
Kaffir tongues. That escaped the curs'
of Babel, and therein at least all me1
and angels can Understandings con
verse. From mission trained lips there
came the hymn, sweetly breathing
through the grasses. Unconsciousl!
Lawrence accompanied them in Eng
lish:
"When other comforts fail and helpers fee,
Help OF the helpless then abide with me-"
He stumbled off the trail and sough
to hide in the maze of shadows from
cloud and tree which strewed the plain
There was no tear in his eye. but BIZ
throat was choked. He shook with I'm
reasoning rage against the black nonen
titles who had thus added to his de
spalr by flashing his dead innocence in
to momentary memory SO clearly an,
wildly. He was too late and too sor
, to get out of sight. They passed clos
by in the now awakening morning. III
turned his eyes to the veldt, but tn
} song ceased. and lie knew they wer
watching him. The swinging oxel
numbered past. and the voerloeper's CIR
and the lash crack sounded soon benin
} him, but he would not look round. The
came pattering bare feet, and chill
with wide black eyes slipped to his sid
( and, murmuring "Baas." held up to til
gaunt, bearded, dusty, ragged. SILVER
!, ing Englishman tin cup full of smok
ing black coffee. He gulped 1t raven
ously without speech. and the little ne
} gro darted away with the empty cuI
/ For minute Lawrence stood starin
unseeingly before him. his lips twltcl
7 Ing convulsively. Then he dropped |
the road, his face covered by his hands
and sobbed. What matter of remors
and penitence there might be in til
Z chemistry of his tears it would be har
to tell, but the shame faced curse tha
sprang from his lips as at last he ros
: up betrayed the hurt his pride sustain
ed at having fallen SO low as to excit
4 the pity even of naked, half starve
1 Kaffir
A mile more was YEARLY trudge
3 and at last he came to the boundal
= SSEAlAtSS luC
. from British Bechuanaland. A 10
< house stood almost on the surveye
. Inca canteen-and from its open do'
:, came more melody. The sun was no
8 up, and the air was already warme
3 Comfortable smells of cooking mea
. drifted out to the roadway, and smol
2 assembled from the chimney in Il
| h,,;J c%n
9 to feconnoiter a shout gave witness
3 the existence of n company within,
joyous company.
: "Three, four-Nap, hand over, "
9 TOPPER"
y "Beastly luck! No more Nap. I
you, Alphonse, Jupiter. Gabriel. What
4 your heather name? Bring us the die
9 I'll throw you for drink before brea
4 fast's ready. Come, best of three"