Richmond planet. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1883-1938, 1902-10-11

Il
shut up! He's got no father, and
his mother never ticks him."
| Wat walked or. with his nose I'm the
air. and Just around the corner he ran
squarely into the schoolmaster who
was to take the place temporarily Of
the regular teacher, who had broken
his leg Wat shifted impudently and
would have walked past but Jan de
Jough put out hand TO stop him-put
1t out with difldence, hesitatingly, al
| most as an inferior might do.
1T is time for school, Master
Thoms," said he.
Il am not going to school today.
"And tomorrow
mot tomorrow"
May know whyr'
Wat looked to one side and another.
rather abashed, and then insolentIy at
the young schoolmaster.
white men," said he, should not
be taught by-by black men"
He ran away and did not see the
/ Hush OF anger and sorrow that red
| dened De Jough's olive cheeks. The
schoolmaster looked after him for a
second and then slowly proceeded to
open the school.
This happened In Natal where are
1 many men OF different races-EnglIsh
Dutch descendants, Portuguese, Ma
lays, descendants of the coolies
brought In old times from the East In
dies as plantation workers, and Knf-
frs. So there are many social ranks
and grades Wat was an English boy,
brought out to the colony when a baby.
and as the English rank highest In the
country and never would think OF
mingling intimately with the other
races Wat being only twelve years
old, had rather exaggerated idea OF
his own and his peoples worth.
Jan de Jough was not a black man.
though his skin was dark, like most
Italians he was the descendant of
Dutch and Portuguese ancestors, who
long, long ago had owned the country
before the Englishmen took II as the
spoil Of war, Just as America today
has come into possession OF the Phil
| ippines.
Mr.. de Jough was downhearted.
| Most of the boys were OF English par
entage and If Wat. their header, re-
belled he foresaw n falling Off In at
tendance and the consequent loss OF
his first position, his first stepping
stone. He was right The boys, small
as they were, wero impudent and un-
ruly, and Jan dismissed tho school de
| spondently.
Meantime Wat. for sufficient reason.
| did not go straight home He doubted
his reception by his mother might not
be altogether cordial and appreciative
1t was hot, as It usually Is ON the coast
or the Indian ocean. One advantage
the heat brings to the boys is that one
can go swimming any day almost all
| the year round. Wat wandering along
by the surf, soon felt the sun Cypress
I've, and when he came to cove
which he and his chums knew well as
a swimming place where the surf did
not break too violently he naturally
came to the conclusion that bath
would be good thing to break the
| lonely monotony OF the morning. He
was, Ike most boys I'm warm countries,
/ a first rate swimmer, and nc had no
hesitation In plunglng into the huge
Indian ocean even when quite alone.
He left his clothes on the beach near
some rocks without fear OF differing
wanderers, for the cove was some dis
lance from the town and spot where
| few ever wandered. He ran In with Il
dash, paused to catch an incoming
breaker just at the right moment be-
fore II broke, dived beneath its crest,
| swan vigorously under water for
minute and came up putting and blow
Ing on the glorious swell OF the waves,
with the sun glowing down upon him
In warm hearted approval
| Wat turned on his back and let him
self be rocked luxuriously. One mo-
ment he would be lifted UP 80 that he
could look far out TO sea or inland at
the vast extent of greenery, and the
next he was down In a great hollow,
with nothing before his eyes but the
cloudless blue above and the CLASSY
waters reaching up at his sides like
precipitous mountains
"Poof-oof-owT' cried the boy. '~This
is better than stuffy schoolroom, with
low burgher making you study the
idiotic history of the country. He had
cheek to think he could teach Eng
lish boys. I wish he was here, and I'd
teach him to swim. Wouldn't duck
him2 Oh, no! Certainly notp'
He was like fish. He reveled and
played in the sea like one OF its own
Inhabitants. A home bred boy of a
colder climate, used to one or two
months swimming In the summer holl-
days, would not have believed a
Itwelve-year-old youngster could be so
much at ease on the breast of the faith
omless ocean. Wat struck out to deep
er water with bold, swift side stroke
and soon was standing, monarch OF all
he surveyed, on a great black rock
which broke the force Of the waves as
they strove to dash, with headlong
strength, into the quiet cove.
AS he stood there. with joyous eyes,
facing the ocean delantly. as his
races avpa have dnna FOR capfurioo ap1