The St. Louis Republic. [volume] (St. Louis, Mo.) 1888-1919, 1903-07-19

the house; his papa was called Antony his
mother Hetty. Every fresh gap In his mem
Dry warmed EIizabeth's heart with a fresh
joy; 1t seemed 10 make him more her own.
She set herself to teach him with a moth
ers zest and out of curious jealousy of
his past she taught him for the most part
Dutch
Then they fell In love with such love
as might have Frightened Eden before the
fall
Their passion was the natural fusion of
two tender, ardent natures. quickened
neither by vanity, jealousy nor tho desire
for mastery.
Elizabeth had grown UP as innocent as
Eve, for since her mothers death she had
enjoyed the companionship Of none OF her
own sex, she was not the girl to let the
Kaffir women talk to her of any other than
household affairs.
Her cousin of Weltevreden and tho
Schommeis of Rusthof. the only near
farms. were all men or boys. and her father
had discouraged them from hanging about
her, as they We're ready enough to do. for
he was resolved to keep his daughter as
long as he could.
She had then scarcely dreamed Of love,
land marriage. the fixed fate OF oil women
in that patriarchal land. seemed to her a
faraway thing.
And Antony, owing to the happy loss of
twenty years of his life. could have walked
an equal with the sinless Adam. Its very
vagueness deepened probably their passion.
There is no knowing how Antony was in
spired to kiss her. 1t may be that some
memory Of kissing his mother in his child
hood taught him: 1t may be that some
strong desire for the touch OF his lips, deep
down below knowledge IN Elizabeth's heart.
infected him! 1t may have been q sudden
whisper Of nature herself.
But one night. after happy. troubled hours
on the veranda. as they rose to go to bed.
in tho darkness she stumbled against him
On the instant he threw clumsy, trembling
arm around her and touched her cheek
clumstly with his lips
For breath she leaned against him, in
ert and quiverins; then without word she
broke away. ran to her room and threw
herself on the bed. sobbing in tumult OF
Joy. amazement and fear. He dropped back
into his chair in bewildering trouble hard
ly less than hers.
indeed i'll at ease. Neither could meet tho
others eye. Elizabeth's face gas afame
of Pushes and Antony's tan was deepened
to brick red. Their words halted on their
tongues and died away. Their uneasness
with each other lasted through tho day.
but 81 they came riding home at sunset
their eyes were shining. Antony's very
brightly. Eizabeths with lesser light, at
tho thought of tho coming hours on
tho veranda. But even there in
the heartening darkness they wers Ill at
ease for awhile. Then Antony's courage
came to him. He drew his chair to hers
and put his arm around her and kissed her
again.
Elizabeth trembled. but she did not shrink
from his lips and he lifted her on to his
knee and kissed her again and again. Pres
emily they were babblins like children over
their wonderful discovery, and the feelings
Of their hearts found at last something OF
an expression.
The next day they rode through 4 new
world stamped afresh in the mind Of its
maker, and that night Elizabeth prayed
that Antony might never remember his past
or Muriel.
For few days they lived In this golden