Evening bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1895-1912, 1903-01-07
SHORT STORY FOR
EVENING HOURS
SHE GAVE OF Her BEST
BY Ernest Granville.


scrub from which rose spreading mi
mosa tree covered with little silk-Iika I
balls of yellow bloom. In the scrub /
were two men: one. In kahK. spread
eagucd with his rifle resting on a stone;
the other with his legs In jackal hole. #.
and his body protected by the dirt
thrown out by the jGCkal. by his rolled. /
up coat, and little outer wall Of small
stones. His rifle commanded the other
side OF the small knoll. The gray weld
sloped away on the west for three
miles to little white verandahed
farmhouse. where stood the figure of
woman in the shade motionloss. North
and south the weld sloped down, and
ran up to ridges lined by ant-hills and
a few scattered thOrns. Beyond the
north ridge was a wagon road skirted
by wire fence, over which, at one
spot lowered the head and neck Of q
male ostrich, apparently, from the
ment. The two figures in the scrub
were so still that white-throated,
black-headed, butcher-blrd the Dutch
mans fiscal" lighted on the mimosl
to impale a locust he had caught as re-
serve supply for his gray mate nest
ing near by. Something stirred on the
north ridge. A man jerked out the
empty cartridge. rolled over slightly to
get at his bandolier. recharged the
magazine, and rolled back to position.
His right eye poered round an ant-hill.
his yellow hat seeming n part Of the
yellow hill. As the faintest wisp Of
smoke curled up from the muzzle, an
other man on the left, who had been
supporting himself on his elbows, fired
into the scrub, then rolled over to the
cover Of a stone, where he began filling
his pipe. As he struck the match he
touched sleeping comrade with his
toe. "Hl.--EIans. opstan."
| Hans lifted his head. yawned. and
yrubbed his eyes. ."Alldeyarel, kerol,
lhaG a moot dream" He yawned again,
and picked up his rife. 81 was sitting
kinder" lie stared around And the
cows we're a coming 10 the kraal--a
good herd, n moot troop. Look at tho
moot vostruis (ostrich) there under"
Bother the volstruis!" growled the
other, fitting his hat over his eyes as
he turned on his back. Get to your
place"
so. They live yet, eh-those two?"
Maybe they are dead, they lie 80
still"
Hans crept up to the cover, and
peered across at the little patch of
scrub. Maybe It would be good to
storm. Il grows late"
storm then, yourself" muttered the
other seepily.
Hans fitted his toes into two little
holes and fired, cutting branch of the
mimosa which fell on the khaki-clad
figure lying so still. The Khaki" let
| the branch remain where II fell; but
his eyes ranged along the ridge oppo-
site to where Hans lay-and his rife
slowly moved till II covered the posi-
ton. Hans was not taking any risks,
and had shifted two yards to the right
a bullet Kissed through the scrub from
the south ridge; and then strong
voice hailed in Dutch: "You there,
come out, leaving your guns. 1t Is
| foolishness to resist.
The man in Khaki turned his head.
TONI"
lie, Ted"
81 have been thinking"
ia, Ted"
Il have been thinking this: II any
thing happened there would be no one
left to help them, eh?" Then" meant
'he sisters, and the mother down at
the white specially the mother.
ia, Ted"
"Well---" sharply, don't lift your
head--keep It down"
/ ia, Ted"
81 heard you move, Lie close--close.
! 81 am close to the ground as | can
stick"
| keep like that" A bullet struck a
stone and sang mournfully away into
the air. "There would be no one to
help them with the farm-excepr
Klaas."
"And he is lazy"
80, what think, Tom, is that-that
one Of us must get away out or this.
Il think so, too"
Ted smiled. II am glad, Dusk IS
coming; see how the shadow from the
mountain creeps over the weld. ! will
then open fire and you must crawl
away-not towards the house. but from
it-then make for the wood under the
mountain, and wait there till these men
go. Do you hear?"
81 hear, Ted; but you have made a
slip" -..
"How?"
at will be you who will creep away,
Ted You could look better after the
farm-you are older"
you know / cannot CO." said the
other irritably
Then wen both stay: see?"