Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-01-19

wanted to send a cable l could have ar
ranged it for you"
Kate looked at him steadily. "Why do
you object to my working for myself Mr..
Carter?'
Because I prefer to work for you. I'd
work myself to the bone for you, if you'd
let me-
why should you?
Because well. it's natural enough
isn't 1t? If you come to think of it, l am
your paid employe."
Kate still looked at him with a steady
eye. "Of course it is Laura that you are
really working for.
Carter cleared his throat. "Of course y
he said. "Well, if you and Laura will ex-
cuse me, I'll go into the other room now
and post up my books" de got up and
walked toward the mess room door.
Cascaes, who had been sitting at the
other end Of the table with the Portuguese
and their wives, got up ana went toward
the vacant place. But Carter turned at the
to interrupt further he said, but 1 want
your valuable assistance, Mr.. Cascaes. So
come along with me now.
The dew was thick on the grass in the
clea ring and stood in sleek greasy drops on
all the patches of bare stamped earth. Moon
and stars were all eclipsed. Even the fire
flies, although the dark would have given
full value to their maneuvers, were absent.
The unhealthy phosphorence of rotting
dead wood here and there was the only
illumination, except here and there glow
from window in the factory.
Carter went out through a gate of the
fort and walked up and down with restless
energy. He was wet to the knees with
dew; the damp Canary cigar between his
teeth had long since gone out, but he cared
for no small things like these. He kept
repeating to himself that "a man must
play the game; a man must play the game"
And presently, when the tom-toms and
his ear he changed this to a jangle which
stated II coud-not love-thee dear-so
much-loved mot honor more And as
the tune beat out into the hot steamy
night, so did the words keep time to them
with irritating repetition.
Once he stopped and shook a fist at the
invisible sky above. Il am going to marry
Laura" he declared, eff she was ten times
l know my father will never speak to me
again and ] can't take her home I am
going to marry her though the heavens
fall. / am going to marry her for one rea-
son that can't he got over, and that is be-
cause said would. A man must play the
game. But my God. why did never guess
that Kate was on earth somewhere
There was an old cottonwood stump in
the clearing. and he stood against it SO
thoughtful and still that he became the
object of attention of bats He hit at them
angrily and recommended his prowl.
Hour after hour he tramped through the
dripping grass, biting against fate. Cas-
caes, who did not work unless he was
driven. had long since checked his tally of
had by one gone out. The night noises
of the forest that hemmed them in were in
full swing His thin clothes We're sodden
with the damp, and by every law of Africa
he was gathering unto himself the seeds
of disease. But still he tramped on, In
and out amongst the hutS and litter, wrest-
ling with his misery.
The thing which in the end lifted him out
of this unhealthy. pit of self-pity was COM
monplace enough in its way. AS he was
passing a small rude shelter of boughs and
thatch there came to his ears very unmis-
taxable human Sroan.
1t was temporary hut run up by some
trader who was waiting his turn to do
business at the factory, and the groan was
of that timbre which told that it was
wrencEed from a strong man by deadly
pain At another time Carter would proba-
bly, have passed on. One grows callous to
suffering in West Africa. and to interfere
with a sick native seldom brings thanks
and very frequently produces complications
But something just then moved him to play
the Samaritan.
He put his head through the entrance and
peered into the darkness. We'll" he said
who's here, and what's the matter?"
A. voice replied in stately Hausa, 20,
Effendi, / close upon death, and it is
hard to die far from ones own lands and
people"
Let's have look at you" said Carter, in
what he knew of the same tongue, eked out
with kroo and Okky. He scraped damp