The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1907-01-06

the roads," said Smith declsiveiy.
| Now swizzleStic Smith had n long
| list OF fnilings. but letting his assistants
eat the bread OF idleness was not among
them. Nothing like work-and mod
crate nmoun. OF drugs-for keeping fever
and mischief out of man." was his
motto, and ho saw to 1t that Carter re-
NAMED steadily on tho run. But now the
roads were stopped. and It was only
tho rare merchant who struggled in,
scared. and often wounded, from that
mysterious Africa behind. George Carter
discovered that life was n very different
| thing. Beforetime he had found work
in tho feteesh, and round tho factory
generally, n trial to the flesh; but tho
+, idleness that took its place was infinitely
moro Objectionable.
| He employed tho Krooboy staff in
whitewashing, in building. in making n
| caricature Of n garden: he made the
native clerks polish UP their books into n
| shape that would have satisfied even a
Glasgow chartered accountant: and for
! himself, lie made Okky arrows. axes,
spears, drums and warhorns In such
| quantities that even tho curiosity shops
of Europe would have been gluttcd II
they had all gone home.
In despair. he even thawed to a certain
intimacy with tho Portuguese linguister.
but presently cast him off in disgust, and
realized why on the West Coast one
divides up the population into white
men. black men and Portuguese. or
course, White-Mans- Trouble was always
Mt his elbow, but he hardly fulfilled the
requirements of companion.
To be precise. after the roads were
stopped, and Mr.. Smith had departed
elsewhere. the trader in charge of Malta
Nulla factory discovered for himself what
many millions of men have found out
! before, that 1t is not good for man to
live alone; and though he made many
7 ingenious plans for remedylng the evil.
all OF these, save one, invariably broke
down on being tested Tho one plan that
was sound related to Laura Slade.
Every time that Laura's nalne inserted
itself into tho argument his mind would
presently leap back to Upper Wharfedale,
and he would hear afresh that warning
of his fathers about taking n wife of
ones own color. And his father, he re-
minded himself had once held an Indian
chaplaincy, and knew what he was talk
Ing about
But by degrees. MS this proposition was
argued out again and again, and the
loneliness Of West Africa in general. and
NIala-Nulla In particular, bit deeper and
deeper home. so did England and all that
dwelt therein drift further and further
away. He had found occasion. the day
after he had been left in sole charge Of
the factory to send business note to
Slade, at Smooth River. In 1t he en-
closed another to Laura, and to this
latter he received a reply that he found
charming. The affairs of the factories
required many messages after that; and
presently the pair OF them did away
with the cloak and pretense of commerce
altogether, and White Man's-Trouble was
kept trotting backwards and forwards
across the glaring beaches, frankly as
Cupids messenger. Only once did Slade
interfere. and that was when the Kroo-
boy, presum!ng on his peculiar position,
stole from the Smooth River factory
some article of more than customary
value Slade said nothing publicly, but
took the law into his own hands and.
after the custom of the Coast, banged
White Man s-Trouble Justify with a sec
ton OF a packing case; and even then
Carter would have known nothing about
the matter had not there been a nail in
the weapon OF offence. which left its
| marks, ard about which he made in
| quires.
Slade. 1t seemed. had also received from
| X. O'Neill similar Instructions to those
! recorded above on the matter of rubber
| estates. and. with his usual indecision,
| would determine one day to set off per-
sonally into the bush, ana the next day
| to do the necessary bargaining by cor
respondence. Finally, he wrote TO Carter
| a querulous letter, saying that as he got
| no help from anybody in deciding on such
| an important subject, he was Just going
| to stay on at Smooth River and twiddle
1 his thumbs; and so Carter was not in the
| least surprised to hear from Laura,
| within the next twenty hours that her
| father. with hammock-train and escort
| had that day set off for q prolonged ex-
| petition into the bush.
| 'His last Instructions wrote Laura
were that I was not to be IN the least
1 nervous; he was going to avoid the Okliy
\ country; and. anyway, he was an old
| Coaster. and knew most thoroughly how
to take care of himself. And so. nervous
| / refuse to feel. But, oh. I am so lonely
here. with no one whittier than Mr.. an6
+! Mrs da Silva to talk to. / somehow
| quite share your instructive dislike tc
West Coast Portuguese
Within ten minutes after reading that
letter Carter was out under a brazer
| glare of heat, marching along the sane
/ where it was wet and hard. and nearing
the straggle of palms which marked the
| banks OF Smooth River, at the rate o.
| four good miles to the hour When {
white iniin WdihS DIT llltt sbt'ti lii'ouSi
| West Africa midday heat, it is only be
cause some question of life or dealt
hangs upon the speed; though in this
case Carter told himself that love wa!
the same as life. He pinned his eyes
on the Smooth River palms, which tn
refraction made to dance up and dow
most coquettishly, and repeated this owe
and over again. because another voc'
within him persisted in sneering some
thing about two very lonely people Wit
nothing to do. who were not in love a
all, but merely bored with idleness an
their own society; and finally he go
quite angry over the matter. He stucl
out his great logged chin, and presents
cursed aloud He shook his fist at tn
splendor OF the tropical sun. II do low
the girl" he declared, "and will MARI
her In spite Of my father, and X, an
every one II she will have me. Ours
IT. Why should hesitate when low
her? This Internal climate is MAXIM
wN ~ y" a T-