The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1907-01-20
copyright. 1906, by c. j. Cutcline
Hyne. All rights reserved.)

Laura slade looked after them visit
July. There was something between
and vaguely feared. At Smooth River.
and on the M'poso, their talk had been
on the chilliest details Of business and
yond. It had seemed to her then that
at any moment word might bring q
permanent rupture. and she had plead
more reasonable spirit. She was en-
gagged to Carter: he kept reminding
e each 81 d .se ba lived ueder tSs
aegis OF the O'Neill and Craven firm
all her life, and exaggerated It's inn
portance, and she begged Carter not
to throw away what was his livelihood
now and what would be hers when she
married him.
gether they had been the closest OF
conildants. She had known the secret
of the firms Mr.. *. o,Neili" almos.
as long as old Crewdson had known It.
and she had kept that secret Loyalty in
spite of the keenest temptation.
Kate. ] even kept 1t from George"
George. being Mr. Carter. 1 suppose2"
In to the time that they left the
hposo, II seemed hopeless to bring
them even into the most stiff agree
ment. And then the first morning she
woke up at Mokki, there was Kate
in "a Madeira chair on the veranda, with
side her, and the pair of then, were
laughing and chatting as easily as
though they had known one another
She had never got what she thought
this relief of the tension had been
he said he had arrived Mt the conclu:.,
sion he had merely been a rude ass"
and It was time to be ashamed OF him
self and try ordinary human civility;;
She had attempted to sound Kate. and
was merely congratulated on being en-
gaged IT,, to really nice se,d man n , And
macy grow between them. in which
somehow or other. In spite OF their
obviously labored Efforts to include her,
she had no part.
and sat down in one OF the yeranda
chairs which the thrifty German had
made for himself Unset out out of, Of , pa.m ~
and the white woman talked butter
flies, Before her was Africa, and night.
were lit Fircfies blinked in and out
at unexpected places in the yelvety
h'ackness, uncannily vanishing when
their spasm OF light was over. me
night breeze sang gently through the
trees and gave sharpness to the air,
and the drone of insects kept to one
low insistent note like the distant muir
tired with their rnerciless work. slept.
But from the bush beyond the clearing
there came ever and again a groan,
or roar, or shrek, as often az
not dImmed to mere murmur by dis
lance, to keep her aware of the axiom
that Africa never sleeps and always
The land breeze blew strong and
her dress. was. thin. She shivered
had taught her, to bring wrap. He
came running out with 1t at once and
covered her shoulders, as she was
pleased TO think, tenderly. He even
stopped and talked to her for minute
or so. Then he said he must go and
see Miss Heads last, case. and once
nyt IN hn y.fn ~ IA
stralne& her ears to listen, and she
heard the. butterfly talk begin again
where it had broken of.
They had an alarm that night that
the Okkymen Were coming. Into the
blank silence OF sleep there came the
roar of a heavy charge OF black trade
filled fintlock. The whites, the Por-
tugese. and the tired factory boys
reused into instant wakefulness. Their
nerves were too nicely set to need
Laura met Carter in pyjamas AS he
was in the act Of humping upon her !.
be ssa doe Thats g SSa aa We don't
show a light whilst You dress and keep
under shelter. must just wake Miss
ONeill before go down..
She put her arms round his neck
and pulled him to her and kissed him
violently. you came for me first them
SYou little goose, of course ] did
Wives first employers next. Here.
must go. or the battle will be owe.
before I'm down. The odds are those
heroes are blazing away at nothing"
They were. Each black man as he
came up to the palisade poked the
muzzle OF his gun. through loophole
pulled trigger, and drew comfort from
the din. Presently Carter came up tc
the brcastwork, climbed to the ban.
quette. and leaned over, and Their
peered long and hard through the
night. He could see nothing. He go
down, and with trouble found the sem
try who had fired first When ne hat
turned out that he had seen nothing
also. He had Thought ju,ju" and the s,
his gun lib for shoot by himself" O.
in palmer English the man had dozet
with his hand round his gun lock t
keep the damp. from the. printing; h
had been struck by a nightmare ant
had pulled the trigger He had aimee
ut nothing. His gun mnzzle had beer
upright, and he lib for shoot den
moon"
co,caa,s tho portnresa came I'm Will