Evening star., 1909-03-06


are and at the same time how personal
Strong faces are pictured and with CON
summate art. This is not the result OF
accident nor of clever craftsmanship. but
Of experience won through failure. much
study and inherent instinct. 1t is great
work.
MIR ERNEST MOORE has just com
IVl pleted two very interesting portraits.
one likeness of Dr. Cushman. the other
OF Mr.. Luuuer The former is three
quarter length and represents DIR. Cush-
man seated in chair turned slightly TO
his dark guilt-laden eyes. her g9rse
rose She was alone in this secret piace
with the murderer of her father ana her
mother, vino sought her love. Yet.
strangely enough, her heart was nlieu
not with fear but with contempt and ICY
anger She did not shrink away IRON
him as he came toward her IN ms sauu!
clothes with an assumed air OF lnsOleht
confidence but sat pale and proud. as
she had sat at Umgugundhlovu, "heh
the Z,lus brought their causes pefore
her for judgment.
He advanced into the shadow of the
tree took off his hat with a fiourlsh ana
bowed Then as she made no answer
to these saiutations. but only seafched
him with her gray eyes. he began 10
speak in jerky sentences
'J hone YOU nave slept well. Racnei.
7 am glad to see You looking so fresh.
I was afraid that you would ne over
tired after your long day YOU lous
many miles Of course what you 1ouhd
at Ramah must have been great % sho,h
to YOU. | want to explain to you quiet
Iv that I am not in the least to blame
about that terrible business. 1t was
those accursed Zulus. who exceeded their
orders.
So he went on, pausing between each
remark for an answer. but no answer
came At length he stopped. conIuseo'
and Rachel. lifting the assegai, exam
ined it's blade, and asked him suddenly -,
..WhoSe blood is on this spear! Yours
a little of it. perhaps he answered.
"'rhat fool of a Kaffir flourlshed IL ABOUT
after YOUR father shot him and cut me
with it accidentally" and he pointed 10
the wound on his face
Rachel bent down and began 10 Tuo
tho blade against the foot of the Dench
as though to clean it. He did not know
what she meant by this act, YET IL liis
ened him. ,s
She paused in her task and SAID looh-
ing UP at him: ,,, s,o,,,d
defiIe mine even in death" and went on
with her cleansing of the spear
IJe watched her for little While, theh
curse it all. 1 don't understand you
What do you mean ..,r, 80
Ask the Zulus." she answered Ihey
understand me. and they will tell you.
Or If there is no time ASK ih9 ia'0i
and mother-:tfterward
Ishmael paled visibly. then recovered
himself with an effort. and salu:
Let US finish with all TINS Witcii-uo'
tor nonsense and come TO business
had nothing to do with the death OF your
narents indeed | was wounded in trying
to protect them =.
Then why do l see both OF them pc
hind you with such accusing eyes 'o
asked quietly.
He started, turned MS hedu "'i" ~ -
about him.
"you wont frighten me like that he
,,,.nt on "I am not silly kaffir, so give
II IN. Look here, Rachel, you Kho" .
Row. loved YOU for n long Whlie, ana
though you treat me so badly l loEe sou
,nnra than ever now. Will you marry
me?" o, ,,.ould
be dead in 4 few DAYS: 10 o' Sir in
ih. dust and repent your sins before you
go down into the dust .
"All right. Rachel know Sou "io
a good prophet sr,.
,,-oi,e in. reflectively. You used the
ZuIus to kill her father and mother
also did you not? Do you remenlper
a message that she gave you IRON
Seyani one evening down by the sea.
before YOU kidnapped me TO oe pail
to trap me in Zululand?
..Remember," he answered, ScoWlihS.
"Am / likely to forget her devlitries
II YOU are the witch she is the famlilaf.
fhc black ehlose (spirit who Whispers
i'm your ear. Had she not gone should
never have caught YOU.
But she will come back-althouGh L
fear NOT in time to bid you farewell.
III. I..
You tell me that ! snall soon Es
dead" he exclaimed ignoring this talk
of Noie We'll, l am not frightened.
7 don't believe you know anything
about it, but if you are right. the more
reason / should live while can. Ac-
c,rding to you. Rachel, we have nc
time to waste in d long engagement.
When is it to be-"
Never she answered. contemptu-
ously lin this or any other world.
Never! Why. you are hateful TO me-
when I see you. I shiver as though
snake crawled across my foot, and
when / look at your hands they are
red with blood. the blood of my PAR
ents and of Noie's parents, and OF many
others / will not be touched by hand
that is red with blood. That is my
answer
He looked at her a while. then said:
You seem to forget that l am only
asking for what / can take. NO ons
can see you or hear you here except
last. Rachel Dove"
Look" she said, pointing to an
eagle that circled SO high In the blue
heavens above them that it seemed
no larger than a hawk. that bird is
more in your power and nearer to you
than l am. Before you laid finger
on me ! would find dozen means of
death. but that 1 tell you again you
will never live to do"
For q While Ishmael was silent,
weighing her words in his mind. APP
parently he could find no answer To
them, for when he spoke again it was
of another matter
You say that you hate me. Rachel.
If 50. it is because of that accursed
fellow, Darrien-whom you don't hate.
Well, he. at any rate. is in my power.
Now look here. You've got to make
your choice. Either YOU stop all this
nonsense and become my wife or-your
friend Darien dies. Do YOU hear me-.
Rachel made no answer. Now for the
first time she was really frightened,
and feared lest her speech should show
-.
You have been through a lot. he
went on. slowly: YOU are tired out,
and don't know what you say. and Nod
believe that I killed the old people.
which | didn't. and. of course. that has
set You against me. Now, | don't wan:
to be rough. or to hurry YOU. especially
have plenty of things to see about
before we are married. So l give you