The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1909-03-10
(Continued.l

(Continuedl
 The gate of the inner fence opened | and closed again after a man who en- | tered. He walked forward a few paces then stood still. for the flood of light that revealed him so clearly at first | prevented him from seeing her seated l in the shadow. Oh! there could be no i further doubt-before her was Richard | Darrien. the lad grown to manhood I from whom she had parted so many l years ago. Now, as then. he was not | tall. though very strongly built. and | for the rest. save for his short beard l same clear. thoughtful gray eyes. the | same pleasant open face. the same de- termined mouth. She was not disap- pointed in him, she knew this at once She liked him as well as she had done | at the first
 | Now he caught sight of her and stay | ed there, staring. She tried to speak, ! to welcome him. but could not-no I words would come. He also seemed to | be smftten with dumbness. and thus | the two of them remained while. At I last he took off his hat almost me- chanically. as though from instinct You are the Inkosazana-y-zoola. are | you not ?''
 T am so called" she answered soft ly, and with effort.
 | The moment that he heard her voice, with a. movement so swift that it was
 almost spring. he advanced to her. l saying:
 | Nov am sure: you are Rachel [ Dove, the little girl wfo-- Oh. Ra- chel! How lovely you have grown" "I am glad you think so. Richard 3 | she answered again in the same low,
 deep voice. a voice laden with the love within her, and reckoning to her eyes Then she let fall her wand. and rising, stretched out both her hands to him. They were face to face now. but he did not take those hands: he passed h 1J t,<nrT Irar- t7ar- 4r ht unresistinE. and kissed her on. the lips. She slipped, from his embrace down on to her stool. white now she had been red. Then while he stood over her. trembling aud confused. Rachel looked up. her beautiful eyes filled with tears. and whispered:
 ;''Why should be ashamed? It is fate." ~.
 Yes" he answered. Fate | For so both of them knew it to be. Though they had seen each other but once before, their love was so great, the bond between their natures so per- expression of it would not be denied. Here was g. mighty truth which burst through all wrappings of convention and proclaimed itself in it's pure theirs was the declaration ot an exist ent unity which circumstances did not create, nor their will control, and thus they confessed 1t to each other. How long?" she asked. looking up Flight years to-day" he answered. since I rode away after those wag- gons.''
 .Pight years" she repeated. and no word from you all that time You have behaved badly to me. Richard" ~r '.No, no: could not find out. I wrote three times. but always the let ters were returned. except one that went to The wrong people. who were angry about it. Then two years ago. heard that your father and mother had been in Natal. but had gone to England. and that you were dead. Yes, a man told me that you were dead,'' he added, with a gulp. 'I suppose he was speaking of somebody else. as he could not remember whether the name was Dove or Cove. OF perhaps he was just lying. At any rate. I did not be- iieve him. I always felt that you were alive. st
 ara?'' " - = "why? Because it was impossible paralysed. and I. was his only child and could not leave him"
 She looked a question at him.
 Yes he answered with a nod,
 weeks I had to remain to arrange
 about the property. of which he left good deal. for we did well of late years Just then I heard a rumor of an Eng
 
 daughter who were said to be living somewhere beyond the boundaries of Natal, in a savage place on the Trans
 vaal side of the Drakensberg. and as some Boers knew were trekking into that country I came with them on the chance-a pretty poor one. as the story was vague enough"
 You oame-you came to seek the
 "Of course. Otherwise why should I
 have left my farms down in the Cape to risk my neck among these saw ages?"
 ':And then." went on Rachel. "you or somebody else sent in the spy Quabi. who returned to the Boer camp with his story about the Inkosazana-y- Zoola- You remember you brought
 him in linping to that old fellow with
 @ grey beard and a large pipe. and the
 others who laughed at the tale. I
 mean when you said that this Inkosa-
 zana seemed very like an English you were looking for. and that you would go to find out the truth of the business"
 .Yes.. that's all right; but Rachel.''
 he added with a start. "how do you know anything about it-Oom Piet and the rest and-the words used? Your spies must be very good and quick. for you can't have seen Quabi." My spies are good and quick. Did you get my message sent by the Kings men? It was she who stood with you
 on the rock in the river. greeted you
 and awaited your
 ''Yes. I could not understand. do
 not understand now. Just before that they were going to kill me as a Boer
 spy. Who told you everything?"
 My heart" she answered smiling, 'I
 dreamed 1t all. I suppose that I was
 allowed to save your life that I might
 bring you here to save me. Listen now, Richard. while l tell you the strangest story that you ever heard !: