Evening star., 1909-02-19

Nonha told 1t me. You are a black
hearted villain. But yesterday you dared
to come and ask Rachel to marry you
and now | find that you are living-oh,
/ cannot say it, 1t makes me ashamed of
my race. Listen to me, sir. If ever you
dare to set foot in Ramah again to
speak to my wife and daughter Kaffrs
shall whip you off the place. Indeed"
he added. shaking his Siambok in Ish-
maels face. although 1 am an older man
than you are. were 1t not for my office |
would give you the thrashing YOU de-
serve
At first Ishmael had shrunk beneath
this torrent of invective. but the threat
of violence reused his fierce nature. His
face grew evil and his long black hair
and beard bristled with wrath.
You had best get out of this. you
prayc snuffling old humbug." he said
savagely. "for If you stop much longer
will make you sing another tune We
have sea-cow whips here. too and you
shall learn what a hiding means, such
a hiding that your own family won't
know you. If you live to get back to
them. Look here, I offered to marry your
l said. I'd have got rid of all this black
baggage and she should have been the
only one. Well, I'll marry her yet, only
now she'll just take her place with the
others. We are all one flesh and blood
black and white. amt we? | have often
have to complain OFF, he sneered. She
can go and hoe mealies like the rest
AS this brutal talk fell upon his ears
Mr. Doves reason departed from him
entirely. After all he was an English
gentleman first and clergyman after
ward: also he loved his daughter, and to
hear her spoken of like this was intol-
cradle to him. as it would have been to
any father Lifting the sjambok. he cut
Ishmael across the mouth so sharply that
4 bn hiS,l nd
denly remembering that this deed would
probably mean his death. stood still
awaiting the issue. AS it chanced it did
not. for the man. like most brutes and
bullies. was coward, as Rachel had al
ready found out. Obeying his first i'm
pulse he sprang at the clergyman with
an oath Then, seeing that his two guides,
who carried assegais had ranged them
selves beside him. checked himself. for
he feared lest those spears should pierce
his heart.
You are in my house., he said, wiping
the blood from his beard, and an old
man, So / can't kill you as | would any
one else. But you have made me your
enemy now, you fool, and others can. l
have protected you SO far for your
daughters sake. but l won't do it any
longer. You think of that when your
time comes.
MY time, like yours. will come. when
God Wills" answered Mr.. Dove, unflinch-
wills. | do not fear you in the least. STILL
| am sorry that l struck you. it was sin
of which / repent as | pray that you re-
pent'
Then he mounted his horse and rode
away from the kraal Mafooti.
When Mr. Dove reached Ramah he only
said to Rachel that what she had heard
was quite true, and that he had forbid
den Ishmael the house. OF course, how
ever, Noie soon learnt the whole story
from the Kaffir guides, and repeated it
to her mistress To his wife, on the other
hand he told everything, with the result
that she was very much disturbed. She
pointed out to him that this white Outcast
was most dangerous man who would
certainly be revenged upon him in one
way or another. Again she implored him,
as she had often done before. to leave
these savage countries wherein he nad
Iabored for all the best years of his life.
saving that it was not right that he
should expose their daughter to the risks
of them.
But" answered her husband ''you
have often told me that you We're sure no
harm would come to Rachel, and l think
that, too.
YES dear | am sure. still. for many
reasons it does not seem right to keep her
here She did not add. poor unselfish
woman, that there was another who
should be considered well Rachel.
fTo be continued tomorrow