Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-02-10

Richard. who stood yawning before her,
! and said:
| rs it time to get up. I say. why do
! you look so queer? Are you ill?''
| Il have been up, long ago." she an
| swered, struggling to her feet. What
| do you mean"
Nothing. except that you seemed a
| ghost minute ago. Now you are a girl
| again; it must have been the light
| Did /? Well, / dreamed of ghosts. or
something of the Sort" and she told him
| OF the vision of the trees, though of the
rest she could remember little.
That's queer story" he said. when
she had finished. II wish you had got
to the end of it; 1 should like to know
what happened
We shall find out one day." she an
DO you mean to say that you believe
| it is true. Rachel?"
Yes. Richard; one day 1 shall see you
| tied to that tree
Then l hope you will cut me loose.
he added doubtfully. II know what it
is; you want something to eat. Have
the rest of that biltong''
NO she answered II could not touch
1t. There is pool of water out there;
go and battle your arm and I will bind
it up again. \
He went still wondering, and a few
| minutes later returned. his face and head
dripping. and whispered:
Give me the gun. There is a reed
DUCK standing close by. 1 saw him
through the mist. Well have a jolly
breakfast off him.
She handed him the roer and crept after
him out of the cave. About thirty yards
away to the right looming very large
| through the dense fog. stood the fat reed
buck. Richard y-riggled toward it, for
he wanted to make sure of his shot while
Rachel crouched behind a stone The
buck. becoming alarmed turned its head
and began to sniff at the air, whereon he
lifted the gun. and just as it was about
to spring away aimed and fired. Down it
went dead. wherein, rejoicing in bis
triumph like any other young hunter who
thinks not of the wonderful and happy
life that he has destroyed, Richard sprang
upon 1t exultantly drawing his knife as
he came. while Rachel who always
shrank from such sights retreated to the
cave. Half an hour later. however, be-
Ing healthy and hungry, she had no OBJ
lection TO- eating venison toasted upon
sticks in the red embers of their fire.
Their meal finished at length. they re-
loaded the gun. and, although the mist
was still very dense, set out upon jour-
ney of exploration, as by now the sun
was shining brightly above the curtain
of low-lying vapOr. Stumbling on through
the rocks, they discovered that the water
ldO idIleH dlHlOSl Ms quickly as IL rose
on the previous night. The island was
strewn. however. with the trunks of trees
and other debris that it had brought
down, among which lay the carcasses of
bucks and smaller creatures, and with
them number of drowned snakes. The
two lions. however. appeared to have es-
capped by swimming, at least they saw
nothing of them. Walking cautiously
they came: to the edge of the donga and
sat down upon stone. since as yet they
md f,n
water ran.
While they remained thus suddenly
through the mist they heard a voice
shouting from the other side of the donga.
Missile cried the voice in Dutch. Are
you there. mssie?'
THAT is Tom. our driver" she said.
come to look for me. Answer for me,
Richard
So the lad, who had very good lungs,
rOared in reply:
Yes I'm here safe waiting for the
mist to lift and the water to run down.
God be thanked!' yelled the distant
Tom 1--WE thought that you were surely
drowned. But, then, why is your voice
changed?"
Because an English heer is with me-
cried Richard. Go and look for his horse
and bring rope. then wait till the mist
! rises. Also send to tell the pastor and
my mother that am safe
II am here. Rachel shouted another
voice. her fathers. Il have been looking
for you all night, and we have got the
Englishman's horse. Don't come into the
water yet. Wait till we can see.''
That's good news. anyway said
Richard, though 1 shall have to ride
hard to catch up the wagons.
RachefS face fell.
Yes she said: very good news
Are you glad that / am going. rhen?'
he asked in an offended tone.
1T was you who said the news was
good she replied gently.
81 meant l was glad that they had
caught my horse. not that l had to ride
away on 1t. Are you sorry. them" and
he glanced at her anXiOusly.
Yes. / am sorry, for we have made
friends. haven't we? 1t won't matter to
you. who will find plenty of people down
are gone I shall have no friend left in
this wilderness. shall I?'
Again Richard looked at her and saw
that her sweet gray eyes were full of
tears Then there rose within the breast
of this lad. who. be it remembered. was
Verging upon manhood sensation
strangely similar had he but known it,
to that which had been experienced an
hour or two before by the child at his
side when she watched him sleeping in
the cave. He felt as though these tear
laden gray eyes were awning his heart
as a magnet draws iron. OF love he knew
nothing--it was but a name to him-but
this feeling was certainly very new and
queer.
what have you done to me-" he asked
brusquely. Il don't want to go away
from you at ALL which is odd as 1 never
liked girls much l tell you he went on
with gathering vehemence that if it
wasn't that 1t would be mean to play
such trick upon my father 1 wouldn't
GO I'd come with you or follow after
all my Lire. Answer nse-what have you
done?''
Nothing. nothing at ALL said Rachel
with a little sob. except tie UP your
arm
THAT can't be it, he replied. ANY one
could tie up my arm. Oh! l know it is
wrong. but l hope l shant be able to
overtake the wagons, for If l can't l will
come back
You mustn't come back; you must go
away quite away, soon as you can.
Yes, ~as soon as you can. Your father
will be very anxious and she. began t.
cry outright.
stop it, said Richard do you hear
me- stop it, 1 am not going to be made
to SWIVEL too. just because / shan't see
a little girl any more whom I never met
till yesterday
These last words came out with q gulp,
and what is more, two tears came with
them and tr.ckled down his nose.
For moment they sat thus looking
at each other pitifully. and-the truth
mus. be told-weepng both of them.
Then something got the better OF Rich
ard-let US call it primeval instinct-so
that he put his arms about Rachel and
kissed her after which they continued
to weep, their heads resting upon each
others shoulders. At length he let her
90 and stood I'D, SAYING argumenta-