The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1909-03-08

She had never feared such storms be fore, but TOW they terrified her. Sht dreaded their advent and the worst O.
 it was that she must not show hel dread. she who was supposed to rule
 and direct the lightning. Indeed, tho
 bounteous rains which fell ensuring z
 full harvest after several years o1
 drought, were universally attributed to | the good influence of her presence ir the land. In the same way when 6 thund erbOf struck the hut of a. doc
 tor who but a day or two before had openly declared his disbelief in hel powers, killing him and his principa
 wife, and destroying his kraal by fire the accident was attributed to her ven.
 geance or to that of the Heavens who l were angry at this lack of faith Af- ter this remarkable exhibition of su- pernatural strength, needless to say
 the voice of adverse criticism was stayed; Rachel became supreme.
 l But the storms passed, and when they had rolled away at length, doing 1 her no hurt, and the sun shone out
 again, she would go and sit beneath
 the trees at the edge of the beautiful
 pool until the closing lilies and the | chill of the air told her that night
 drew on.
 | Oh! those long nights-how endless | they seemed to Rachel in her loneli-
 ness. Now she who used to sleep SC
 well, could not sleep, or when she slept
 she dreamed. She dreamed of her
 mother, always of her mother, that she
 was i'll, and calling her, until she | came to believe that in truth this was
 so. So much did this conviction work | upon her mind, that she determined
 not to wait for the return of Noie, but | at all costs to try to leave Zululand and through Tamboosa declared her l will to the King. Next morning the | answer came back that of course none could control her movements. but if she would go, she must fly, as all the rivers were in flood, as she might see if she would walk to the top of the
 mountain behind her kraal. Tam
 boosa- added that a company of men who had been sent to recapture Ish- nael, were kept for a. week upon the
 banks of the first of them, and at length, being unable to cross, had re- turned, as her messenger had done. Knowing from other sources that this was true, Rachel made no answer.
 What she did not know, however, was that Ishmael had crossed the smaller rivers before the flood came down, and gone on to meet the soldiers, who were ordered to await him on the banks of the TuEela.
 Escape was evidently impossible at present, and if 1t had been otherwise. clearly the Zulus did not mean to let her go. She must abide here in the company of her terrors and her dreams.
 At length, happily for her these dis tressing dreams o6 Racheis began to be varied by others of a pleasanter
 
 were vivid enough, she could only re- member upon waking that they had to do with Richard Da-rrien. the compan- ion of her adventure in the river, o6 whom she had <heard nothing for so many years. For aught ehe knew he might have died long ago, and yet she did not think that he was dead. We'll. if he lived he might have forgotten her. and yet she did not believe that he had forgotten her, he who as a boy had wished to follow her all his life. and whom she had thought of day by day from that hour to this. Yes. she had thought of him, but not thus. Why. at such time did he arise in strength before her, seeming to oc- cupy all her soul? Why was her mind never free of him? Could it She shivered as the hope took hold of her. shivered with joy, and re- membered that her mother had always said that they would meet. Could it if he lived he was a man now, was coming to rescue her? Ohi then she would fear nothing. Then in every peril she would feel safe as a child in its mothers arms. No. the thing was too happy to come about; her imagina- ton played tricks with her, no more. And yet, and yet, why did he haunt her sleep?
 The dreary days went on; a month had passed since Noie vanished over wonder ridge. and worst of all. for three nights the dreams of Richard had departed, while those of her mother remained.
 Rachel was worn out; she was in despair. All that morning she had spent in trying a long and heavy case, which occupied but wearied her mind one of those eternal cases about the of cattle which were claim ed by three brothers, descendants of different wives of a grandfather who had owned the herd. Finally she had effected a compromise between the parties, and amidst their salutes and acclamations, retired to her hut. But she could not eat; the sameness of the food disgusted her. Neither could she rest for the daily tempest was com ing up, and the heavy atmosphere or and the overpowering heat, her nervouszssystem and made sleep impossible. At length came the usual rush of icy wind and thunder crashed and believed; the lightning fickered and flared; the rain fell in torrent. It passed as it al- | ways did and the sun shone out again. Gasping with relief. Rachel went out of the oyenlike hut into the cool, sweet 1 air, and sat down upon tanned bulls l hide which she had ordered her ser wants to spread for her by the pool of water upon the bank beneath the trees. It was very pleasant here. and the rain-drops shaken from the wet leaves fell upon her fevered face and hands and refreshed her.
 She tried to forget her troubles for a little while and began to think of l Richard Darrien, her boy-lover of a l lnng-past hour, wondering what he | looked like now that he was grown to | be man.
 'eIf only you would come to help me! 1 Oh! Richard, if only you would come !! to help me-" the poor, worn-out girl ! to herself, and so murmur- 1 ing fell asleep.
 <To be Continued.)