The Detroit times., 1909-05-12

till, the FIRST year the crop showed
promise OF paying expenses, the mort
cages were called in wholesale, not
only In his case. but from all his
Ieighbors. That bred regular panic
throughout the district. and, since
there was no help for II, the old home
had TO go. Blu, my father died In II
first. OF broken heart. not knowing
that IL was his brother Miles, who had
struck the blow which killed him.
That came out later.
Il was very small boy then. but
| learned in time that my wealthy
uncle was the best hated man In Gov
ington county, and why. He had ney.
Ell set foot in IT,. either. since he haG
started Tor San Francisco, where he
Eade his pile. How he made II. |
have no earthly idea.
After my father was dead, my
mother suffafd all sorts OF petty per-
sccution at Miles Quaintance's hands.
found that out too late. O'Ferral. but
give you my word that more
malignant scoundrel IL would be diff
cult TO conceive. And she, all the time,
was sacrificing herself to give me an
education And | didn't know.
she even managed. out of the pit
lance she had 10 live on. 70 send me
across TO the School of Mines IN
Paris. and. when | got nome again, |
heard for the frs; time OF the man
who had mare life a burden to her
for so long. | wanted 10 80 west and
casI accounts with him then, but she
wouldn't have that. | owed II to her
TO do as she wished. and waited.
II had not been with her for more
than a month when had the offer 81
an opening with what seemed very
brilliant prospects in the diamond
fields OF South Africa. We talked II
over, and she thought that | should
take il. | believe now tha. she was
only anxious to see me safe beyond the
sphere OF my uncle's influence. She
Il AIRED for me. after what mad befallen
nv father. But she hersel. would not
leave the cottage at Covington where
she had lived. She'd rather walt
there. she said. until was ready 10
buy back our home, and that wouldn
be very long.
1T wasn't so very long. either. for
| cid well in Cape Colony. butt was
toe late after all. She had been dead
and buried for six weeks before |
heard of il, and--th.t nix me harder
than ANYTHING else I've ever had 10
put up with.
His voice shook slightly.
II couldn't stay on in Kimberly after
that. and | didn't care to come back 70
America. ! wanted to get away from
everything. didn't mucn care what
happened TO me. So went OFF north.
making more money | did not need
by the way. | wandered On through
Central Africa. exploring and shoot.
ing, doing anything to kill time. III
had been little less careless IL might
have killed me, as l sometimes half
hoped IL would. But the more fool
hardness | displayed the more miracu-
lousy did | scrape through. IL was
when ion, whose mate ! had shot,
chased me into crack n the ground
and kept me there all one afternoon
that came across the rose-diamonds'
Some day I'll go back there and iooA
for more in the Lobisa country, not
far from the old Loangwa tran. Don
forget that. O'Ferral II you're ever
herd up and I'm not on hand to help
yoC out
O'Ferral shook his gray head decid.
edly. He, too. had had mis- MI or
African wilds.
II needn't bore you with all the de-
tails OF my wanderings during those
wears. But after you and | had me-
and parted. put northwest. The car,
riers | had with me struck and turned
tell when we reached tho Baghirmi
country. but as luck would have IT,
| ran across a French convoy and so
got 10 Fort Bretonnet. IL seemed that
couldn't lose myself. no matter how
hard | tried
TO I've ContinuedD