Elk City mining news. (Elk City, Idaho) 1903-1913, 1910-12-08
CHAPTER XVI.

day when Dr. Fothergill had made her
startling statements about the loco root
found the case at a standstill. Eacn
side was waiting for the other, and FOR
a half hour after court had opened
there was nothing doing save pother
among the attorneys.
Your honor" it spoke, Il am Fran
els Wayne, the brother of the dead
woman whose death you are trying TO
probe
lie Malheureuxi" exclaimed john
son and Larry Morris in a breath. The
figure bowed to them and turned again
to the judge
IF your honor please" said lie NAL
heureuX, with all apologies for my
hardness and for myself, 1 would like
to tell my story. In this wallet are the
documents of proof.
MY story is my fathers shame. His
name was John Francis Wayne, and
he was the son of Thomas James
Wayne, once bishop of the diocese OF
Georgia. Among the slaves my grand
father owned was fine fellow named
Ben, who had been stolen from the
Gold Coast. He had a son, also named
Ben, and the father of the African Be-
noni that you have just thrown into
Jail, because he has kept silence out of
respect for my infirmity. His son Ben
and my father grew up in that rela-
tionship that once existed in the South
between boy master and boy-slaVe.
Ben's father had told his son how their
people were kings in mid-Africa, and
of the enormous wealth they held there,
all vested in diamond mines. The
black lad and the white one were ad-
venturous youths, and planned from
boyhood up to sail to Africa as soon
as they were grown to manhood. Ben
was to be restored to his ancestral
power and my father was to be enrich
ed with half the wealth of the king
dom and to return here to America to
live. Father wanted to be physician,
so his parents sent him to Germany
and later to France to study. Ben, the
slave, went with him as his valet,
though they were more like foster
brothers, and with good reason, as
Ben's mother had been my fathers wet
nurse Ben was bright, and to fit him
self to rule over his people and to head
his dreams of vast African colonial
ton he studied side by side with my
father They saved their money, did
these two boys, and when they were
matriculated made ready to go to Al
RIGA lowering around Paris before
their departure my father met the
beautiful twin daughters of French
man of rank and wealth, the Mademoi-
selles Desiree and Marie De La Roux.
III, txxyn
ceptional grace and charm, and for
long while father did not know which
to choose. He loved them both. FL
nally he decided upon Desiree, pro-
posed, was accepted and married with
in a fortnight AS the two sisters had
never been separated Marie accom-
panied the newly welded pair to At
RIGA. Shortly after their arrival in The
ancient kingdom of Ben's father,
journey accomplished only after terri
BILE hardships, Ben married Tyoga, the
mother of Benoni. and the foster moth
err of Meta, now Benonrs wife. The
natives gave them short shrift at first.
Had not my fathers really marvellous
knowledge of electricity and his clever
acquaintance with black art as 1t was
many stood them in good stead. their
lives would not have been worth much
AS it was the barbarians considered
my father a terrible sorcerer. and ex
allied him to be their ruler. Shortly
afterwards Ben and father quarreled
and father had the faithful slave exc
cuted with terrible torture. for the sight
of the wealth in this African kingdom,
and its almost limitless diamond fields
had disclosed all the avaricious quail
ties of my fathers nature, and he felt
no affection except for the glittering
Jewels that his thousands of serfs piled
up at his feet. Tyoga remained staun III
to her lonely young mistress even after
the fearful death of Ben. her husband.
Then Benoni and were born-with-
in a month of each other, when the
first year of the sojourn on African soil
was barely ended. Tyoga consecrated
Benoni to my service at his birth, and
he has been more faithful and loyal
than a brother ever since. Within the
next year my sister Cerisse was born
In appearance I was like my father
but I had my mothers disposition
Cerisse was the image of our mother
and of our Aunt Marie. but her nature
was that of our father Intensely vain
selfish and overbearing. Cerisse would
have been hated by all around the cas-
tie but for her exceptional beauty. She
was barely two years old when a youns
captain in the French army, Raoul d.
L'Enclose, stationed in camp a few
rods from our demesne, met my Aun
Marie. They fell violently in love will
each other, and despite my fathers up.
position were married by the ole
French Cure who had accompanied tn,
party on its migration into the African
wilderness. Father was wild with an.
ger about the marriage He fnrha d.