The Plymouth tribune. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1901-1911, 1910-05-26
Ben's mother had been my fatheess va


nurse. Ben was bright. and to At HIM
self to rule over his people and to head
his dreams OF vast African COLOMBIA
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 AZ
RIGA. lowering around Paris before
their departure my father met nc
beautiful twin daughters of French
man of rank and wealth. the Mademoi-
selles Desiree and Marie De La Roux.
They were like as two peas. and of eX-
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
I'm 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
er of Meta, now Benonfs wife. The
natives gave them short shr' It at first
Had not my fathers really marvellous
knowledge OF electricity and his clever
acquaintance with black art as II was
then practiced in some portions OF Ger
many stood them in good stead, their
lives would not have been worth much.
AS 1t 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
I'D at his feet Tyoga remained staun n
to her lonely young mistress even after
the fearful death of Ben. her husband
Then Benoni and I 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 appe2 rance L was like my father,
but l 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 young
captain In the French army. Raoul de
L'Enclose, stationed In camp a few
rods from our demesne. met my Aunt
Marie. They fell violently in love with
each other. and despite my fathers op-
position were married by the old
French Cure who had accompanied the
party on it's migration into the African
wilderness Father was wild with an
ger about the marriage. He forbade
my aunt and her husband the house
and returned to my Aunt Marie her
half of the joint fortune that she and
her sister had brought with them n
Africa, only because he feared that
Capt. de L'Enclos might invoke an in
yestigation OF the Wayne desmene NV
the French government. My aunt wn,
by now thoroughly enrapturad with
life In the tropics, which was but NAT
ural. as the De La Roux had originally
come from Martinique. Africa was
barred to them. because both she and
he- husband feared my fathers vindic-
tiveness.