The Mt. Sterling advocate., 1917-09-04
A BRIDES
DOVER
By SADIE oLcoTT

-
Among the Beers of South Africa
forty years ago lived farmer named
Van Wyk He was very poor-so poor
that he could not choose a desirable
place or a decent house in which to
live. Indeed, his farm was a circular
depression, and when too much rain
came it was flooded and his crops
were rotted. AS for his house, it was
but hut and was plastered with mud.
But Van Wyk had not always lived
thus. Time was when he had been
well Off, and the eldest daughter, Kath-
crime, was educated.
Katherine was a comely Dutch girl,
with blue eyes, fair complexion and
hair almost white. Her mother did
the best she could to keep her girl well
dressed and, having fabrics that she
had worn in better days, made them
over so successfully that Kate, espe-
cially on Sundays, made very good
appearance.
Some distance from the Van Wyks
! lived a. prosperous farmer named
Greutner-that is, lie was considered
prosperous for that region, though his
farm produced only a fair living for
himself and his family. He had a
number of daughters and but one son;
therefore he was anxious that his chill
,lren should marry with those who
were well 10 do. lie had saved a small
dowry for each Of his daughters, and,
as for his son, Hans, he proposed to
leave him his farm. But he required
from any girl his boy should marry a
dowry equivalent to its value.
Unfortunately Hans met Katherine
at dance at one of the neighboring
farmhouses, and one glance at her pink
and milk face, her robins egg eyes and
the two hemp colored cables that hung
| from the back of her head to her an
klcs put all ideas of his fathers plans
out Of his head. He danced with her
several times during the evening, and
when the two separated thei"s was one
of those cases wherein two young
hearts rush together like a couple Of
electric sparks.
When Farmer Greutner heard of his
sons love affair he called the boy to
| him and said:
"Hans, I'm ashamed of you. What
do you mean by making love to a girl
who lives III cabin piastered with
mud? You certainly can't marry her,
for if you do / will give this farm to
your sisters, and you and your mud
hut wife will have nothing to live
| upon"
Hans only irIitated his father by
making no reply. People with whom
we are angry cannot make us more
angry than by listening to what we
say and giving us no word in return.
Hans went away determined that
nothing should separate him from the
| girl lie loved. even to the surrendering
of his Inheritance, but he did not sec
how her father could be persuaded to
give her to one who could not support
her. So the matter went on, as such
matters usually do, with hard feeling
between Hans and his father and op-
| position enhancing the attachment of
the young couple. Greutner never lost
an opportunity to sneer at the mud
cabin In which his sons beloved lived,
and since the rest of the family con-
sidercd Hans would demean himself
by taking a wife out of such a home
they were constantly taunting him
about his mud haired girl who lived
in mud plastered house.
One day the little Van Wyk chill
dren prospected the mud plastering
! for playthings. From a part Of 1t that
had given way they pulled out some
queer looking stones. Whether they
wanted them for jackstones or for
some other childish game, they certain
ly wanted them aud did not spare the
plastering. When their father came
III and saw that they had made rents
in the wall he rated them soundly and
asked them why they had done so,
whereupOn they showed him the stones
they had pulled out.
Farmer Van Wyk forgot the damage
to the plasterlng In the stones. They
we're rough and did not possess either
the appearance or weight of common
stones. He studied over them long
while, then borrowed a magnifying
glass and examined them with 1t care
fully. Then he called his wife and
told her that the plastering Of their
cabin was sprinkled with diamonds.
The next day before the dawn had
hardly broken he went to the place on
his farm where he had taken the clay
to plaster his cabin and, digging up
the earth, found thRt II was full Of the
same kind of stones. He could not be-
lieve his eyes. Taking one Of the dia-
mOnds to an emery wheel, he ground
one side Of 1t and exposed a white
surface. Then he ground different
parts Of it, leaving intersecting planes,
and, holding the stone up to the rising
sun nrOducad flashes like the rainhONV