The Jasper news. [volume] (Jasper, Missouri) 1898-1924, 1918-01-24
CHAPTER XII.
A Lion and a Lamb.

To Meriem, in her new home, the
days passed quickly. At first she
was all anxiety to be Off into the jun
gle searching for her Korak.
Bwana, as she insisted upon call
ing her benefactor, dlssuaded her from
making the attempt at once by dis
patching a head man with party of
blacks to Kovudoo's village, with in
structions to learn from the old saw
age how he came into possession of
the white girl and as much of her
antecedents as might be culled from
the black chieftain. Bwana particular
ly charged his head man with the duty
of questioning Kovudoo relative to the
strange character whom the girl called
Korak and of searching for the ape
man If he found the slightest evidence
upon which to ground belief in the
existence of such an Individual.
The white mans wife, whom Meri-
EN- had cliristened my Dear" from
having first heard her thus addressed
by Bwana, took not only deep inter-
est in the little jungle waif because of
her forlorn and friendless state, but
grew to love her rs well for her sunny
disposition and natural charm of tenn
permanent. And Meriem, similarly i'm
pressed by like attributes In the gentle,
cultured woman, reciprocated the 9TH
er's regard and affection.
And SO the days flew by while Me-
riem waited the return of the head
man and his party from the country
of Kovudoo. They were short days, for
into them were crowded many hours
of insldious instruction of the inlet
tered child by the lonely woman,
She commenced at once to teach the
girl English without forcing it upon
her as task. She varied the instruc-
ton with lessons in sewing and de-
pertinent, nor once did she let Meriem
guess that 1t was not all play. Nor
was this difficult, since the girl was
avid to learn.
Then there were pretty dresses to be
| made to take the place of the single
leopard skin, and In this she found the
child as responsive and enthusiastic as
any civilized miss of her acquaintance.
A month passed before the head man
returned, month that had transform
ed the savage, little. half-naked Man
gani into daintily frocked girl of at
least outward civilization. Meriem had
progressed rapidly with the intrlcacies
of the English language, for Bwana
and My Dear perslstently refused to
speak Arabic from the time they had
decided that Meriem must learn Eng
fish, which had been day or two after
her introduction into their home.
But, docile as Merlem was In these
matters, there was one thing that she
insisted on during her entire stay with
the kind white folk, and that was her
personal freedom to make excursions
int0-the jungle, attlred very much as
she had been when with Korak, when
ever she chose. Bwana and My Dear
got used in time to finding her room
| empty and to have her turn up hours
later, flushed and radiant, after wild
| romp through the trees and jungle.
Thus 1t was that. despite the civillz-
ed boots she wore and the combining
feminine garb, the soles Of her hard
little feet and the palms of her capa-
BILE hands remained exceedingly serv-
iceable, nor did her grace and agility
| suffer.
The report of the head man plunged
Meriem into a period Of dependency.
for he had found the village of Kovu-
doc deserted, nor. search as he would.
could he discover single native any
where In the vicinity. For some time
he had camped near the village. spend
ing the days In a systematic search Of
the environs for traces OF Meriem's