The Winslow mail., 1924-04-11

, wanted to make use of him in some
! dishonest work for which only my IA
1 ther could help him. Ny father yield
ed to his threats, and thereafter De
Witt bounded him.
AT last my father went back to his
tribe, to find that my mother had sue
ceeded to the leadership. He was al
ready an 0utcaSt among the whites;
now he became an outcast among the
blacks also. The tribe respected him,
but they feared him, they thought he
was a government agent; they never
trusted him. He had become the lone
liest man in the whole world.
And as for me, the memory of
those early years was stamped indeli-
bly, upon my mind. l looked at meD
and things from the natives point of
view. I, too, was known as one of na-
tive blood. People pitied me, derided
me, but none held ont q helping hand,
and never, until you honored me in
the coach had any man recognized
that I might have the instincts of the
white Woman-SOme of them. Per-
haps, if you had known you would
have felt the same as they did,
mo, Sheila," answered Winton
II wanted you not to know. Has 1t
ever occurred to you that simple
word from stranger may change the
entire course Of our lives? You helped
me when l had come to despair. Your
kindness meant more to me than you
can possibly recognize. For will
speak plainly to you now that at last
you understand the faulty of your
course
"When Mr.. De Witt became infatu-
ated with me knew that he had wife
downcountry whom he had abandoned.
And he knew that / knew it. He did
not deceive me. 1t had never entered
his mind that l could expect him to
marry a woman with native blood. He
had sworn to me that if | went away
! with him his persecution Of my father
should stop. There was nothing in his
conduct toward me that might not have
been done by any man in Malopo. No
blame would have attached itself to
him in Malopo's eyes.
81 told him that I was willing to
sacrifice myself for my fathers sake.
Why not? I am a native woman; why
should 1 obey the law of the whites
when l am a thing Stunned and de-
/ spised?'
"Sheila!" cried Winton hoarsely.
Eyes, despised," she repeated, fling
ing out the words defantly. GAS you
despise me now
You are wrong, Sheila. You have
suffered, not through peoples con-
tempt, but because the world is
| thoughtless."
She laughed cOntemptuously!
Never mind the world" she an
swered. Listen to one thing, and be
proud of it if you care TO be- Before
/ l met you, when life seemed hopeless
l had resolved to yield to De Witt to
save my fathers life, which is in his
I power You saved me- 1 was going
with him that night, but l know that
| there was murder in my heart. I was
going to kill him. You showed me the
better way taught me to honor myself,
even at the cost of my fathers life II
need be-"
"Sheila, I honor you for what you
have told me-" said Winton. II under
stand what you have suffered. do
not pity you. l admire your courage"
"Yes?" she answered, with an iroElc
infection in her voice. Perhaps you
will tell me that you still love me?'
81 love you, Sheila, as 1 have done
from the first!' he cried. 8.
"And would still ask me to be your
wifeY' she persisted relentlessly.
Winton was silent. He knew now
that the inexorable law of the race is
founded, not on prejudice, but upon
some interior prompting that may be
called divine. In spite Of the spell
that the girl exercised over him he
shrank from the idea. And the thought
Of his own ostracism that must follow
had the least part in his adherence.
Sheila laughed, and Winton cried
out, stung to the quick:
81 am ready to marry you, Sheila.
And / will take you away from Malopo; !;
I will take you to America, where none
will ever guess at the truth"
you propose too high an honor for
! me-" answered the girl ironically. But
then, her bitter mood softened by the
vehemence of his words, she went to
him and put her hands on his shou-
ders with the old gesture. Her face
was very tender.
mo, my DEAR" she answered. Il
have made you suffer in my outraged
pride; have brought sorrow upon you
in return for the kindness you have
shown me. But l would never do you
this wrong
"Sheila. it is no wrong!"
1.-THE race bar"
Means nothing You have inherited
none of the qualities of-of your
mother"
Are we responsible only to our