The Kevin review. [volume] (Kevin, Mont.) 1922-1929, 1924-03-20

to the seventh heaven of happiness
The Hottentot had disappeared the
were alone; he believed that with,
an hour he would have solved the mys
terry and proved it nothing.
Yet ever then he was vaguely con
scious that something in his brail
checked the impulses of his heart
warning him, counseling prudence
questioning even his love.
The girl said nothing, and Winter
did not break the silence. The mile,
were reeled off behind them; Wintol
did not know how long they travelled
but it was NOT vet dawn when thu
desert began to give place to a rang
of broken hills. They assembled a defilt
between two boulder strewn elevations
Now the character of the country ha(
changed. Imperceptibly the desert fel
away. There was green grass under.
foot, an occasional cactus raised its
spiny joints among the rocks, here and
there were clusters of a~cacias.
A man baboon barked at them from
among the rocks, in challenge of their
invasion of his domain, hurled a stone
at them, and fled scrambling into his
cave. Though no life was in evidence,
there was that indefinite stirring
around them that betokens the prep
aratiens for day. A breeze came up ;
her a line of amber appeared under
the cloud banks in the east.
Dawn was at hand as they rode
into the broken hills. Their horses
climbed steep slopes, ~dislodging show
ers of stones, then began to descend
into a fertile valley.
In the distance Winton could see a
cluster of beehive huts, the ~headquar-
tiers of the native tribe. And still
neither he nor Sheila had spoken.
The Hottentot who had set off afoot
had arrived before them. He ap-
peared out Of a cleft in the mountains
and indicated to Winton that he was
TO dismount. Winton and Sheila as
cended a little slope afoot, toward
the village.
In the center was a clearing, already
occupied by a %sumber of natives. They
were naked. except for their loin
cloths, aDd carried long throwing
spears and white ox-hide shields. AS
the two approached the chattering
ceased.
Winton perceived in the middle of
them a very old woman, wearing the
waist cloth and a gaudily-colored
blanket over her shoulders.
The natives sprang to their feet as
eheila drew neal and uttered a deep
voiced salutation. She spoke a few
words, and silently they filed away into
the huts. The old woman, Winton,
and Sheila were alone in front of a
%smoldering fire.
The aged woman raised her eyes
and fixed them on Winton's face.
Winton looked at her intently. She
was not unprepossessing, and he could
see now that, like most of her race,
she had aged more quickly than the
years of a white woman would have
warranted. Perhaps she was about sixty.
Her skin was the color of a dark
sunburned rather than pig
mented, and the features were regu-
lar; the eyes lacked the semioblique
of the Hottentot's. 1t was clear
that she had a considerable, perhaps
preponderating proportion of eau
casian blood.
Sheila turned to Winton, and, in
of his minimizing of her prom
lsed revelation he felt a chill at his
heart at the sight of her face.
This is my mother" she said, and,
bending, kissed the old woman
Winton stood perfectly still. The
revelation had stunned him. AS in a
1ream he looked into the old creatures
yrinkled face, conscious of Sheila's
Eyes fixed on his own. A bird broke
nto song; the tops of the mountains
we're silhouetted against the red of the
ky nothing seemed to stir, and the
,ird went on singing.
Sheila beckoned to Winton, and he =.
,ollowed her to the summit of the ele-
-ation. They were quite alone, look
ng down on the ring of native huts, {
nd the doll-like figure of the old queen {
f the tribe, who had not stirred. Evil :
emily she had not understood what I
'heila had said. /
Sheila faced Winton calmly. TT is i
doing" she said quietly. 81 /
you to leave me. Yes, / am Y
daughter of a white nan and a S
alf-breed native woman. c
"After my father ran away from b
fearing capture by the po- b
ce, he made his way into these ter b
tories. SO much De Witt told you.
[e wanted to tell you the rest. Per- s
APPS it would have been better If he '
ad done so, but l could not have s
orne ii then. I had been honored by v
as by none of the men in Malopo 81
no know who I am. A native woman,
he with the least speck of black blood
her, is always a native in their eyes. II
1t not so in your own land?' d
Eyes, answered Winton.
my father became q native chief, 81