Show J F o U a r TUB MERCY Old OF THE TOR BOER BOERA A south African Pastoral t fallen upon Ut the veldt I Just Ju t t 1 aA I hd had It Fisk k The f 1 thick I II n nIn In loo II a I until there then toes roM t tt the fur t I It t able w tta dae ot th t S rII I I h sd hard and as cl cut pi Jn 1111 at disk The ant nt hI I I II I t the r bloke the Nl alfie Ink Inky l nun puns u r the cold white glare Irei In UI Ito UIrl i out bown r rl rI P i The T use leote of oC ot o the 1 01 In was al wn with lire fire seemed so 10 re rehe reo he rYr Int and the bare bue earth stretching tar far fareau eau lilt into the dim ao and It hive vt been mP world of of DC some P dead r n tin th the edge uC of the marsh a transport B tty 1 for th the n where I th et of light where struggled for tor ou the m ml nn mad tithe ot hr he l uk tethered to the dl el eland tn and noW and again the ot of mom I Th only nl were the I I r tr It In the and an ans It s or a two men leaning ot of kat I k j against 1 the karol karo meer A ting over on one ot of the JOn r hr s sN N rI r tb the elder man the i fl Ir l r and owner of at the he w on one e Ing IO hi Ie With us u ail kit fn nn Ill et hr 0 lb brat Hut JIu k bas OUI other It t Is 1 three week tour four week troll and she he h hall hu cat p 1 lit 1 11 the all Ih the time and carried the I i 10 tl How the poor girl 1111 I Ik know Take only the ChIW J k b Ile It w ne to eaU eat Jow II Ie the lJ t I at demanded th the Boer lu uy j Are there not enough t 10 t till rill already And Gal know knowe I II I 1 a I much lOud further the span can go hut In thle th country he n hale hae enough to pull a a It I 1 AndI And I ty sh uld I h ed the wife and child of oC nosy Ir tic k ph lm that le Is tool fool enough wart An end be sp I I Into the th lire fire Mt ut Ih the I persisted Islet that mall ar t Bute but little not quarters quarter s n hluch uch as 11 Jug dog IChu may mayn n essay RM Ir the girl fa fall sick and nd h he herna rna ne koons the road and h he drifts u b mss cI the river There aae a moments pause Well tie t brat rat then tn in God name h The girl can walk a ae she sheI t I three three he add and rolled himself In hie rug to tor ar r III id further surrender ii Io t I rose Me slimy to hi his ft feet the night iii ht km teas 1189 growing chill ne He knocked knocked a ashes h out of 01 his hll some f nl the of oC the fire are and went od tl to the thc side of the wagon walon wagons s e I these boys Were lying J 1 called Here Iere a moment gran tram from one of at the blanket l e hinh r I a J t ob the baby may tide ride rider r i with tb the maw In the wagon but Ut the girl must still walk The Then Wu was a sudden movement at WI kle WItt tt feet and a dark ark Mure rolled out of oC the blanket No boy nol Not that lil Ills hind hand was w being covered with kl kisses drew It II sharply taking a strip of at 1 tram from III hi pocket thrust In in ID into to Ute the Hue this ma may help tor the girl for tor It was waa all I could Itt get b he aid lei roughly and on hi ids heel he went back to wb where rl his hll lire bro brother ther lay sleeping Baas Daa Ph Pits WU was U ULa averse to La being generous III a the trans transport port rider though for Cor other reasons For a while Klaus lay still Presently Ute the hard piece ot of meat mat and his hll own upper supper ot of Moiled boUt malles he be crept shivering from his hla blanket and went wat slowly lowly out on to 10 the silent veldt In the direction from hom which the Ille wagon walon had come a as b he had bad lone gone every night to listen for the sigal that told him was wa there among tb the sat tbt hills Then he would cheer beer her br herup up and lilt alt beside hr her while she ate some IOme at o his hla poor rations ration though the they were trot not enough for tor her and th the child Betta w was a rood good girl HI H knew that when h he gave lae her father two tWI oxen OleD end and some IOme and took tk h her r awa away with him from tho old 01 kraal 11 by the wagon waon drift across aeron the Krol three years ago alO she had been w Ith him ever since and n now when the trek began Bu Baas Jakob would not let her ride In the Ule wagon or Im even Come ome near It Klaus grasped the dangling from hie hi belt a at the of the Ibe cut across the mouth that the drunken transport rider had linn given him with his hie when he had naked hi his par mission then was the baby and he could not bot 1 nave have left letl both bolh of them behind so tar lar from the kraal and her own people But Baas Baal Jakob wu was a hard bard bardman hardman man h he did not understand nd such luch thing Ever since they had bad left maD many weeks had walked at atter ter them the baby balty slung at I her r bAck and there were weN yet three weeks more and the desert It strip rip to ero cross before tb they reached the Great Belt and nd the river nut But the bab baby was to ride In the wagon now with the and nd the girl would not be so 10 tired Ab Bus Plot PIt ws was a fold ter than Bus Jakob n He would help and later Iter on lie he might even be rich enough nouh to 10 buy a few Cw head ot of cattle and nd some ponies and they would alt go back to the old place on the Krel and I II lie started to hll hie feet as 1 the pipe pip of 01 a came eam faintly out of 01 the dl die Delta was AI there at last The wagon was Wat creaking along under the burning noonday sun lIun the oxen stumbled lazily with lolling tongues crawling at snails twee without fear ot of the flick ot of the lash for tor every err one Olle wu was wuIe asleep Ie except pt th the little Ing In front or of the two leaders leadell crooning an native song to 10 himself The Th wind more burning than the sun lun came camlIn In gusts the arld veldt dlo destitute of grass ue er and up great cloudS ot Of red duet dUlt whirled d 1 them In eddying choking IDA mare about the wagon and then wept swept them wy away until tM they vanished In the shimmering has h Now ow ared nd Ihen a do fled hl black and yellow shell out of th the wa way ot of the span and alj lumbered heavily ort off the track to 10 a sate lart there then thereto to retire mira within hims It until the un unwonted unwonted wonted apparition had disappeared be beyond beyond yond hi big limited or a snake would shoot out a shining heRd head from the shelter of some lome deserted ant nt heap al a athe the nimble lIble of wheel routed roused him from flom hi his nap and tar far UP In the clear blue air floated a great reat without tremor of at his bill wide Ido pinion lust Just as h he had bad Hated for tor man many d day past palt watch lag and nd walling Suddenly there W was a stir under the Ibe tilt The curtain was waa flung aside and Baas PI Piet et od d out on to the fore fote forepart part of 01 the wagon wagn Yawning sl he shouted dle the marl mare I ride onto till Y T Y Y beyond the drift It cannot be fr far oft off no n Klau appeared a from Crom the theOD OD when litre ids bl blanket was waa slung hamm hammock ck fashion to in Ute the daytime No Ba Baas PIt Piet the should not be more than on one hours hOara ride now aDd the hole hol Is II only t two mill mil fur CUr then ther Presently he brow ht the mAre around from the hack of If this wa wagon n where Ih sic had been tied UP tightened the girths and aad rolf up Ih the rein of the neck hl hal halter ter Baa Maas PIt Piet swung himself ort off the edge of the wagon lain Into the saddle Tell the Baas Bau when he be wakes u uhe reins Ur he be said laid end with a shake of the re nl cantered olT through the dUll duet It cannot be tr tar oft of now repeated Klaus to himself A as he watched until tie ht became In III the midst of the va vast t brown of oC Bun eun scorched hillside 1 It was Waa now tin Are days a they bad hila M left ua the lut Iut lei and ad he had bad given near nearly I ly all his hla share ot of th the hot mudd muddy w we weter ter that the tb served out to 10 the girl for the last few days daI but that w was Vf very very little and nd she was U sick dele too Nor For a moment h he stopped and act looked backward re flea topping the test lut rise mils mil and mil away bl his keen sight pIck out against the skyline th the little black speak Iok that thai had been be behind behind hind them tor lor so au many week now fd on with parched lip through the heat hea t and loneliness ot of the plains plain alwa always dropping farther and nd farther behind as aa ev evening drew In lie 11 heard the snore of the transport rider and his hili a a they slept corn om flit I lib I under the tilt If they could only feel what Betts Betta f It was a for her br now that she hud had nut nol the baby to III carry lIfry anti and th the water was wall close 10 In front and after that only two 10 fir or three Ih Jays trek Irk before the th desert ended und and d by the thought Klaus walked 1 n utter lb the wagon and returned to his hla blanket The bab baby was waa certainly the mot most COD tented of oC all lying In un empty sugar box under the shade t C the tilt lilt en engaged filled In ht ratling the sett rodl end n 1 of th the lash laRh round and n 1 round It its chubby arms It grew r end and pier evI every da day The Th rather liked It II binok an a It wa for tor eh h had no chit chil children dren of hr her own on All at al tine In Came Il a warn In about from th the Th wre r right on th the edge 11 of oC the till the I leaden be bean begin gin an to in pick liIk t their way a down don the he te p bank over the lose rocks and send Klaus Will was bul busy putting the hUll heavy IY Iron under one lIne of the hind hIHI wheels while Boas Hila Jakob In a bad temper at having hi p disturbed Mt eat ulon the front of th the lIlon wear swear tag ul at and the other bo Loy fur Cur beth lacy lalY No Noa over fr a smooth shelving rock now plunging down don over overa a ledge Idt with a tar ar thus o d evet every bolt and kp th Ih heavy htay wagon crashed du down nth the hunk hank only nl 10 Income come to tn toa a stop at the bottom In sand IlAnd up to the a axles The pan were knotted In a tangled mob of M clashing horn and twisted yoke reins and Ind pawing up the Ibe sad with impatient hoofs hoob Instinct told them tb that water was w It was al far far below for forthe tile the last rains had fallen rallen man many lack back raged raed the an antry u try nan Baa beside himself Twist their tails get tt that Iron spike here her that will make mak the devils move moe But jUI It was AU of n no u use e Ih the span on y becamE more hopelessly entangled tn vain Klaus Klau dashed In among amone them In III hand kicking here hen and ands s ashing there while Henrik and the v called upon the bea beasts by byname byname name and urged 1 them forward Water Ibe they knEw was waa there and water they would have Th whip R bY dont don t you take the whiP you Where lilt i roared th the Infuriated Boer rising and glarIng about Ih the wagon wacon As Aa h he I went ht forward he bp stumbled over the baby and It Its box It and tending sending the child rolling roiling acres the floor noor of the wagon where It lay In a ball on ona a heap of skins crowing with delight People so ao seldom played gam games with It II The Boer the empty empt box back against the side with hog hla root foot and snatched up the bamboo whip handle Poising ft I carefully above his hla head in III both hands hanel he gave ve a little preliminary flourish but the end was waa caught In lom brat again curse cure It It open wide wid eye erel ot of pleasure at him up its Ita ll wrists M wound round with the end of the 1111 laa task With a savage oath he be kicked It of off the end ot of the win Po n Isle 10 the th midst o 0 othe the oat M broUght the thet t down do wn ul oD um III ll bl his f force rc Api AgIn sad bt It and whined down with a or crack k It like a rifle hot ahot g Ito into the u steaming 1 of lh the Ilu molt they A bellowed llo alp bIet by b tilt a thew w sad od the hoa r it IQ JM th beans rit Ib Klaus and the tbt VOl v at the lead IMd leaden fra en st It t 11 the tr far ther her pr t I t l 0 creak cre I t aed be behind hind them 1114 ea n IY lor r ward rd Into the uk Oak nd w a alt was the Hard came out of et the Oft Mu to scuttle back with a wh of ll II There wu was water In t the drift weer dripping ow Hn the 1 stones and s lu sand I Overhead salted a ruins 1 f In ever PI nar narrowing rowing rowin I then the dM night tell Klaus It was u late that crawled a 01 wag wagon I Ion on taking a full oI eat b water ater I II from the pool sad ht hie sv the Baas Baa BaaI I was I v very angry with Mn because the wagon had Kuck in hi the Uee Juch how could hi he kelp help It It IC the oxen oren would not be bad llad forbidden hint to leave the wagon to see Betta But no DO Baal Ba could keep him froM tort doing that no matter matte how bOW matt maar he b bot got ot tor It Itlie ItHe lie He walked back u sir far u tile the edge ot et the drift and sat at there waiting ill He could not see Ie far tonight for tor there was no moon only the halt hatt light ot of tb the stare and nd the bottom of the drifts drift at bl hil jackel close do by br and at bla s ap preach a vulture gorged with willa the re reo male maln of at some worn out trek o of that had fallen then Ihre to die though he be did not remember noticing It It hid had heavily od Into the night t C JI UI wall man mussy dour houra but th td I l I did nut come Of Gf laving I t 1 baby bu I r I to carry carrr again would make J 1 r take In Inge for tor Baas Baa Jakc Jakob b had bad t r I 1 him that h be hat had seen en It roll off the w won on that l trying to 10 reach 1 a II 11 tort on ibe road and crawl nr M It unhurt and how hI he hAd watch Id d th there re until Hetta had I picked d It up UI wic I j y 1 she Ii Caine along still she would 1 up Ul nut next and he be left lb the water r breaker and the food no l led tlell up I II e u 14 plan pIto of C rig tinder tander 1 a heap hrap of 01 n 11 Itt the middle of the roat so NO that th Ih i lIHI Could not ot get et at al them and n ii might find them there In the I Hut But Betta did not catch the NUI n dup III next neat evening or lr the next luX Four da day afterwards th they hl hi pasho d the edge ot of lb the and iI I among tb the shady I a u anal 1111 the willows b by the banks of tin the treat t tier Never mind Klaus said lIa I s kindly patting him on the 1111 Nh ut hunger lun is a bed bad death but tJUI It Is tj G I iwI 4 wI I I Besides Helit b added wib a ens II 1 there an 1 t yet iliaD many good fOOd In Its H nJ Hut you Will Ita stay with JI Jakob and me yet t a bit J 1 stay III with Baa DIu Jak t anew rel Klaus Klau He treats I s II sas as aB well as any other i t |