Show 1 6 y mt im 1 shafts 1 S t 9 ss S J 3 2 LOST A STORY OF THE 0 I 1 rf BOER CAMPAIGN ff j 0 ON N T THE H E 2 1 IN 46 P 4 yi O 0 r 0 3 0 P I 1 VELDT 1 t ey IL IL mackenzie P I 1 0 0 wf fW isa 1 C c A C CHAIN arll it II Continued 1 I remembered this waa was the tb day you poke of over laid said dr adair for it waa was be hein bein in a lay low voice but I 1 hardly you would come today with these gerrib t rumor rumors about bluebell Ulu Blue ebell bello eyes crew grew larer 1 than thin their rout wout rumor rumors I 1 heard beard say ah tr rid sad what are they docto rothes you beard lie had not released her band and waa was boldt holding n g it I 1 tery very closely now they say ay that this t the I 1 doers are marching marob inc jut anti inti natal attl I 1 I 1 oh ohl bluebell Ulu ebell uttered a little cry and the ros color faded laded out of her face ace 1 Is I it war then 1 I suppose go cothes answered rarely gravely it eema seems kruger bu an a bood aa as declared war by sending a me age to england de manling that our troops should bo be rat recill oled cil from rom south africa bluebell sat very still on her horae horse her handa hands clasped rothes bad had at last withdrawn hta his will ther they rom roni I to Lady ladysmith smith shi the whispered at lt net rothes nodded that la Is what la Is expected vi io ahall shall be besle belief gd d the inhabitant inhabitants are beginning to fly fir already and I 1 expect in a fe lew daya days Lady ladysmith smith will be deserted except by the barrson Bar gar and you what win will you dot ulue lug 1111 asked there as a little quiver la in her bar voice which teemed seemed to end send a swift brill thrill ot of mingled joy anil and pain to rothe very soul I 1 I 1 ball shall remain here of cobrae h ay iy a ans answered sered trying to speak in hta u haual is I 1 tone unless there la Is fig bt 1 I 11 1 out aide side it there la Is I 1 hall shall go wl blui 1 the army bluebell Ulu ebell waa was client for or a moment and then she be said you will be on our side ide of course I 1 1 I will be with the british army arron rothes answered quietly I 1 but thank heaven a doctor a bL blaness bLo loess Iness li Is not to fight on any particular ade side rr or to slay lay bla his brother but to do what he lie can for or those who are wounded and lying dying on an either aide side dot yiu are going into the town MISS bealle I 1 must not 11 I 1 hare have massager said bluebell I 1 but I 1 will vt rt r t wait wilt long aa as I 1 an am ving c nc back alone may I 1 go a bit ot of the way with you rout rothes asked eagerly 1 I do not like the idea ot of you riding I 1 th cs twelve milea miles alone with the country la in thil this state her iler soft eyes fell suddenly aud denly bluebell would hardly acknowledge to herself bow her heart beat and her vein thrilled at the proposal thank you abe she said the next moment it la Is kind of you I 1 shall leave the town about three I 1 think then I 1 ball shall be here at abat time he ie answered good bye juit just now and nd he mored moved away awat bluebell rode on into the town the terrible tidings had shocked and horrified her but abe she was not frightened there waa was little fear in bluebell Lesl lea nature email small and childish and fragile as she looked and she vas a roman woman and the look in adair yea eyes the close warm clasp of his band hand occupied her thoughts almost more than this terrible picture of war she found Lady ladysmith smith in a state of confusion many of the chopi shops were hut shut but bluebell managed to eel get I 1 hr bor business nes done and then ent see one of her acquaintances she found her busy preparing for departure 1 I suppose a cafer safer to E g said mrs him lloyd a pretty little english woman whose husband was pu cancer insists on my going but I 1 don t feel as an if I 1 could leave him here alone yon you are going and anit mr linyu la Is remaining exclaimed bluebell with starred startled eyes and then oh ob kell nellie how can your I 1 would not of course if I 1 had bad only myself to consider said mrs lloyd the tears spring lug to her eyes it rut at there Is my poor little baby I 1 what of that aid said bluebell A wife a place Is beside her husband curtly better you should both die together tott ther it the worst comes thap that you should be separated nellie how bow would you feel if it anything happ happened ened to your husband and you ID to for far wyt nellie burst into tears Us its yoa you are cre quite right bluebell I 1 held beld out against ted ever so long lon and now that you speak like that I 1 feel fee that I 1 hare been very co cowardly ardly to sir sire in to him iio no I 1 won on t 01 bluebell left her bar friend whose mind was thoroughly made up after a little and the two friends kissed each other with the feeling that they might never meet meat again on earth bluebell kept back her own tears and answered the little woman as bravely as she rou could but as she rode out of the town leath her path waa was all blurred by the blind log ing tears that cacie came to her eyes now doctor lothes was waiting tor for her bar mounted on a fine chesnut horse ot of bis his wn and together they rode on in silence they were out of sight of the town tou you saw one of your friends frIend sT said at last 1 I les es I 1 saw lira lloyd she Is go ing to stay at Lady ladysmith smith even if it la Is besieged brave little bomani said cothes a k tone of em in in his alys rays thou tit her bar rather a butterfly ind and I 1 bee beg her pardon mentally for in fat fa t you thought she an and d I 1 were aery much alike sold d with I 1 1 little tone of coquetry confes confess now rou think to tat tt too dent dont yon cu Roth Ro esl A 1 I never thought you anything ut iut he ile waa was with ith a sud len passion pas eloa ant he b suddenly checked and paused you know yr yrs 1 l not Justi justified fed la in like tf ati I 1 I 1 il I 1 be mid said at lat last gravely did I 1 ever i tire give you reason to do so 0 o bluebell laughed a little do you re the ball at t mar last spring doctor rothes ah yaa did dida t approve of nn me at t all then its II 11 remembered it quite well ell it was the first time be he had bad met the 1 IRA lift lie for be had been practicing in Marits burg himself then bluebell a wild childishly high spirits hid bad carried her away that night and ib ab a bad had flirted indiscriminately with all be the it alcen ere then stationed at bluebell Blu etell remembered it too who fo that crille lookin young man gating 0 so o st at nit me abe the aked asked ler ter partner a gay young lieutenant do you think he be an introduction or I 1 hn hot only trying to wither me with a glance ot of hi his eyet the latter I 1 think the lieutenant had answered more truthfully truth filly than gallantly ile a doctor and they ay say he ii Is one of the ar a fully serious oui gitil you know take tales life like a funeral and believe believes one should BO 90 to church twice on sunday i that kind ot of thing dont you know rothes riot hc sunburned face bad had deepened juit just a little in tint it la Is too bid b id to bring back those old foolish nesses to ones one memory le L ald I 1 did not know you then mimi leslie I 1 had not seen you in your home I 1 did not know you earned the loa loie and devotion of the poor natives on your father fathers place I 1 did not hot know you taught them ai as far as was possible not the mere profession of but ita its practice bluebell bent a little over her bone horse a head bead 1 I am afraid I 1 ought to teach myself that first doctor rothel charity charily begins at home but let us u not riot speak of this IN a e can t be a anything Is but friends can we with this terrible dancer danger facing usa us surely it will draw all european Lur peeps 0 out t here closer together if it anything coulat yes eald said quietly I 1 we can t be anything but friends bluebell felt WI hurt at the cold words they rode on the horses necks quite close together and rothe talked of the coming ordeal bluebell felt somehow strangely disappointed the last time she had met alair ad sir rothes he bad had held her bani hand long and looked into her yes yen with a look that had made crery every vein in her tody body thrill and now be he was so cool and indifferent a friend as be he had bad said and a a it nothing more it was not that bluebell vas as in love with him she hersel about a dozen times a day that she liked adair rothes vry much but could never imagine him as a lover yet now why this sinking of her bar heart it was drawing towards sunset a corlous gor loul lous sunset the whole ot of the sky died in crimson and gold the very tery veldt reflected the crimson so that it looked as it if it were bathed lo 10 blood bluebell shuddered as she thought that very soon it might bi A kopje was before them one of those little bills hills rising steeply from the one side sloping from the other so 20 common on the natal veldt sud denly as bluebell looked towards it if a figure on horseback emerged from behind it and came riding straight towards them bluebell felt a thrill of annoyance ind and aversion run through her tor for she the recognized the rider at once it vaa was the millionaire gerald moore CHAPTER III ile rode forward and lifted III hat bat putting his horse in bluebell a way so that the could not pass bluebell fan jan cled his face was paler than usual but bis his deep slowly u oving eyes did not move 1 from her face your father has cent sent me to meet you cu mils miss leslie he cald said in big rich deep tone we have heird that the boer army haa has crossed into natal atal and ie lit marching straight on ladysmith Lady smith it t Is not sate safe for you to be alone on ca the veldt 1 I am not alone thank you moore said the girl a touch c of defiance la in ber her tone tones docter rothes a he turned towards adair has ban kindly been seeing mi nin home il lie bad lad heard beard the new news you refer to she v as struck by the look on gerald moore moores face as he turned to rothes there wa was an almost diabolical expression upon it but it afy a ay so quickly that she could not hare have sworn to it 11 1 I presume that dr rothes v I 1 I 1 not object to handing yot yon over to ny my charge now that you are within three miles ot of hew new kelo kelso I 1 he raid it seemed to bluebell there was an o 0 tn derc of either menace or den anc ant la in lis voice ohe be glanced in 0 cothes face lie eat sat very tiff stif and very erect on olk his horse his face ace turned towards the other man bluebell had vernot never ne tot even that of 0 the wl seen so 20 stern and cold a look upon bis bits face as that which froze it at this mo moment monet net the expression started startled her still more now N V as it possible thee tiro two mea men knew each 1 I leave the matter entirely in aiss lesliea 2 hands he said aid gravely it if a he thinks I 1 have come far enough I 1 a am ns quite prepared to return to lady smith lockee at bluebell you tou had better come with me ehg j leslie and allow dr rothes to ze return home he said then added in a lower tone 1 I our father Is not quite alt himself today perhaps you would nut care to have a stranger it dit new kelso under the circumstances not ot quite himself that decided bluebell Bl not for worlds would ehe she have adair rothes whose rood good opia opla ion 1021 she felt so strangely reluctant I 1 to 0 I 1 lose os dafie as her own father in a halfin abed condition and that wu 11 11 lw 4 evidently vlast ri dently ly wb what a at t 11 moon core a words word implied d r adif adam leslie bad abw always ays been be s a it 1 11 t 1 tie 1 apt to a aced exceed d but t it t I 1 wa aras pras CL only 11 ot 0 t late within the last all alx lx m months loathe thai that i Ms bt daughter dauch ter bad noticed IL 11 and 11 seemed to her since the coming ot of gerald moor moore that ber bar fatter tafter bail bad yielded still more to ills LI unfortunate wea kneEL perhaps perils ps you had bad better not corn come any further doctor she ah said laid la ilk a low voice it mr moore Is going to tew new kelso of course he be may at ILI but I 1 would just aa a well ride with ste a myself I 1 am not a bit soon 0 so o by afraid rothes took off oil his hi hat and held out his hand band for one minute 0 only uly one their hone horses were cloe clog to jether ther and moore a wai was so 0 o fir far BPI apart 9 rt as a to render him out of cannot earshot at least of a whisper good by said cothes hurriedly and 0 little hoarsely I 1 don t know when I 1 war see you gain god only knows I 1 pray that he ile ma may y end nd kep you from danger dant tr he lie bent A little nearer and added in a js whisper wb liper at As you value 1 your abety safety and happl aw seas beware of that man I 1 entreat of you to da do so 0 he ile la in a dance rou man majl I 1 cannot say ay more good by tood go od by the clap clasp of his fingers on her hand band aps to remain there for many dais he lie rode off railing raising his bat and a trance strange sense of des de satin and lone tone illness fell upon bluebell se she turned rovers helk heni I 1 and rode on not glancing clan cing at moore words still ring rang in ear ears I 1 so that la Is doctor Rot rothes bes 9 aid moore giving his hone horse a little cut of the hip that cent sent him on beside bluebell 1 as the said ald looking fra leht I 1 into ato his face do dja know him 1 I had the pleasure pira eure of meeting bim him C care t c la in said the millee aire alre dryly I 1 but mlis miss leslie I 1 wish to talk of hometh lnE etie else just now lour father has given iven me leave to do go 0 o N hat do you think has kept me all this time liner liefering lin fering lag about this district bluebell shook her ruddy brown head A feeling of tague discomfort and uneasiness shot through her at the question but not in ber her wildest guesses could she hare have arrived within a mile of the truth gerald moore went on slowly I 1 the country will soon be in a ferment existence in it III be dangerous unsafe for men this does not mattar so much tar tr women especially those he be paused aid and added imbres lively whom we love 1 it lj Is terrible not lot to be thought of your jatho wishes you to go out of he the country bile et there Is time to be continued |