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Show (' ( "V t t it'. -SK i'titi Ml HtMU &. -''. V't !'. '. tii t'. S' !ih. y ------.-.--. ...-.... ., "i A &f , - A STORY CF THE y i LVyyB & bbER CAMPAIGN j l YLlUfl DymDM.cken.le ( CIIAlTKIlA-l (Corttlnled At last they stopped Borne , one urno up to Hluebell and, to her lm-atnto lm-atnto relief, she felt the horrid cloth being untied The next moment It was drawn from' her brail, and then light, bleated light, albeit It waa only a faint gray dawn as yet, rtoojltd her eyes Hluebell uttered n half-nobbing ery and looked around at her companions, compan-ions, then at herself They wero In tho midst -of a great stretch of arid "ksroo" uoihlng but red (anil, nnroltoved by bu-hi grass or sign ot water -etthi) ab$ut them Around, however, 6o great black ers-gy rocks, with whsl seemed like a sandy ravine between, but the light waa so dim Hluebell could not be sure. Sbs wss,surs of ono thing That lhft had "never bein thero 'before. Hhn could 'only guess that thsy were about to enter a pass In tho'mmintnin which separated Natal from the Tranavaal and the Orange Prco State She looked at her companions. A attire "boy.." short itatured and attired at-tired almost In rsgs, with a villainous expression, walked besldo htr. On the other side, mounted on a large bay horse, bis dark, evil tackturlie8 to wards" her, was (lerald IJJpbre Then herAyes Jarao" pickup; hrrielf Sho had on tho dark .gown, which una had thrown on mhedWhUl!iiil been aroused by tho approach of the com.-msndo; com.-msndo; a heavy tweed clonk covered it down to her feet Orrtho- latter aho lad only tho tibVto allpp'ra sho bad put on jWhefi shojeit her room A little lit-tle lweeii,eap covered hcrilfshoveled hair, That nnd. the cloiik, she "rbn eluded, bad beon supplied by H6ore She turned to him, her fare like that Of one whr bad passed through n frtchtfui vigil, "and eoroo otito( t pale and worn, holfrv-eyed 'nbd hearti broke-u k raomentarjr Jlasli liher old courage camo to htr aa ahe saw tho. evil look In Moure's eye "Whero are you taking mo to? ' sho exclaimed "Are you a man at all, that you can draft too Irrfnf ray homo ot such a tlmo as this, when my father Jlen dead or. dyipc, killed by your treachery? "I took you for your own safety," he-replied he-replied with a cold smile 'Oh, )ou aro quite aafo with me, Miss Illuabell, don't bo afraid We are within a day and a night's Journey of our destination destina-tion Once we aro safely on Dutch soil you shall beepme .rpy wlfo, nnd then vy sliall c,rusa.ovur.tn Cagland-as soon "Vou aro tho worst man that 'lod haa left upon earth!" said the girl deliberately de-liberately "Hut, do, you think you will frighten mo Into what you wish, Ocrald Moore I am not afraid to die, nnd I will die rather than marry you You havo dono your worst when you tempted and betrayed my poor father, you cannot do mo nny harm now. UoJ will help mo ngslntt you " lie laughed Insultingly "If It pleases you to think to, my dear lady, I ha ono objections As for dylns well, wo shall' seo about that. There aro different ways of dying" All tho morning hours tbey jolted, s'umblcd and bump-d their way over 31 rutty and uneven plain Tho full uwn broke, and tho sun rose in all tho glorious majesty of day , Then, as tbey entered tho pacs be-twecnrthe be-twecnrthe rocky hills, tho full heat of the aun began to beat down .upon hem It beat on Hluebell a unshcltored head and gavo bcr a racking headache. Soon she became Intensely thirsty, bpt no water waa to bo seen; but tho paln-nnd weariness of JieY body was aa nqthlng compared to tha'anxlety, tho tea)-, tho anguish that racked her mind ' ' God, Ood, help met Thero Is none but Thou!" sho proved ngaln and again. Then there came to her mind tho remembrance of Adair Itothes' quiet, brave, strong faco, and her heart ibounded Ob, If ho only know what bad' happened, would he not try to save her from this awful fats? About midday Mooro called a halt Ho came forward to help Hluebell off her horse, but she scornfully waved him aaldo and slipped off herself, "You can easily catch mo If I at-tsmptjo at-tsmptjo runaway," aho sold. Hven aa tbfo'ords passed lic)fpa'bor heart beaUhlsh- j(lj r Hun away Why should sho not wake a bold attempt? Tbey could not bo very far distant from some town, when Mooro had spoken ot a day and a night' Jourf.iy And even if sho losUhertelt on thnt terrlblo trackless plain,' among thoso rocky mountains, better that fato than tho onp with which ahe waa threatened. Her chance waa to como sooner than iho expected. if ? if . s iht i f'lk JCHA-TCtl Vjlt, ''It Is Impossible! I cannot believe It!" exclaimed Adair rtothce "Mr. Leslie's house burned to tho ground, and ho himself shot by the commando! It Is too terrible for bcllcfl" The news had Just been related to Mm by a mcsicngcr, who had manngod to mako hla way Into Ladysmlth; for by this tlmo the war had commenced, and tho,battlo qf C-lcncoq been fqught and won. " 1 Doctor Itothca had not as yet left tho town, when ho had boon very busy, along with ono or two others, In at-! at-! tendingAo tho wpunded and dying who I h"ad-boeff) brougLt Into tho ton nnd conveyed to the house which had boen converted tnto a hospital No news of aSSaSi k ' ' aaaf'Viaai the outside world, savo of the army that bad ventured out to do battlo with the enemy, had reached tho llttlo town until how The messenger, a y6ung Dutch farmer, farm-er, who bad come to ask If he could be enrolled In the Hrltlsli army, waa surprised and frightened when be saw the look of alarm and horror which vcrsprcad the young man's tare "It la wtut I have been told, Herr .Doctor," said the young Dutchman stolidly, "and I ran tell you no more, but It la certain Herr Leslie Is deaJ, for he la tp be burled today " ltothcs was almost stuptned by the suddenness of the blow "It tho commando haa done thla without provocation we shall not tet tho matter rest there," he said ''And what of Miss Ullo and Miss Kllxa-belli, Kllxa-belli, his daughter and alatec?,' The young man shook his head. He had given all hla Information Itothea could not rest until he heard more. He arranged with the other medical mn, and, escaping from the town, though under a heavy lire from the enemy, he wdo at as mad a paco as ho had ever Indulgod In, towards New Kelso ' It waa late In tho afternoon when bo reached It. nnd, long ere ho did ao, bo aw a mass pt blaik rulna through tliq gum trii-n, which Confirmed tho story ho had heanf Ho" iiriwhia breath In ahdvply, a feeling ft utmost overwhelming fear and foreboding eclttd upon Mini, Then' ho rode up tho avenue towards tho black rutnsMhat had onca boen so. rjrpi pnd wrcl a hoine, and that hnd hi-lrt IhV tleaffsl fhfnV W Mm W oarth-lllutuclL oarth-lllutuclL Ijruebclll Whero was ahe now? The .nulhquso In which tho native aonatita rbnd slfpf "was, strangely enoiigh, untouched by Dro Itothea rode up .towards It. hla heart beating with dull harumor-llka llirpbt As he nearcd It a Hguro emerged from tho low, raud doorway, Tho building Was merely p. mud houso daubed over with, clay, Tho figure was that 'of Miss lltabcth She camo "quickly forward nnd Ttbthes saw how shockingly changed ab wni( , Her hair seemed to have grown grey, her face was like that of a very old Woman, drnwn and wrinkled) her cheeka and oyca hollow and sunken, and the latter looked as If all tho ters bad been wrung out of them. Hut they had not. A dry,, sob burst frum her si iho recogn(edUothea, and, as ho clasped lier lianu, tho tears rushed forth, ' Thank Oodi Ob, thank Clod! It la a wonder to royaelf I havo not gone mad during these Jong days! Never a white face that 1 knew to appeal ap-peal to Hut now Oh, you will, for charity's dear sake, for the aake of the kind 1ird above, you will acek for my lost child. Doctor Hollies?" Ho paled suddenly holding tho thin, hard-working haud In an unconsciously unconscious-ly painful grasp "1-oatl What do you mean, Mlia Kllxabcth? Is It Hluebell who Is lost? ' "Yes. my bairn- my little liliicbclt!" She burst Into tho painful, bitter tears of old age "Now my brother Is golio -and Ood alono knows whether tho awful chargo they brought against him was truo or pot I can thlnK of nothing, noth-ing, of no one but my lost darling Wticro Is she? Is aho still alive? Has death overtaken herr bfu something worao? Oh, If I but knew tho truth, a en It It were death, It would not bo so nwfult Hut this unci rtslnly (ho Almighty nbpvQ knows bow bear It nnd still keep sane!" "i:xplsln all to mo, Mlts Klliabeth." Itothea led her to an Iron garden Boat that the Dro had been compelled to eparo, and sat down beside her, his own faco pale and set, ' Tell mo tho wholo nffalr as briefly as posilble, and then I shMl know what to do " Sho did ao, with wonderful brevity andjexactnons When ahe mentioned tho name of '-Gerald Mooro, Itotbes started from h!a,s'at, hla eyea biasing, then, with a gesturo, askod her to go on ' "I did not tee whero niuebell was fora lohg time Tho leader of tho lidcri examined my brother for himself. him-self. 'He laftoa'd, thero Is no doubt Qf It It waa an apoplectic stroke,' ha said Then bo said ho must take my brother's body wltlt him His orders vicro to bring him dead or alive J prayed. I besought Then suddenly the servants camo running to aay tbo homo was on lira 11 had been set dro to by noma of tho Hocrs, misunderstanding misunder-standing an order of their leader al least, so tbey sjd t waa then I learned Hluebell waa gone. -Bam told me ho hail "seem Dana .looro carrying her off, with a'ttoth over her bead., and wlitn Bam had run after hm Mooro covered blra with a pistol " "Ydil moan,' said Itothes hoarsely, Interrupting bcr, n look In bis faco that terrified the poor wuman, "that It la that villain In whoso hands sho Is now? ' "I tell you all I know," said Miss Kllxabetb, sobbing 'Doctor Itothes. do you know anything? Hut let me finish first When tho noers saw tho terrlblo conflagration they consulted hastily among themselves, and finally made off, leaving mo with my dead nnd' half-cratod servants Wl' , carried my brother'B body outf aijd, without trying to sao any' s-o' Sam and MjIUI ! ewrch lete'l.1 They did n return '" - tl -v'tbout '' tw-8 of her. That all, happened three day M ngo We had to bury my brother our- H telvca" Mss Klliabrth svclje cbok-i H ed "The bays managed "' kind ot H wooden shell to lay him In, and thoy H burled him under the kopje pcaVest the M river What else could we do? ' Miss H Hlltabcth wrung tier hands ' Doctor Hasan Itothes, theto was no minister' to say Aral a prajcr 1 had to dti It myself. Ob, KaW my poor brother!" (Km The tone ot anguish In the poor UE lady a voice would havo touched a far Cna moro callous heart than Adar, itothea u Ills wholo mind was taken up with 9B Hluebell a fale, nnd he had far mora WCK reason than Miss Illtabcth to mistrust cBl Moore. Yet ho laid his hand for a mo- frVJ ment consolingly on tfist If tho poor BttfB woman JuLcrI "Miss Klliabeth, you ore a Christ- MzM Ian, and you know and jielleve that SuS God a hand guldea all tho events of our StsfH lives Your brother Is In Ills hsnds, SEl and we know that they are hands ot BW Infinite wisdom and mercy Wo have hHuf the Hying to think" of now Tell me, rWfi have you dono anything mora to find SbbbsI your blue?" K ' I have sent Bam again In aearch ot jH her. He kneW the country better than H anyone ehe, and he has taken Kaiser, H my brother's horse He went away H yesterday morning", nnd I gave him H food and drink enough to last aeveral H days H 'Which direction did he taker M Itothes atked M He had gono southwards, toward the H Tugela river, she, said H "Then 1 shall taki the other dlree- H tlon," said Ilothf s, etsndltg up. "lam l j certain It (lerald Moor, as ho calls H himself, has carried her off, he haa H taken her beyond ltrttlili territory I M knbw that man, Atlsa Kllxabeth. He I M a scoundrel of tho deepest dyql" flgBai 'V"iaf do you know of him?" ahn H gasped, selling his arm ' Ob, God for- H bid that my darling should bo In tha Mbbbb! hinds ot such a roan, It ht Is. what you M W" fflaH "1 knew 111 in In Marltiburg," said "''bbbsssbi Itothea briefly. "I learned by chanco .M what bo was, and, ha knew.lt, and iH hatea roo or It lo robbed a dead man H at Klmberley That la how bo obtain- M ed hla wealth gg "And, almost .worao than t,hnt, no H has been a vile any In the par ot the H Doers The Hocri dftplto iilm) but ho B has be'n ot uso u them Now 1 must iBb! wait no longer, Mist P,llbUu I mutt " 1 lfurry back to Ijkdysmlth. I cannot M leave my dutlra thero without warning 1 Hut tonight I shall be on Moore a '"Hi track, and, please Ood, I shall Jlnd hlin H She clasped bis hand, weeping H "Yon aro going to seek for my dar- HJ Jlngl Oh, may (Jed, blest you and glvo you succfis! It Is He who hsa put It H Into, your heart to help mo!" Ho looked at her for a moment. .B Words seemed trembling on bis lips, XaVal but ho checked them and wrung ber KBbsI Asnd Instead ' VgSH V'Good-byl Mils niltabcth. Take HsVJ cirs of ljpixif, and make yourself aa JsHm1 coVnforUulo at you can. I can't "oJkT VJHj jiit to go to a placo where you would ba safer than here, for I wish to Had H you when I camo bick. And I shall VMV not e.omo back until 1 bavo found her, IVsVJ with qod'a help Oood-by, good-byl" Hj HoNvas gone, and Miss GllzabetU HJ was left alono with her fear and anx- H lety, and only bcr native servants a companions, Hj it was late tbnt night when Itothea H waa ablo to tet out HO struck across H rountry from ldytmltli, following tho Tugtla for tome tlmo, then skirting the mountains lie had brought with him his native boy, n lithe and bardy H llttlo Zulu, who waa aa clevor at fol- lowing a 'spoor" aa n rl Indian Hla B own horto waa a hardy and suro-tootod H animal, the Zulu rode an equally H sturdy though amiller beast, baro- H backed, H (To be continued j |