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Show aaVV'iWaBBSEaiSia.KBiiaiiraiaaaBaaiBSaaiiaaaa -aiW I ---"- f ! ! '! j!'. !i ! JK ! t ! il'Mlii'.i i'.i t ! J ?! ! ! ! ''', Jj JjSSSSSSSSSSSSSlSSSSSmSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS.M f in t a story piss i ; ONTHb.... -::j jN NATALl-CA-g Cl 5 Y LLL II DrH.D.Mi:WnjIe J p .ssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssss... 'i ...... .. . . . t.j ....-... ....--TjstiiKXij ta,s a, f t ,k js (s l S O 'I" S ClIAl'ir.U II (Continued ) "l remembered thla sai tho da you poke of rlJIiiK orer," said Dr. A.talr Hollies for It was he In a low olco, "but I hardly expected ou would come today, with these terrible rumors about " Dlucbfira ejea grew larger than their wont. "ItumoraT I limcn't heard any," ho aid. "What arc they. Uoilnr llothea?" "You haien't heard!" He had not released her hand, and wis holdlnt; It scry closely now. "They say that tho Dorrs nro marching Into Natal" Oh!" lllueboll intend n little cry, and tho rosy color faded out of her face. "! it war, then?" "I auppose tso," Kothcs ananercd gravely. "It teems Kruger hat ai good as declared war by sending n mrasaga to England demanding that our troops should be Immediately recalled from South Africa." Ulucbell sat very sllll on her horse, her hands clasped; Itothca had at last withdrawn hit. "Will thev come to LadyimUhJ" aho whispered nt last. Itothca nodded, 'That Is what If expected. Wo ahnll be besieged. Tho Inhabitants nro beginning to fly already, al-ready, and I expect In a few dayf I.adyamUh will bo deserted except by tho garrison." "And ou, what will you dot" Illuo-bell Illuo-bell asked. There una a llttlo quiver In her voice, which seemed to send a swift thrill of mingled Joy and pain to Itothea' very soul. "I shall remain here, of course," ha answered, trying to t peak In his usual tone. "Unlcia thero It fighting out-tide. out-tide. It tbtra It I thall go with the. army." , Uluebell was silent for a moment, and then she said: "You will bo on our tide, of courser "I will bo with the llrltlsh army," Itothca antwered quietly, "hut, thank heaven, a doctor's buslncst Is not to fight on any particular tide, or to tlay bis brother, but to do what bo can fur thoso who are wounded and dying on either side. Ilut )ou nro going Into tho town. Miss Leslie?. I must not keep you." "I havo messages," tald Ulucbell; "but I will not wait long, as I am going go-ing back alone." "May I 1:0 n bit of tho way with yout" Itothes naked eagerly. "I do not llks tho Idea of you riding thoso twelve miles alone with tho country In this unsettled state " Her soft ccs fell suddenly. Uluebell would hardly ncknowlcdgo to herself how her heart beat and her veins thrilled nt tho proposal. "Thank you," tho tald the next moment. "It Is kind of you, I thall Icavo the town about three, I think." "Then I shall bo hero at that "time." ho answered, "fiood-bye. Just now." And ho moved away. Ulucbell rndo on Into tho town. The terrlblo tldlngt had allocked and horrified her, but tho vint not frightened, fright-ened, Thero was llttlo fear In Uluebell Leslie's nature, smnll nnd childish and fragile as tho looked. And tho wnt n woman; nnd tho look In Adair Itothea' eyes, the clcue, rrnrm clasp of hit hand, occuplr 1 r thoughts almost mora than terrlblo picture of war, 6ho found Lndytmlth In a state of confusion. Many nf tho shops wero shut. Ilut Ulucbell managed to get her business done, and then went to tco ono of her acquaintance!. Bho found her busy preparing for departure. I "I tuppoto It's safer to gn," tald Mrt. Lloyd, a pretty llttlo English woman, wo-man, whoso husband was an engineer. "Ted Insists on my going; but I don't feel aa If I could lenvo him boro alone." I "You arn going and Mr Lloyd Js I remaining?" exclaimed Uluebell, with ttartlrd eyes, and then: "Oh, Nellie, how can you?" "I would not, of course, If I had only myself to consider," anld Mrs. Lloyd, tho tears springing to her eyes; "but thero Is my poor llttlo baby, Uluebell." "What of that?" said Uluebell. "A wlfe'a placo Is hcslda her huthand, surely? Hotter you should both die together, It tho wont comet, than that you should bo teparated. Nellie, how would you feel If anything happened to your husband and ou to far away?" Nelllo burst Into tears, , "Yet, )0ii nro qulto right, Ulucbell. I held out against Ted ccr to long, and, now thnt you ipenk llko thnt, I feel that I have been very cowardly to give In tu him. No, I won't go!" Uluebell left her friend, whoso mind was thoroughly mado up, after n llttlo, and the two friends kissed each other, with the feeling that they might never meet again on earth. Ulucbell kept back her own tears, and answered answer-ed tho llttlo womnn as bracly as she could, hut as she rndo out of tho town her path was all blurred by tho blinding blind-ing tears that camo to her eyes now. Doctor Itothea was waiting for her, mounted on a Una chesnut horso of hit own, and together they rodu on In silence until they wero out of tight of tho town. "You taw one of jour friends?" Itothea wild at last 'Yea, I taw Mrt Lloyd Rho Is going go-ing to stay at Ladysnilth oven If It If bcileged." ;-.; ;i i ; i , , . '- to "Ilravo little woman!" tald HoIsm, a tone of emotion In his voice. ' I si. wna thought her rather a butters,;, nnd I beg her pardou mentally for that " "In fact, you thought the and I wore very much alike?' said IlluebeU. IU a llttlo tone of coquetry. "Confeta Mw you think mo thnt, too, dont 11, Doctor Itothea?" "I neter thought ou any thin hut" Ho was ttwtklng with a a). den passion, but he suddenly cteckjj himself and pnused. "You knotr yog nro not Justified In speaking llko th(, he said nt last grind. "Did I "tr give you reason to do to?" niuebcll laughed a little. ' ' "Do you remember tho ball at Mir-lliburg Mir-lliburg last spring, Doctor Ilolhri! Ah, you didn't approve of mo ft & then!". Ho remembered It quite well. 1 wns tho first time he had met the Italics, Ita-lics, for ho had been practicing If Marltxburg himself then. Ulucheiri wild, childishly high splrlta had carried car-ried her away that night, and the ) flirted Indltcrlmlnatcly with all the officers of-ficers then stationed at Marluburt. Ulucbell remembered It, loo. "Who Is thnt grave-looking jrouni man gating so strangely at ruo?" ah asked her partner, a gay young lieu tenant. "Do ou think he wants aa Introduction, or It he only trying to wither mo with n glance of hit oyo? "Tho latter, I think," the lieutenant had answered, nioro truthfully than gallantly. "He's Doctor Itothea, and they tay ho It one or tho awfully s-rl-ous kind, you know. Takes Ufa llks n funeral, and bellees ono should go to church twlco on Sundays. That kind of thing, don't you know." Itothea' sunburned face had deepened deepen-ed Just a llttlo In tint. "It Is too bad to bring back those old foolishnesses to ono't memory," ho sold. "I did not know you then. Miss Leslie. I had not teen you In jour home. I did not know you earned earn-ed the lovo nnd devotion of the poor natives on your father's placo. 1 did not know you taught them, aa far ns was possible, not the mere profession of Christianity, but Its practice." Illucbell bent a little ovot hr borao's head. ' "I am afraid I ought to teach nTJ folf that first. Doctor Itothes. Charity begins nt home. Ilut let us not sptik of this. Wo can't bo anything tat friends, can wo, with this terrible danger dan-ger facing us? Surely It will draw HI Kuroponn people out hero closer together to-gether If anything could?" "Yes," tald Itothea quietly, " wo can't bo anything but friends." Illuobcll felt vaguely hurt at the cold words. They rode on, tho hones' necks qulto close together, nnd Holies talked of tho coming ordeal. Dlucbrll foil somehow ttrangely disappointed. Tho last llmo she had met Adilr Itothes ho had hold her hand loos, nnd looked Into her ejet with a look that had made every cln In her body thrill; and now he was to cool sod Indifferent-a friend, at bo had uM, ard nothing more. It wnt not that Uluebell was in love with him. 8he told henelf about a dozen timet a day that tho liken Adnlr Itothct very much, but could never Imagine him at n lover; ret now, why this linking of her heart? It wnt drawing towards suniet-a glorious aunset, Tho wholo of tho sky died In crimson nnd gold, the very veldt reflected tho crimson, so that It looked as If It were bathed In blood Uluebell shuddered as tho thought tbil very soon It might be. A kopjo was before them, one of thoso llttlo hills rising steeply from tho ono aide, sloping from tho otbtr, to common on tho Natal veldt Suddenly, Sud-denly, nt Illucbell looked towards It, a flguto c horseback emerged from behind It, nnd camo riding ttraltit towardt them, Uluebell felt 0 thrill of annoyance and aversion run through her, for t' recognized tho rider nt onco. It u tho millionaire, Herald Moore. CIIAPTDIl HI. Ho rodo forward and lifted hit !' putting his hone In ntuebcU't way 10 that tho could not past. Illnobcll fueled fu-eled his fnca wat paler than naual; but hit deep, slowly-moving eyes did not movo from her face. "Your father haa tent mo to meet you, Mlsa Leslie," ho said In his rich, deep tone. "Wo hao heard that tno Ilocr nrmy has crossed Into Natal, tnd Is marching straight on Ladysrnlta It It not tafa for you 'to bo alone n the veldt." "I am not alone, thank you, Mr-Moore," Mr-Moore," tald tho girl, a touch of dell-nnco dell-nnco In her tones. "Doctor Itothet"-" tho turned towardt Adair "haa kindly kind-ly been teeing mo homo. He 'sJ heard tho news you refer to." 8ho was 1 truck by tho look on 0r-nld 0r-nld Mooro'a fnco as ho turned 1 Itothes Thero wns an almost dUlioIl cal expression upon It; but It pal away so quickly that tho could not havo tworn to IL "I pretumo that Dr. Ilothci will t object to handing you over to mr charge now that you ore within tbreo miles of New Kelso?" ho said teemed to Ulucbell there was an as l urn iT, dercurrent of either menace or dell ance In hit voice She glanced Into tlnthes' face, lie tat cry Milt and tery erect on hit horse, his face turned towarda the other man Uluebell had never not even that night of the Marltiburg ball teen so ttern and cold a look upon his faro at that which frose It at this moment. 1h expression startled her still more now Was It possible these two men knew each other?" "I leave the mailer entirely In Mitt ts He's hands,' be aald grately It she thinks I have come far enough, 1 am quite prepared lo ralurn to Lady amlth Moore looked at Uluebell "You had better come with me M s Leslie, and allow Dr. Iluthcx to r turn home " he aald, then ndib d In a 1 lower tone Your father la not qil'o himself today I'erlia'is you u ul 1 not care to hae a atranger at New Kelsa 1 under tho circumstances ' I Not quite himself! That denied ' lllueboll Nat for worlds would the hae Adair Itothea, whose good opln Ion she felt to tlrnniely reluitnnt to tote, seo her own father In n half-Intoxicated half-Intoxicated condition, and that was evidently what Mooro'a wordt Implied Adam Leslie had nlwayt b en a lit- I tlo apt lo exceed, but It wat only ot J late within the lilt tlx months that lilt daughter had noticed It And It teemed to her, since the coming ot I Ucrald Moora that her father had yielded still more to hit unfortunato wonknrti 1'erbapa 5011 had better not romo any further. Doctor Itothes," the tild, In a low nlce ' If Mr. Mooro It going to New Kelso, of course ho may at well ride with tno; but I would Just nt loon go by tnjrelf. I am not a bit afraid." Itothes took ofT hit hat and held out hit hand Tor one minute only one, their hones were claie together and Mooro's was to (ar aptrt at to render Mm out of earshot at least of a whisper. whis-per. "Good-by," said Itothes, hurriedly tod a little hoarsely. "I don t know when I mny tee you again tlod 'inly knows I pray that Ho may guard and keep you from dinger'" He bent a little nearer, nnd added In a whisper "As you 1 nine jour lafcty and happiness, happi-ness, bewaro of thnt man I entreat ot you to do so. Ho Is u dangerous man. I cannot sav more. Oood-by tood-by " I Tho claap nf his fingers on her hand I wis to remain thero for many days He rode (iff, raising tils hat, and n Itrango senre of desnlntlon and loneliness lone-liness fell upon niuebcll She turned Hover's head and rode on, no glancing nt Moore. Adalrs Wordt ttlll mnrtrTherrnni.' " "So that It Doctor Hollies?" tald Moore, giving hit horre a little cut of the whip that tent him tprlnglng on betide Uluebell. "Yet," she said, looking straight Into his fnco. "Do you know him?" "1 had the pleasure of meeting him onro In Mnrltzhurg" a-ild tho millionaire million-aire dryly; "but, Mlsa Leslie, I wish to talk of something tiro Juit now. Your father lias git en mo leave In do to. What do you think hat kept no all thli time lingering about tills district'" Illucbell shook her ruddy brown head. A feeling ot vague discomfort and uncailneta shot through her nt the question; but not In her wildest guesses guess-es could aho hate nrrhod within a mile of the truth. flernld Mooro went on slowly "Tho country will aoon bo In a ferment; fer-ment; existence In It will bo danger-out, danger-out, uninfe. Tor men this does not matter so much, for women, especially thoso" he paused nnd ndded Imprei-ilvoly Imprei-ilvoly "whom wo love, It Is terrible not to be thought nf, Your father wlshct you to go out ot tho country whllo yet there la lime" (To bo continued ) |