Historical Newspapers of South Carolina

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^W>^:W^S^^^^ ????I IRIR^P ' ' ? " ne ? a! <% ^_JJ^ -. ?! WPt^??TER WATCHMA?, Established April, IS50. MSte?^H i?81.1 kBe Just and Fear not-Let all the Ends thon Aims't at, be thy Country's, thy God's and Trnth's STJMTER, S. C, WEDNESDAY. APRIL 20,1887. THE TRUE SOUTHKO??, Established Jane, 3??< New Series?Yol. TI. So. 38. "* - ?-*-1 I ?-V-O?_A. _ - Jfttbl?ehed every -Thursday, . ; \ / suMTER, s; a ? " ? .. : tkrh8 : k> Tw^D?ifi?rs pet a^ou^:5 in adj^Doa, >na Square,.first-insett?on. Bv?r^subse<$nent insertion...._...^. ^ "??> -^??ii&a?t? Torth???*snihs, or longerjwift le^h^t. reduced rates. *r : A??W^nmc&t?ons wSich sebsert? pr?Tate ?a^ae^WU]e?cbArjje4 foi:as.-adyerti5emeDts.> *3W??5iaii& and'^tmt?s^o?-re^?c^'^mll''j?e-' charged for. r , ' ?4 ?4?33^Mpowder aerer? varie?l A? marrelcof ; ???ty, strength and wholesome&es3. More economica) than the ord?nary- kinds, and: can- ! a?t sold in competition -sith tbe-multknde Of ri?oflr test, -short weight, aloni or phosphate Hffnf^rast only in cans: . ROY A L BAK ?rPOtWDER ^vl06.:Wall-et^>Ifi.r^!5-i5 : <? ^ B1TTHG MAITRESSES. . ?t.a?tr iifeshoaid be?mad??asjComfbEi-: j*?r^po?8???;* andr for^?^^rpose ior> t?ngvtir? good-work, and making some _&ej;^e wrir offer th? b^tCCOTON B?T ATTRBSS ever p?t upon^his market. ;xT*rae?rad?now^ !&0ft?7,00/ ..' Simple and foil information at Store of -Treaewrec* A: Hoses. ???" ?? . Satisfaction guaranteedini"every--case, or >?jy -refunded. ,:-r SUMTERCOTION MILLS '--v. ? .Importer? and Wholesale Dealers ia ITITI ^?re receiving by . steamer and rait from the .North and West fall supplies each week of iCBOlck APPLES, PEARSr LEMONS,. PO TATOES, CABBAGES, ONI?NSr-NUTS .OF ALL K?N DS. Exc., .Etc. .^SM!)rderseoB^ promptly fiHeoT^S ?iMi?li iPet?monial? of Eminent Physicians ?::. g ,of the State.' % Tbs following are j?lected fromv many sim ilaconesi . -. ... .. Da. id. C. Kkjhxdt, of Spartanburg, _ write* the Proprietors : "The" remedial qua? . ixie* <>f Glena Springs I have known for over . forty years, *nd can attesi 4oV.iis.*v?lue.in I>yaP?P?*frouT gastric or functional derange ment of th? Liver, General Debility, Dropsical g fifFa?oos- Uterine Irregularity and Affections 1 -of xht J&? neya and Bladder. To the lait d is _aa*es I would partie a larly call attention,-as i the n aters bave show Wrge curative po wers ' r&t thosecomplaints.' ' V D?/ 0. .. a . of Newberry, &*. .', .taytY t?l have sent more than fifty persons _ suffering with, J?ondice to these Springy and r."?ve oever been disappointed "'aay^case-'; "' tSiey all speedily recovered. cannot""find word? to express my con ?dence in the Gr?n ^vings water, as a remedy for the Liver, - when functionalij deranged- : Dyspepsia, Dropsy, certain skin*di3ea?es, tron-b?es the . Kidnty* and Spleen, if produced by the Iii ver, bave all, as I know, disappeared at -the Da. Jana McIjttosh, President of the Med - - ieai Association oi South Carolina, in bis an ana! address before that body remarks: . **Gleoa Springs, for ^diseases of the Stomach, ? ??rer and Xidneys, deserves to. rank with aay other on the continent." . . ?j?.. ; XPRTCE OF WATER. Per case of two dozen qnart bottles, securely packed and delivered on the train at Spartan *? $4.00. ? Fer gallon, by the barrel, delivered'at .Spartanburg, 20 cents. ' * Fer gallon, for less than a barrel. 25 cents. 7 Address SIMPSON. SI MPSON, . ., Glenn Springs, S* -C. For sale in Snmter, by Dr. A. J. Cbina. SCHOOL BOOKS, MISCELLANEOUS Books, Blank Books, Copy Books, Memo randum Books, Draft Books J Receipt Books, Note Books, >1 a sic Books. Best, grade of all kinds of Writrag Paper and Envelope^, ; Photographic, Autograph and Scrap Albums. Playing Cards ia variety and Marriage Certi ficates, at The Sumter Book Store, kept by W. G. KENNEDY, 2 Doors North of Jobo Heids. BIBLES AND TESTAMENTS. AFINE. ASSORTMENT OF BIBLES aod Testaments, in large print at Sumter Boole Store, kept by ' - _ W. G KENNEDY, 2 Doors North of John Beide. ICttABOD ANO OTHER POEMS, BY W. G. KENNEDY. SALE AT THE SUMTER BOOK STORE. Price reduced to one dollar TIE TEMPERANCE WORKER, Removed from Columbia, S. C. A live, Temperance Paper, : Peblisbed Semi-montbly ia ' SUMTER, S. C. Under the Editorial management of Brr. ff. F. Chbeitzberg, ^.w.c.t. or . .?. . or s. c. Assisted by an able corps of Editors. The patronage and influence of all friends ofT??p?rance ?S ao?cite?V Terms only 60 <?ets a ysar. To advertisers; desiring^ wide Hil tiuls tin it oners an excellent medium, ^ - On bosinast, address vK^G. OSTEEN. - Pntwlsbef. MY HAUNT* I know a bank?a wayside bank? Where birds are singing all the day ; Where tangled thickets cool and dank, kre all alive with melody. I know a spring?a gurgling spring? 'Mid lichened rocks ??^nJcs of moss, Through tangled fernst* wafers singj/. O'er rocks and bars its waters toss.' I know a brook?a rippliog brook? Whose drowsy murmur, soft and tow^'v. Lures me away from desk and book', >- ' Soothes me to rest with rythmic flow. I know a nook?a quiet nook? Where violets and harebells grow ; A spot to Nature all forsook, - No sounds but murrnuxa.softenc The murmur of the gar?Rt^p^?ag^ , The murmur of the njtoljgij broo? f?%? The drooping hum of i&??SWing, j Tbe rustling trees by ganyrs shof&?: ^ 'Tis there I love to lie a||fdream, 3 To build my castles jp?Sbefa?r; 'Tis there I go when al^gbiags seem: ? To threaten darkness^W^despair/ ?g Despite my woes, the spring laughs on, . The brooks.sing low sweet songs to me ; E*en the poor flowers I tread'upon Teach lessons of philosophy. ?Boston Transcript. -^ # j| % CHAPTER . HOW THE SISTERS CAHE TO MOOIFONTEIN. "Capt Niel,7' said Bessie Croft (for that was her name) when they had painfully limped 10 yards or so, ?will you thiat^iode f? I ask you a question?* M V ?rNotatalL" :ags=: "What has induced you to coin? an<?bury? yourself in this place?" "Why ?o you ask?" "Because I dont think that you will like it rdont.think," she added, slowly, "that it is a fit place for an English gentleman and an army officer like you. You will find the Boer ways horrid, and then there will only be my old uncle and us two for you to associ ate with." ? ... John Niel laughed, ~^gli^,;g?nt?emen aint so particular nowadays, ?"can*te?l you, Miss Croft, especially when they have to earn a living. Take my case, for instance, for I may as well tell you exactly how I stand. I have been in the army fourteen1 years, and am now ZL WelL I. have be^n able to live there because I bft^ an old aunt who allowed me ?130 a year. Six months ago she died, leaving me the little property she pee sessed, for most of* her incor? ..came | from an annuity. ^fter^pa^ng penses, , 4uty, eta, 0b ?nouuts"? t? ?1^15. Now, the interest' dn that is about ?50 a year, and I can't "feve iirthe ?riny-on that Just after my aunt's death I came to Durban with my regiment from Mauritius, and now they are . ordered home. Well, I Eked the country, and J fcnew that I could not afford to live at home, so I got a year's leave of absence, and made up my mind to have a look round to see if I could, not take to farming. Then a gentieman JmX^arban told me of your uncle, aadVsaid" that he wanted to dispose of a third-interest in his placo for ?1,000, as be was^?Sngp?ooold to , manage it himself; and SO& entered into cor- | respondence with him and agreed to come up | for a few months to see how I liked it, and accordingly here I am, just in time to save you from being knocked to bits by an os trich." "Yes, indeed," she answered, laughingly; "you've had a warm welcome at any rate. TTelL I hope you will like it." Just as he finished his story they got to the top of the rise over which the ostrich had pursued Bessie Croft, and saw a Eafiir com ing toward them, leading the pojgy--5n one hand and Capt Niel's horse m " the-other. About .100 yards behind the horses a lady was walking. "Ah," said Bessie, "they've caught the horses, and here is Jess come to see what is the matter." By this time, the lady in q r?on was quite close, so that John was able, to get a first im pression of her. She was small1 and rather thin, with quantities of curnh^brrrwh hair ; not by any means a lovely woman, as her sis I ter undoubtedly was, but possessing two very remarkable criaracteristics?a. complexion of extraordinary and uni?oxra pallor, and a pair of the most beautiful dark eyes he had ever looked on. Altogether, though - her siae was . almost insignificant, she was a striking look ing person, with a face one was not likely to forget Before he had time to observe any more they were up to them. *.? "What on earth is the matter, Bessie?" she: said, with a quick glance at her companion, and speaking in a low, full voice, with just a slight South African accent that is taking enough in a pretty woman. Whereupon Bessie broke out with a history of their ad venture, appealing to-her companion for con firmation at intervals. _ _ . Meanwhile her sister, Jess, stood quite still and silent and it struck Capt Niel that her face was the most singularly impassive one he had ever seen. It never changed, even when her sister told how ?ie ostrich rolled on her and nearly killed h^^?io?v^h?v:finally subdued the foe. "T>ear*i^^1^ogh?to himself, "what a very remarkable woman! She cant have much heart" But just as he thought it the girl looked up, and then he saw where the expression lay. It was in those remarkable eyes. Impassive as her face was, the dark eyes were alight with life and a sort of excitement that made them shine gloriously. The contrast between the shining eyes and the impassive face beneath them struck him as so extraordinary as to be al most uncanny; and, as a matter of fact, it was doubt less both unusual; and remarkable. "You have bad a wonderful escape, but I am sorry for the bird," she said at last "Why?" asked John. ; "Because we were great friends. I was the only person who could manage him." "Yes," put in Bessie, "the s?vag? brute would follow her about like a dog. It was just the oddest thing I ever saw. But, come on, we must be getting home; it's growing dark. Mouti" (medicine)?addressing tho Kaffir in Zulu?"help Capt. Niel on to bis horse. Be careful that the saddle does not twist round; the girths may be loose." Thus adjured, John, with the help of the Zulu, clambered into his saddle, an example that the lady quickly followed, and they once more set off through the gathering darkness. Presently he became aware that they were passing up a drive bordered by tall blue gums, and next minute the barkiaig Offa large-dog and the sudden appeaxa?c?t?* H^bted windows told him that the}* had reached the house. At tho door?or, rather, opposite to it, for there was a veranda in, front?they stopped and got off their horses. As they did so, out of the house there came a shout of welcome, and presently in the doorway, showing out clear against tho light, appeared a strik ing and, in its way, most pleasant figure. He?for it was a man?was very tall, or, rather, he had been very talk Now he was much bent with age and rheumatism. His long white hair hung low upon his neck, and fell back from a prominent brow. The top of the head was quite bald, like the tonsure of a priest, and shone and glistened in the lamp light, and rouud this oasis the thin white locks fell down. The face was shriveled like the surface of a w^ll kept apple, and, like an apple, rosy red. The features were aquiline and well marked, the eyebrows still black and very bushy, and beneath them shone a pair of gray eyes, as keen and bright as hawks'. But for all its sharpness, there was nothing unpleasant or fierce about the face. On the contrary, it was pervaded by a re markable air of good nature and shrewdness. For all the rest, the man was dressed in rough tweed clothes, tall riding boote, and held a broad brimmed Boer hunting, hat in his hand. Such was the outer man of old Silas Croft, one of the most remarkable men in the Transvaal, as John Niel first saw him. "Is that you, Capt Niel?" roared out the stentorian voice. "The natives said you were ; A welcome ^o y oui I am jdad to J see your-very glad. W?y, -what-is the mat ter with you ?" he went on as the Z?Tu Monti ran to help him off his horse. "Matter, Mr. Croft?" answered John; fwhy, the matter is that your favorite os "?ich has nearly killed me "and your bieco here, and that I have killed your favorite os trich. " L , ;Tben followed explanations ? from .'Bessie^ during which he was helped oft-his horse and into the bouse. "It serves me right," said "the old man. "To think; of it now, just to< think of iti WelL Bessie, my Jove* thank 'God {that ?yon? escaped?ay, andyou, too, Capt. NieL Here, you boys, take the Scotch cart and a couple of oxen, and go and fetch the brute home. We may as well have the feathers off him, at any rate, before the aasvogels (vultures) tear bim tO bitS. ^ ;-o ^ After ho; had washed himself and tended : 5^* 6&^? ^a ?a a water, John man-' aged to zpt: into the principal sitting room, ?wher? su$per w^twaiting. It was a va?y peasant room, famished in European style, and was carpeted'with mats made of spr??g . buck skins. In th? corner was a piano, ani i by it a bookcase, filled with the w?rk?-df "standard authors; the property, Joan?" rightly guessed, of Bessie's sister, Jess. Supper went off pleasantly enough, and after it was over the two girls sang and played wh?o the men smoked. And here a fresh surprise awaited, bim, for after Bessie, who had now -apparently- .almost- recovered from her mauling, had played a piece or two creditably enough, Jess, who so far had been nearly sKent, sat down to the piano. She did not do this willingly, indeed, for it was not until her patriarchal uncle had insisted in bis ringing, cheery voice-" that sbe:^uould; rle?C^t^itfel hear how^she ??ddf sfbg? that the consentit. But at last she did; ??onsent, and" th:en;; after* Iettm^.her ?o?i rgers " stray ^somewhat ??in?essly ^ong ^ ?^ chords, she suddenly broke out mtotazcib. song as John Niel bad never heard before. Her voice, beautiful as it was, was not what is known as a cultivated voice, and it was a German song, and therefore..lie did^ not un derstand it, but there was ?rTn?H of tfords f to.translate its. burden." Passion, desiring yet hoping through its despair, echoed in 4ts*s everyl?e, andlove^unend^p^ove^pyer^ over theglorious notes?nay, descended'upon" them like a spirit and made them his. Up, np rang her wild, sweet voice, thrilling his nerv^tilltiiey^answeredtotbe music as an JEk)liaa>harp answers to the winds. . On went the songwitli'a divine"swe?p^like""the ' sweep of rushing pinions; higher, higher, yet higher it soared, lifting up the listener's heart far aboye-the world ob the ^trembling wings of sound??y; even- higher, till tb? muslc'Hung^ at heaven's gate, and then it fell, swiftly as an eagle falls, quivered and was dead John gave a gasp, and, so strongly was he moved, sank back in- his chair feeling almost faint with the revulsi?n ofT?elingthat ensued when the notes died away. He looked np and caught Bessie ?atelling him with an air of curiosity and amusement. Jess was still leaning against the pian? and gently touch - 1 BESS WAS STILL LEANING AGAINST : THE PIANO. ing the notes, over which her bead was bent loshowing the coils of curling hair which were-twisted round-it like a coronet; > r?? : "WeF, Capt. Ni?*," said theold"man, wav^j ing his pipe in her direction, "and what do you say to my singing bird's music, eh? Isn't it enough, to dravrthe heart-out of a man, eh, and turn his marrow to water, eh?" "I never heard anything quite like it," he answered, simply, "and I have beard most singers. It?is;beautiful _ Cfertajnly I never 1 expected to hear: suck: singing .in thaTransr!^ vaaL? V' * She turned quickly, and he observed that, though her eyes were alight with excitement, her face was as impassive as ever. "There is no need for you to laugh afe ?be> Capt Niel," she said, quickly, and then, with an abrupt "Good-night,^ left tBe room. itl The old man' smiled, jerked the stem of iris jpipe over his shoulder after her^and; winked in a way that, no doubt.' meant' unutterable . things, but which did not convey much to his astonished guest,, who sat still "and said ;noih ing. Then Bessie got up and "bade him good I night in lier pleasant voice, and ,with... house wifely care inquired as to whether his room j V- was to Ins liking, and how many blankets he | liked upon his bod, telling bim that if he found the odor of the moonflowers, that grew near the veranda, too strong,, he had better. - shut the right hand window and open that on^ the other side of the room; and then atf length, with a piquant little nod of her golden head, she went off, looking, bo thought as he watched her retreating ^figure, about as .' healt^,~gr?oift? and generally ? satisfactoryd :*a young^oman^asSeinan eauid-wisu to see. ] "Take a glass of grog, Capt. Niel," saidthe old man, poshing the square bottle toward him; ^you'll need it after the mauling tbat brute gave yon. By^tna way^ I baveirt thanked you enough for . saving my Bessie I But I do thank you, yes, that I do. I must tell you tbat Bessie is my favorite niece. .Never was there such a girl?never. Moves like a springbuck, and what an eye andiorml Work, too?she'll do as much work as three. There's no nonsense about Bessie, none at all. She's not a fine lady, for ail her fino looks." "The two sisters seem very different," -said John. "Ay, you're right there," said the old man. "You'd never think that tho samo blood ran in their veins, wcuki you? Theres three years between them, that's onei?nt?g. Bes sie's tho youngest, you see?she's just 20 and Jess is 23. Lord, to think that it is twenty three years since that girl was born ! And theirs was a queer story, too." "Indeed?" said his listener, interrogatively. "Ay," he went on absently, knocking out his pipe and refilling It out of a big, brown jar of coarse cut Boer tobacco; " 1 tell it to you if you like; you are going to live in the house, and you may as well know it. I am sure, Capt. Niel, that it will go no further. You see I was bom in England; yes, and well J born, too. I come from Cambridgeshire? : from that fat fenland down rounds Ely? My; father was a clergyman. ^Well,ghejWas?t rich, and when I was 2 he gave me bis bless ing, thirty sovereigns in my pocket and my passage to the Cape; and I shook his band, God bless bim! and off I came, and here in the old colony and this country I have been for fifty years, for I was ;70 yesterday. Wei 1, I'll tell you more about that another time; it's about the girls I'm speaking now. After I left home?twenty years after or: -bard on it?my dear old father married ag?in, a youngish woman with some money, but be neath him somewhat in life, and by her he had one son and then died. Weil, it was but little I heard of my half-brother, except that he bad turned out very badly, marrivid and taken to drink, till one night some twelve years ago, when a strange thing happened. I was sitting here in this very room?ay, in this very chair?for this part of'the house wasrf up then, though the wings weren't built?and smoking my pipe and listening to the lashing of the rain,- for it was a very foul night, when suddenly an old pointer dog I bad, named Ben, gave a bark. "'Lio down, Ben; it's only the Kaffirs,' said L "Just then I thought I heard a faint sort of? rapping at the door, and Ben barked again; ! t I got np and opened it, and in came two. "litt?e'gir??, wrapped up in old shawls or some "J i such gear. Well, I shut the door, looking j out first to see if there were any more outside, . j and then I stood and stared at the two little ? things with my mouth open. There they [ stood, hand in hand, the water dripping from both of them, and the eldest might have been 11, and the second about 8. They didn't say anything, but the eldest turned and took the shawl and hat off the younger? that was Bef??ie?and there was her sweet little face and her golden hair, and damp enough both of Vr .ji were, and she put her thumb in her mouth, and stood and looked at me tfikl begai? to think that I was drearning. "'Please, sir,' said the biggest, at last, this Mr. Croft's house?Mr. Croft, South African Republic?^ ?? i wV?es, ?t&e.irifc*, frhis is bis house, and this is the South African Republic, and 1 am he. And now who might you be, my dears I answered. w 'If you please, sir, we arc your nieces, and we have come to you from England.' " 'What I hflgwed, startled out of my wits, as well I4?^^^>e. " Oh, sir, s#?( tlggpoor little thing, clasp ing her thin, wgt h?b?s, 'please don't send us away. Bessie^ so^i?et and cold and hungry, too, she isn't ^to|?fany farther.' i "And she sef??o ^Sprk to cry, whereon the ?litt?e one ?r^d^tco^?rom fright and cold and sympath "Well, orH??T?fFtcok them both to the fire and set them on my knees and halloaed for Hebe, the old Hottentot woman who did my cooking, and between us we undressed them and wrapped them up in some old clothes and fed them with soup and wine, so that in half an hour they were quite happy and not a bit frightened. "'And now, young ladies,1 I said, 'come and give me a kiss, both of you, and tell me how you came here.' s?' And this is {pestale they told me?com pletes,:^ c?ur?f^^ what I learned after ward?end' anfbdd@oae it is. It seems that my halit bit ther magied a Norfolk lady?a sweetyou?^/?iinx-^nd treated her like a dog. 'He w?sr?a drunken rascal, was my half brother, an?5??Pbeat his poor wife and shame fully neglected her, and even ill treated the two little girls, till at last the poor woman, weak as she was from suffering and ill health, cou^&eex^no longer, and formed the wild Me^oftecapn^|to this country and tbrow ing?iersglf upoo^ny protection. It will show how? de^rate??ie must have been. She jwarajged together and borrowed some money, enough to pay for three second class passages to Natal and a few pounds over, and one day, when her brute of a husband was away on the drink and gamble, she slipped on board a sailing ship in the London docks, and before he knew anything about it they were well out to sea. But it was her last effort, }>"or, dear soul, and the excitement of finished her. Before tbey had ten days at sea she sank and died, and the two poor children were left alone. And what they must have suffered, or rather what poor Jess must have suffered, for she was old enough to feel, (Jod only knows. But I can tell you this, she has never got over the shock to this hour. It has left its markon her, sir. But, let people say what they will, there is a power that looks after the helpless, and that" ppwer|%o?fc those poor, homeless, wandering'cEldren under its wing. .The cap tain of the vessel befriended them, and when at last they got |b^Durban some of the passen gers made . subaci?rjtion and got an old Boer, 'who was"coming up this way with his wife to the Transvaal, to take them under bis charge. The Boer and his vrouw treated the children fairly well, but they did not do one thing more than they bargained for. At the turn from the Wakkerstrom road, that you came ^along to-day*tUgy put the children down, for ffhey bad^>0g|sage, and told them if they went along the^-they would come toMein i'beer Grofgs honi?. That was in the middle ! o?hej?tBjrn Dn^nd they were until 8 o'clock getting h^?jpo?r little dears, for the track "Vas^ fahrter tnen than it is now, and they wandered off into the veldt and would have perished there in the wet and cold had they not chanced to see the lights of the house. And that was how my nieces came here, Capt. NieL And here they have bee^ ever since, except /or a couple of years when I sent tii-im. to 3he Cape for schooling, and a lonely man I was when they were away." "And how about the father?" asked John NfieLjieeply interested. "Did you ever hear anymore of him?" "Bea^of him, the villain !" almost shouted the old man, jumping up in wrath. "Ay, d? him, I heard of him What do you think? The two chicks had been with me some eighteen months, long enough for me to learn to love them with all my heart, when one fine morning, as I was seeing about the new kraal wall, I see a fellow come riding up orv:ac'oki, .raw boned, gray horse. Up he i comj^?jtne^arid as he came I looked at him, and said to myself, 'you are a drunkard, you are, and a rogne; it's written on your face, and, what's more, I know your face.' You .see I did not guess -it was a son of my own ^herV>it?it frfwas looking at. How should IP ~ i^^^???JmnQ Croft? be said. u 'Ay^ I answered. \.i^S&jBinine,' be went on with a sort of a drunken leer. 'I'm your brother.' : ; /"Are you? I said, beginning to get my back up, for I guessed what his game was, 3 and what may you be after? Iteli you at once, and to your face, that if you are my brother you are a blackguard, and I don't want to know you Or have anything to do with you; and if you are not, I beg your pardon for coupling you with such a ^undreL' ** , that's your tune, is it? said he, with a sneer. 'Well, now, my dear brother Silas, I want my children. They have got a little half brother -at -home?for I have married again; Silas^whois anxious to have them to play with :vo it yoe will be so good as to hand them over, I'll take them away at once.'" " 'You'll take them away, will you? said I, -all of a tremble with rage and fear. " 'Yes, Silas, I will. They aremine by law, jand I am not going to breed children for you to have the comfort of their society. I've taken advice, Silas, and that's sound law,' and he leered at me again. "I stood and looked at the man, and thought of how hehad.treated those poor children and their young mother, and my blood boiled and I - grew-; mad. v- Without another word I jump &over1&e>hB]f finished wall and caught him by the leg (for I was a strong man ten years.ago) and jerked him off the horse. As he came dovr? he dropped the sjambock from hisJiand, and I caught hold of it and then and there, gave him the soundest hiding a man ?v?r b??T. Lord, how he did halloa! When I was tired I let him get up. " 'Now,* I said, * be off with you, and if you come back here 11 bid the Kaffirs hunt you back-to. Natal with their sticks. This is tho South African Republic, and we don't caro overmuch about law here.' Which wc didn't in those days. " 'All right, Silas,' he said, 'all right, you shall pay for this. I'll have thoso children, and, for your sake, I'll make their, lifo a hell ?you mark my words?South African Re public ..or; no^S?uth African Republic. I've .got th%l?w?oq&my side.' ? "OfEhe jodi, cursing and swearing, and I flung his sjambock after him. And it was the first and last time I saw iny brother." "What became of him?" asked John Niel. * "1*11 tell you, just to show you again that there is a power that keeps just stich men in its eye. He got back to Newcastle that night, and went about the canteen there abusing me and getting drunker and drunker, till at last tho canteen keeper sent for his boys to turn him out. Well, the boys were rough, as Kaffirs aro apt to be with a drunken white man, and ho struggled and fought, and in tho middle of it the blood began to ran from his mouth, and he dropped down dead of a broken blood vessel, and there was an end of him That is the,story of the two girls, Capt. Niel, ^4-now'l?uoff to bed. To-morrow I'll show youfroundTthe farm, and we will have a talk aljouTTusmess. Good night to you, Capt Niel; good night!" CHAPTER . MR. FRANK MULLE R. John Niel woke early next morning, feeling os sore and stiff as though bo had been well beaten and then strapped up tight in horse girths. Ho made shift, however, to dress himself, and then, with the help of a stick, Krhped through the French windows that opened from his room on to the veranda and surveyed the scene before him. It was a de lightful spot. At the back of the house was the steep,-bowlder strewn face of the fiat topped hill that curved round on each side, embosoming a great slope of green, in the lap of which the house was placed. The house itself was solidly built of brown stone, and, with the exception of the wagon shed and other outhouses, which were roofed with gal vanized iron that shone and glistened in the rays of the morning sun in a way that would have made an eagle blink, was covered with rich brown thatch. All along its front ran a wide veranda, up the trellis work of which green vines and blooming creepers trailed pleasantly, and beyond was the broad car riage drive of red soil, bordered with bushy orange trees laden with odorous flowers and green and golden fruit. On the farther side of the orange trees were the gardens, fenced in with low walls of rough st?ne, and the orchard full of standard fruit trees, and beyond these again the oxen and ostrich kraals, the latter full of long necked birds. To the right of the house grew thriving plantations of blue gum and black wattle, and to the left was a broad stretch of culti vated lands, lying so that they could be irri gated for winter crops by means of water led from the great spring that gushed from the mountain side high above the house and gave its name of Mooifontein to the placo. All these and many more things John Niel sow as he looked out from the veranda at Mooifontein, but, for the moment at any rate, they were lost in tho wild and wonderful beauty-of the panorama that rolled away for miles and miles at his feet, till it was ended by the mighty range of the Drakensberg to the left, tipped hero and there with snow, and by the dim and vast horizon of the swell ing Transvaal plains to the right and far in front of him. It was a beautiful sight, and one to make the blood run in a man's veins and his heart beat happily because he was alive to see it Mile upon mile of grass clothed veldt beneath, bending and rippling like a corn field in the quick breath of the morning, space vnon space of deep bluo sky overhead with ne'er a cloud to dim it, and the swift rush of the wind between. Then to the left there, impressive to look on and conducive to solemn .thoughts, the mountains rear their crests against the sky, and, crowned with the gathered snows of the centuries whose monu ments they are, from aeon to aeon gaze majes tically out over the wide plains and the ephemera], ant like races that tread them, and while they endure think themselves the mas ters of their little world And over all mountain, plain and flashing stream?the glorious light of the African sun and the spirit of life moving now as it once moved upon the darkening waters. John stood and gazed at the untamed beauty of the scene, in his mind comparing it to many cultivated views that he had known, and coming to the conclusion that, however desirable the presence of civilized man might be in the world, it could not be said that his operations really added to its beauty. For the old line, u Nature unadorned adorned tho most," still remains true in more senses than one. Presently his reflections were inter rupted by the step of Silas Croft, which, not withstanding his age and bent frame, still rang firm enough?and he turned to greet him. . "Well, Capt Niel," said the old man, "up already! It looks well if you mean to take to farming. Yes, it's a pretty view, and a pretty place, too. Well, I made it. Twenty five years ago I rode up here and saw this spot look, yon see that rock there behind tho house, I slept under it and woke at :. rise and looked out at this beautiful view and ? at the great veldt (it was all alive with game then), and I said to myself, 'Silas, for five and twenty years have you wandered about this great country, and now you are getting tired of it; you've never seen a fairer spot than this or a healthier; now be a wise ^ and stop here.' And so I did. aI bought 3,000 morgen (6,000 acres), more or less, for ?10 down and a case of gin, and I set to work to make this place, and you see I have made it. Ay, it has grown under my hand, every stone and tree of it, and you know what that means in a new country. But one way and another I have dono it, and now I have got too old to manage it, and that's how I came to givo ont that I wanted a partner, as old Snow told yon down in Durban. Yon see, I told Snow it must be BESS. a gentleman; I dont care much about the money, 11 take a thousand for a third share if I can get a gentleman?none of your Boers .or mean whites for me. I tell you, I have had enough of Boers and their ways; tho best day of my life was wben old Shepstone ran up the Union Jack there in Pretoria and I could call myself an Englishman again. Lord! and to think that there are men who are subjects of tho queen and want to lie sub jects of a republic again! Mad! Capt Niel, I tell you, quite mad! However, there's an end of it all now. You know what Sir Gar net Wolseleytold them in tho name of tho queen up at tho Vaal river, that this country would remain English till the sun stood still in the heavens and the waters of the Vaal ran backward. That's good enough for me, for, as I tell these grumbling follows who want the land back now that we have paid their debts and de feated their enemies, no English government goes back on its word, or br?ales engagements solemnly entered into by its representatives. We leave that sort of thing to foreigners. No, no, Capt Niel, I would not ask you to take a share in this place if I wasn't suro that it would remain under the British flag. But we will talk of all this another timo, and now come in to breakfast." After breakfast, as John was far too lamo to go about the farm, tho fair Bessie sug gested that he should como and help her to wash a batch of ?stlich feathers, and, ac cordingly, off ho wont Tho locus operandi was in a space of grass in the rear of a little clump of "naatcho" orange trees, of which tho fruit is liko that of tho Maltese orange, only larger. Hero were placed an ordinary washing tub half filled with warm water and a tin bath full of cold. Tho ostrich feathers, many of which wero "completely coated with red dirt, were plunged fiist into tuo tub of warm water, where ?John Ni rl scrubbed them with soap, and then trans? red to tho tin bath, where Bessie rinsed th-un and then laid them on a sheet in tho san to dry. The. morning was veiy pleasant, and John soon enmo to the conclusion that there are many moro disagreeable occupations in tho world than the washing of ostrich feathers with ?l lovely girl to help you ; for there was no doubt but that she was lovely; a very typo, of happy, healthy womanhood, as she sat t hero opposite to him on the little stool, her sleeves rolhd up almost to the shonldcr, showing a paie of arms that would not have disgraced a sr?tuc of Venus, and lawgbod and chatted away as she washed the feather*. Now, John ?s'id was not a suscepti ble msn: be'had .gone through the tiro years before and binned his iingors like many ; another confiding youngster; but, all tuo ? same, he did wonder as he sat fch-r-* and ? watched thisfairgirl, who somehow reminded him of a rich rosebud bursting into blooni, how long it would bo possible to !ive in tho same house with her without falling under the s]>ell of her charm and beauty. And then he began to think of Jess, mid what a strange contrast the two were. "Where is your sister?"' he asked presently. "Jess? Oh, I think that she has gone to the Lion Kloof, reading or sketching, I don't know which. You see, in this establishment I represent labor and Jess represents intel lect," and she nodded her head prettily at him, and added, "There is a mistake some where; she got all the brains." "Ah," said John, quietly, and looking up at her, "I don't think that you are entitled to ? compiala o? trio way t uat na ture uas uaiw,-u you" She blushed a little, more at the tone of his voice than the words, and went on hastily: "Jess is the dearest, best and cleverest woman in the whole world?there, I believe that she has only one fault, and that is that she thinks too much about me. Uncle told me that he had told you bow we came here first when I was 8 years old. Well, I remember that When, we lost our way on the veldt that night, and it rained so and was so cold, Jess took off her own shawl and wrapped it round me over my own. Well, it has been just like that with her always. I am always to have the shawl?everything is to give way to me. But there, that is Jess all over; she is very cold, cold as a stone, I sometimes think, but when she does care for anybody it is enough to frighten one. don't know a great num ber of women, but somehow ? don't think that there can be many in the world like Jess. She is too good for this wild place, she ought to go away to England, write books and be come a famous woman, only," she added, re flectively, "I am afraid that Jess' books would all bo sad ones," Just then Bessie stopped and suddenly changed color, the bunch of lank, wet feathers she held in her hand droppiug from it with a little splash back into the bath. Fol lowing her glance, John looked down the avenue of blue gum trees and perceived a big man with a broad hat and mounted on a splendid black horse, cantering leisurely to ward the house. "Who is that. Miss Croft?" be a^ked. "It is a man I don't like," she said, with a little stamp of ber foot "His name is Frank Muller, and he is half a Boer and half an Engbshman. He is very rich and very clever, and owns? all the land round this place, so uncle has to be civil to him. though he does not like him either. I wonder what he wants now." On came tho borse, and John thought that its rider was going to pass without seeing them, when suddenly the movement of Bes sie's dress between the "naatche" trees caught his eye, and ho pulled up and looked round. He was a large and exceedingly handsome man, apparently about 40 years old, with clear cut features, cold, ligbt blue eyes and a remarkable golden beard that hung right down 07er his chest For a Boer he was rather smartly dressed, in English made tweed clothes and tall riding boots. "Ah, Miss Bessie," he called out in English, "there you are with your pretty arms all bare. I'm in luck to come just intime to see them. Shall I come and help you to wash the feath ers? Only say the word, now" "ah, miss bessie," he called out , english. Jost then be caught sight of John Niel and checked himself. "I have come to look for a black ox, branded with a heart and a 'W' inside of the heart Do you know if your uncle has seen it on the place any where?" "No, Meiuheer Muller," replied Bessie, coldly, "but he is down there,* pointing ata kraal on the plain some half mile away, "if you want to, go and ask about it" "Mr. Muller," said he, byway of correction, and with a curious contraction of the brow. " 'Meinheer' is all very well for the Boers, but we are all Englishmen now. Well, the ox can wait With your permission, 11 stop here till Croft (Uncle Croft) comes back," and, without further ado, he jumped off his borse and, slipping the reins over its head as an indication to it to stand still, ad vanced toward Bessie with outstretched hand. As he did so the young lady plunged both her arms up to the elbows in the bath, and it struck John, who was observing the whole scene, that she did this in order to avoid the necessity of shaking hands with her stalwart visitor. "Sorry my hands are wet," she said, giving liim a cold 1 ittlo nod. "Let me introduce you, Mr. (with emphasis) Frank Muller?Capt I NieL who has cometo helprfiyuncle with j the place." I John stretched out his hsnd and Muller shook it "Captain?" he said, interrogatively; "a ship captain, I suppose?" "No," said John, "a captain of the English \ army." ? "Oh, a rooibaatje (red jacket). Well, I don't wonder at your taking to farming after the Zulu war." "I don't quite understand you," said John; rather coldly. "Oh, no offense, captain, no offense. I only meant that you rooibaatje did not come very well out of the war. I was there with Piet Uys, and it was a sight, I can tell you. A Zulu had only to show himself at night and one would see your regiments skreck (stam pede) like a span of oxen when they wind a hon. And then they'd fire? ah, they did fire ?anyhow, anywhere, but mostly at the clouds, there was uo stopping them; and so, you see, I thought that you would like to turn your sword into a ploughshare, as the Bible say:*?but uo offense, I'm sure?no offense." All this while John Niel, being English to his backbone, und cherishing the reputation-' of his profession almost as dearly as his own honor, was boiling with inward wrath, which was itll the fiercer because he knew thaC there was some truth in the Boer's insults. He had the sense, however, to keep his temper?out wardly, at any rata "I was not in the Zulu war, Mr. Muller," ho said, and just then old Silas Croft came riding up, and the conversation dropped. Mr. Frank Muller stopped to dinner and far on into the afternoon. His lost ox seemed , to have entirely slippeil bis memory: There ho sat close to the fair Bessie, smoking and drinking gin and water; and talking with great volubility in English, sprinkled with Boer Dutch terms that John Niel did not understand, and gazing at the young lady in a manner which John somehow found uu plcasant Of courso it was no affair of his, and lA had no interest in the matter, but for all that he found the remarkable looking Dutchman exceedingly disagreeable. At last, indeed, he could stami it no longer, and hob bled out for a little walk with Jess, who, in her abrupt wa}', offered to show him the garden. **You don't like That man?" she said to him, as the}* slowly wont down the slope in front of the house. 'No: di> you?" "I tbinlc," replied Jes.-, slowly and with much emphasis, that he is the most odious man that 1 ever saw. and the most curio *." And then she relapsed into silence, only broken now and agnin I * an occasional re mark about the flowers and trees. Half an hour afterward, when they arrived again at the top of the slope, Mr. Muller was just riding off down the avenue of blue gums. By the veranda stood a Hottentot named Jantjc, who had boen holding the Dutchman's hoiso. He was a curious, wizened up little fellow, dressed in rags, and with hair Jilee the worn tags of a black woolen carpet His age might have been anything between ?5 and GO; it was impossible to form an opinion on the point. Just now, however, his yellow monkey face was convulsed with an expression of intense malignity, and he was standing there in the sunshine cui'siug rapidly and beneath Iris breath in Dutch, and shaking his fist after the retreat ing Boer?a very epitome of impotent, over mastering passion. "What is he doing?" asked John. Jess laughed. "Jantje does not like Frank Muller any moro than I do, but I dont know why. He will never tell me." uur o tau? uoii temporaries. Abbeville Medium. The Press and Banner thinks that the orator at the dedication of the Cal houn monument od the 26th inst., in Charleston, shonld have been selected from the family. While . we cannot imagine why L. Q C. Lamar, of Mis sissippi, was chosen, we are sure that it would be in exceedingly bad taste for any one of the family to be conspicuous in this tribute to the dead statesman. If it ?9 to be a popular demonstration we cannot understand how a near rela tive of the great John C. Calhoun can be a marshal, master of ceremonies or anything of the kind. Florence Times. Another building and loan associa tion, on a different plan from those now in operation here, will shortly be put in operation. .Capt. Gr. G. Lynch and Mr. \V. T. Heard are circulating the lists for subscriptions. The main advantage of this association will be the low rate and long time on which money can be borrowed. Greenville News, April 13. ? The horribly dreary proceedings in equity in the Court of Common Pleas on yesterday were enlivened by a very unusual and somewhat exciting inci dent. Mrs, Elizabeth Langston, of the county, was the defendant in an action brought by J. T. Nix to obtain posses sion of property sold under a mortgage given him by Mrs. Langston and bought in by him at public, sale. She appeared in Court yesterday morning and suddenly rose and addressed the Judge, denouncing Mr. Nix and de claring that he had refused to grant the indulgence be had promised. The Judge seemed to be willing to hear what Mrs. Langston. bad to say, and listened patiently, despite the informal ity of the proceeding. He said, how ever, that it was too late for bim to go into the castor take any action in it. A writ of ejectment. was granted, but it will not take effect until October 1st, so that Mrs. Langston will bave the op portunity to make her crop. Anderson Intelligencer. The abolition of duelling in South Carolina wag regarded as a step forward in the civilization of this age, and yet with the experience of both systems, we doubt whether the change has been con ducive either to morality or the saving of human life. The security from chal lenge has rendered some men insolent and aggressive, to such an extent as to provoke frequent outbursts of passion and violence throughout the State, which are as damaging to the peace and reputation, and as destructive to human life, as the duel ever was. The new order of things conduces to the reign of the bully, and gives brute force a secu rity and advantage which was not con templated by the law. A man now with murderous intent has only to pre pare himself for the fray, and by in sulting his antagonist induce him to make an attack, or demonstration of an attack, upon which he can take the life of such antagonist, and then plead self defence for the murder, which he had perhaps deliberately planned. We are not yet prepared to advocate the repeal of the anti-du?ling Act, but we do think it should either be repealed, or heavy penalties provided for deliberate and unjustifiable personal insult. If the law takes away the right of the citi zen to defend his reputation in a fair and equal manner with his defamer, it should also undertake to defend his character and person from insult and mean imputation. The State should undo what has been done, or go for ward and pass such additional laws as are called for by the changed condition of things ander the new law. Aiken Review. The recent decision of the Supreme Court of the State.of South Carolina in reference to the jurisdiction of trial jus tices in eases of petit larceny has result ed in the addition to the dockets of the Circuit Courts of a large number of very trifling cases that should never have been permitted to enter the Court House. These small cases cost the County generally as much to try them as does cases in which the offence is greater, and where much larger amounts are involved. A case in point is one tried in Aiken on Monday, in which Kiley Ziegler is charged with stealing a bushel of pota toes valued at fifty cents. Had this case been disposed of by a trial justice, and even bad the prisoner been con victed, it would hardly have cost the County over-$20. As it is, it has al ready cost the tax-payers over ?50, as is shown by the following figures ob tained from County officials themselves : Trial Justice costs, $ 8 00 Sheriffs costs, including dieting since February 21st, 19 60 Clerk's costs, 3 50 Witnesses and mileage, S 25 Estimated jury cost, 8 25 Total costs, $42 60 Add to the above the costs of wit nesses in cases awaiting trial, and other Court expenses not included in the above, such as constables of Court, &c, and the amount is run up over ?50. It is a truthful saying that the best way to get rid of a bad law is to enforce it. Perhaps this rule will apply to this law. Fill our dockets with these petty larceny cases, consume the valuable time of our expensive Circuit Courts with them and maybe our law makers will see the necessity of making a change in this law. Lexington Dispatch. The interest which the South is ex citing at the North is remarkable, although it is not greater than is justi fied by the increasing indications of Southern progress and prosperity. There is scarcely a newspaper of any prominence in any of the Northern cities which has not more or less to say about the wonderful development that is going on in the Southern- States. The fact is, the undeveloped wealth of the South is scarcely touched yet. It will excite still greater interest as its extent becomes more fully under stood. Ill the mining regions there is just now a speculative fever that may deprive many a one of small means of < every aoij?,r wnicn ?e possesses, doc. the existence of such a -fever ts goodr evidence that the -stories -of what may, be expected of the iron and coal are hardly equal to the truth. There will be many disappointed ones,, doubtless, I among those who are taking nsksjotr I town sites, bat their disappointment ought not and, doubtless, will "not, j lessen confidence in the South V.re~: I sources. From present indication* it is almost impossible to go amiss in.making investment in the South. : ; . ; Palmetto Pott. - ? F. D. J. Lawrence, the cobred-Be-.? mocratic lawyer, tells us that the only: object, in his opiniou, Ex-Coo gr?ssmart Smalls has in contesting the fair ejection' of Col. William Elliott is because fc?: (Smalls) has. been influenced to do so ' iu order to furnish thunder for-thenext/ national campaign and a Kttle ready\ cash for the numerous hangers on whose, summer's solstice promises starvation* "??; ? the face of an unpromising outlook for plums, blackberries and watermelons.- ;. - Camden Journal: ". ; . The best grades of cotton ?r? a'ow selling in this market at 10 cents V.per' * pound. However this nigh, pri?e :ce*r ly always rules at this time of the year < so that our farmers can be induced to" believe tbat the same price will be paid in the fail, and thus they arefoo?e?f?nt? planting a big crop which lowers th?"' price, and when selling time comes tbey have to take about 8? or 9 cents instead of the 10 cents that tney expected. The 'oldest inhabitant' cannot re member ever having seen as dry^a fall; : winter and spring in this sectionnas "w?.;' have had since last July. Alany iak?rt have dried up that were never b?fo?e known to be dry at this season. of the year, and all the streams are. very iow: In fields that bave been- planted ki-coro ? a crust has formed over the, seed and thus rendered it almost impossible, for . the tender shoots to get tnrongb. BarntoeU Sen?nil. ? -- -?-? ? -- - Stopping over in B?acfviifevfof- a short while last week, we observed etjery : indication of that abiding energy and? push that has always characterised,the town. In the wake of the fiery mis?or- . tune that so recently overtook 'beffieo^ ple, we find them actively-?ngag?<fe?n:x cleariog away the debris and. tending ' brick and lime for the construction of : new and more substantial buildingr. A dozen or more brick structures ?re a." certainty, and we are told' that tbey - will be completed in, fall time tor stfar heavy business usually done every ._fa?t by the merchants of- the .town. :;JTbe?? : is nothing selfish about tue place, for '.en large artery of philanthropy runs dear'*, through it, and this will lik?ly Inor? to a number of persons without means, - to rebuild their lost homes. We ; arev glad to know that this is so, and feel that. ail Barnwell unites with us in comajeod ing Blackville as a town wholly worthy" of imitation. ?-- t Palmello Post. "? ; - There have been many complainte concerning the postal facilities from Sumter, S. C, to neighboring towns at a distance from that place of from 10 to " 18 miles. One party/ev?n declared^ that a letter addressed to him took seven days to pass from Sumter ta^ao^. vidence, one of these outlying;towns.. Congressman Elliott, hearing of.the complaints, proceeded to investigate,'* and we are sure such rem?diai"steps?"a* will be of benefit to compkinan*s?i?H-i>e taken at an early day. ?.- *. The investigation shows that under the presfnt system, as conducted in.the neighborhood of Sumter. - there "are ample and good grounds of- complaint.* It appears to be a fact that lette ra'sect from Sumter to adjoining tow^s.finit go to Charleston, then up.the South, Caro lina Railroad, then ' up the Camden Branch of said road to Clareinont,-adis tributing point, the journey :tbe^oorre> spondence travelling under fa viable circumstances, occupying; five ?da^s be fore reaching its destination, only a_few miles from the place it Was mailed t??int Such travelling would perhaps -b? "ec^ duci ve of improvement in an invalid who takes the largest way around as the shortest way home when the course : is one of pleasure; but we fail to/see that any such custom or rule ''?hould govern the transmission of the mail.*; ~ There is only one mail:a wee-kito some of these places, and if !onejs not promptly on time, his letter may bave to perform a still more arduous journey ere it reaches its 'home port.* ' ? - " - iui tmm ? Spartanburg's Gold .Mines. The Gold mines near Glendale have been attracting some" .attention.^Jaj&ly. It is not proper to give sack an'*eu*ter- - prise an undue and unmerited: boom. For more than half a century, it has b*?eu known that gold was to he foend in this neighborhood. The Spartan will report only the facts in. the case which wilt be just both to. operators and the owners of adjacent lands. A visitor just in from the Boston -^com pany's mine, near Giendale, reports ' that the workmen in digging- in- the j west portion of the Linder .property, came pon an immensely rich deposit of gold ores about SO feet below the surface. The vein is 24 inchesr m thickness, of a dark brown color. Average samples bave been taken-^from this vein at this point and . found to contain one peony weight to the pound of vein matter, or ?2,000 to the "ton. Just how far this will extend catf?o*t now be determined, but -the fact-of finding the same class of ore 1,2QQ feet cast on the vein and showing the same characteristics?at several other points, is pretty conclusive evid?irco that rich ore is continuous through the whole of this va*t distance. These mills ar? running full blast and ..as .we understand are showing good returns from their poorest grades of "br?. Tt was told that they have a Dynamo anU other fixtures for treating the most rebellious snlphorets which will soeo be put in operation, both for this and oth??r mines in the State.?Carolina Spartan. mm* mm ' i ft ; They have made an abortive .attempt to resurrect Brigham Young ta Utah. To exhaust the experiment ofbringing dead to life, some one might- tryoibcir . hand R. B. Hayes. A failur?<n * * direction would satisfy everybddy>tW*fc the scheme was impracticable.:?St&b Francisco Examiner. ; * -. *" .:? <