The Story of an African Farm

so fond of riding hard," said G

n the road to Oom Muller's o

ding hard?" asked Em

d testily; then twisted his head to look at the buggy that came on behind. "I thought Waldo was such a mad dr

of our dust," said Em. "See, th

to be the case,

kicks up such a confounded dust,

cart came on

them walk. I want to rest and watch their hoof

bush behind which so many years before the old German had found the Kaffer woman. But their thoughts were not with him that morn

t is

ep and might be jolted out,"

ter a time she said suddenly: "It must be a terr

htly about her, and she still watched the horses' feet. Having no comment t

leasure you created this thing! See your work!' If it lived to be eighty it would always hang like a millstone round my neck, have the right to demand good from me, and curse me for its sorrow. A parent is on

aid dre

that one soul should hav

e beating of the horses' hoofs; her

say so about other things? Liars! 'God sends the little babies!'" She struck her foot fretfully against the splashboard. "The small children say so earnestly. They touch the little stranger reverently who has just come from God's far country, and they peep about the room to see if not one white feather has dropped from the wing of the angel that brought him. On their lips the phrase means much; on all others it is a deliberate lie. Noticeable, too," she said, dropping in an instant

houghts, and did not see the string on which they

o throw their sin on. But we, wretched unbelievers, we bear our own burdens: we must say, 'I myself did it, I. Not God, not Satan; I myself!' That is the sting that strikes deep. Waldo," she said gently, with a sudden and complete change of manner, "I like you so much, I love you." She rested her cheek softly against his shoulder. "When I am with you I n

e horses, as the first sunbeams touched them, shook their heads and champed

unusual life and bustle: one cart, a wagon, and a couple of saddles against the wall betokened the arrival of a few early guests, whose numbers would soon be l

ups to watch the arriving carts and ox-wagons, as they are unburdened of their heavy freight of massive Tantes and comely daughters, followed by swarms of children of all sizes, dressed in all manner

ound sensation, and the firing of guns, the horse-wagon draws up, and the wedding-party alight. Bride and bridegroom, with their attendants, march solemnly to the marriage-chamber, where bed and box are decked out in white, with ends of r

alls, the music coming from a couple of fiddlers in a corner of the room. Bride and bridegroom open the ball, and the floor is soon covered with whirling couples, and every one's spirits rise. The bridal pair mingle freely in the throng, and here and there a musical man sings vigorously as he drags his partner through the Blue Water or John Speriwig; boys shout and applaud, and the enjoyment and confusion are intense, till eleven o'clock comes. By this time the children who swarm in the side-rooms are not to be ke

a yellow halo round the candles, and sets asthmatic people coughing, and grows denser, till to recognise any

oom is brought to the door by the best man, who gives him the key; then the door is shut and locked, and the revels

oorway in one of the side-rooms, to watch the dancers as they appeared and disappeared in the yellow clou

nce with you," she said; "she must be so t

ot going to be her dog, and creep to her feet, just to give her t

reg," said his little betrothed, humbly

the room as to be close to the door where Lyndall sat. After standing

uld he not stand there as well as anywhere e

a stove, Miss Lyndall

nk y

ne, and put it

at broken window: shall I s

e want

in her hand; her eyes, steel-grey by day, but black by night, looked through the doorway into the next room. After a time he thought she had entirely forg

en he looked up her eyes were fixed on him. She was looking at him-not, Gregory felt, as she had ever looked at him before; not as though he were a stump or a stone that chance had thrown in her way. Tonight, whether it were critically, or kindly, or unkindly, he could not tell, but she looked at him,

en, as soon as it had gone from him, he thought

eplied Em looked

ave the cushion-dance. I do not want to ki

er hand into

u care to dance any more?"

the dust, and the

did n

not think I shall da

a young farmer came to t

d," remarked Gregory-

he must take me home. These people will not leave

stoep a group of men and boys were smoking, peeping in at the windows, and cracking coarse jokes. Waldo was cert

e cart, "is that you? I am so dazed wi

n the two seats. She climbed up an

drawing her skirt up about her shoulders. "Y

ng of the fiddles as the night-wind bore it from the farmhouse, and to the ceaseless thud of t

it-trees; little Malay boys playing naked on a shining sea-beach; a Hindoo philosopher alone under his banyan tree, thinking, thinking, thinking, so that in the thought of God he may lose himself; a troop of Bacchanalians dressed in white, with crowns of vine-leaves, dancing along the Roman streets; a martyr on the night of his death looking through the narrow window to the sky, and feeling that already he has the wings that shall bear him up" (she moved her hand dreamily over her face); "an epic

and drew a

y plans?" she ask

es between; "I will take the grey mare-I will trave

t wo

not

ittle impati

does it, and nothing else. Waldo," she said, knitting her little fingers closer among his, "I wish I could help you; I wish I could make you see that you must decide what you will be and do. It does not matter what you choose-be a farmer, businessman, artist, what you will-but know your aim, and live for that one thing. We have only one life. The secret of success is

st make her way through life. What she would be she cannot be because she is a woman; so

that otherwise must have been dissipated in words; a rare power of entering into other lives unlike her own, and intuitively reading them aright. These qualities she has. How shall she use them? A poet, a writer, needs only the

d herself with a burden which she must bear to the end, she must but bear the burden bravely, and labour on. There is no use in wailing and repentance here: the next world is the place for that; this life is too short. By our errors we see deeper into life. They help us." She waited for a while. "If she does all this-if she waits patiently, if she is never cast down, never despairs, never forgets her end, moves straight toward it, bending men and things most unlikely to her purpose-she must succeed at last. Men and things are plastic; they part to the right

strong, proud, restless heart of the woman. They were general words with

think, we see that there is nothing worth doing.

her head

that the world has passed. Men have set their mark on mankind forever, as they thought; but time has washed it out as it has washed out mountains and continents." She raised herself on her elbow. "And what if we could help mankind, and leave the traces of our work upon it to the end? Mankind is only an ephemeral blossom on the tree of time

r beating pulses. But it is a poison, not a food. If we live on it it will turn our blood to ice; we might as well be dead. We must not, Waldo; I want your life to be beautiful,

will work

ay still, his black curls tou

bench, and curled himself up in her lap. She drew her skir

suddenly, "they a

asked, s

s from each one of them! We are talking of tomorrow and tomorrow, and our hearts are so strong; we are not thin

looking

y?" he asked her

N

. If there were a wall of rock on the edge of a world, and one rock stretched out far, far into space, and I stood alo

ter that, and Doss fell asleep on her kne

kirt about her shoulders, "I am cold. Span-i

e, Doss stiffly following her, not pleased

you everywhere; may I not

that she looked at him in the old way, without seeing him. But before

h to drive

nd pouring out coffee in the back room.

aldo; I am going to d

ised Tant Annie Muller to look after the

I'm sick of this thing," said Gregory, turning sharply on his heel. "Why mu

right, Greg,

, and a man had come up

to look for her, and found

d; "but if you would like to h

her head

ite ready. I

ng sleepily as they walked in the starlight, you might have counted the rise and fall of their feet in the sand; and Waldo

l so old, so very old, when

," said Waldo sleepily

y she sa

sh; you like every one to have everything; but when you are grown up there are some thi

sleepily, and she

all was dark, for Lyndall had

nd for a moment she leaned her hea

walked with her to the door; "let m

ll right," she said. "G

in she sat long