Argosy All-Story Weekly — page 133: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

THE BEAM. habit-—khaki riding breeches, brown polo boots, and soft, white shirt opened wide at the neck. She laughed a little nervously. Her full red lips quivered slightly. 3 | “Every day you ask me that, Grand- father van Slyke.” She rose and went slowly down the steps as Jan, the stable boy, led up her horse. ‘T should think you’d get tired of asking every day.” ‘I always want to know where you are going, and what you are doing, Katje.”’ ‘““Y’m going for a ride. Where?” She shrugged her shoulders. ‘ Who knows? To the dorp, perhaps.” _“ And you will not see any verdoemte Englishers?”’ ‘‘ How can J help it, grandfather, unless I close my eyes?” ““ Almighty! Yes—they are everywhere. Once a man could stand on his stoep and look north, south, east and west, and know that all he saw was his. But now—I look and see nothing but the fumes from some, cursed Rooinek’s chimney.” He pointed to the west where, just above the horizon, a thin wisp of smoke floated lazily upward. The girl laughed. “You have better eyes than J have, grandfather. I see only the veldt.” She walked over to the horse and let him nibble at her fingers. She seemed to be waiting for her grandfather to say some- thing else. . ‘“ Katje,” he said presently, ‘ will you promise me not to speak to an Englisher?” She shook her head vehemently so that her hair, ripe corn colored, threatened to tumble down about her shoulders. “ No,” she said sharply; ‘I shall not promise, I shall speak to one—perhaps to many. It is silly of you to act like this every day.” “Ach sis! Silly, you say,” roared Oom Piet. ‘‘ Almighty! Does the girl say I’m a fool? Is there no respect for gray hairs? You will promise not to speak to a Rooinek, or—or you will stay here.” He caught her firmly by the wrist. She looked at him steadily, a little sor-. rowfully, but with no hint of capitulation. 923 “I am going for a ride, grandfather, and T shall not make any promise.” He tightened his hold on her slender wrist, his eyes contracted to pin points, then suddenly he flung her from him with a half choked animal cry of rage. ‘““ Almighty!” he ‘shouted. and never come back.” ‘Do you mean that?” she asked gravely. His temper passed instantly. “Almighty! No. You know [I did not mean it. You will come back, Katie? Promise me you will come back—and—and bake me some veld-bricks!”” “Of course I'll come back. But why—” She shook her head mournfully. ‘‘ Oh, well, never mind. Going to help me mount?” “Go, then, He picked her up easily, without effort— _ in his youth they had called him the ele- phant because of his strength—and placed her in the saddle. Then he held up his face for his reward. She bent over and kissed him on the forehead, struck her horse gently with a sjambok, and galloped swiftly away. As always, Oom Piet gazed after her until she was swallowed up by distance and the red cloud of dust created by her horse’s -hoofs, then he slowly seated himself on the steps and buried his face in his hands, his attitude one of supreme dejection. He had not changed his position when Katje returned—four hours later. She dismounted swiftly, giving her horse over to the grinning Jan, and sat down bhe- side Oom Piet. Her cheeks were flushed, her eyes spar- kled, and her lips were parted ever so slight- ly. Clasping her brown hands about her knees, she leaned back and indulged in happy reveries. “Ach! So youre back.” The rasping voice of Oom Piet broke in upon her consciousness, and she stared at him as one awakening from a heavy sleep. ‘Yes, I’m back—grandfather,” she said softly; and her voice had a new, deeper note init. By some strange alchemy of na- ture she had blossomed into womanhood during the four short hours she had been away. Oom Piet looked at her wonderingly. “Don’t stare so,” she said happily, a Eomigbooks (EO)