380 



IN AFRICA 



shop. Fatal mistake ! Ten .years and the tropics 

 work many changes in the soft-eyed daughters 

 south of the fifteenth degree of latitude. 



I once read a story by Pierre Loti, a sad and 

 haunting story of how he sought, after years of 

 absence, to find an old-time sweetheart in Stamboul. 



Ten Years After 



He didn't find her and he should be grateful for 

 his failure. 



I found Victoria. She recognized me at once, al- 

 though I hardly knew in her the slender, pretty 

 Victoria of old. Her eyes were soft and nice, but 

 smallpox had pitted her nose and cheeks and the 

 deadly incubus of flesh had upholstered her in many 

 soft and cushiony folds. I asked her if she had 

 married and she said she never had, which inf orma- 



