SHORT STORIES THE LOVE POTION ‘ou mention the juba pent (Oom Schalk Lourens said) Oh, yes, everybody in ao knows bout tebe plan. grows high pon he aro, they 89 Foe et PE Of one offs tere bees at mihgh. under th fl aon Then pone ound MAN, and YoU are anus 6 io fan love wh you al yo "ave 10 do's squecze te jue ofthe juba-beny into her coor ney 8 thle the get has drunk the ba ice she hep lo fre al eat of Stat your forehead is rather tow, and that your ear sek out, and ‘©9})a. She even forgets having told you, the week befor last that ‘he wouldn't marry you f you were the only man nthe Transveat ‘Al she knows that the man sho gazes al, ver her empty colce-cup, has eon remarkably handsome, You can se om his hate plan mtb very potent ins effects. mean you consider what some af the me, ‘One young man | knew, however, was not very enthus 'n fact, he always said that before he climbed up the kant one ‘ote ed berries, he was more popular withthe gis than he was a ‘yung man said that his decline in favour 10 ple one of Perhaps be due to the fact that, hort ater of his font teeth, ‘Thishappened when the g ‘the young man in he acto equ ‘sible contol fellow, caught his daughter's cp, ‘others talked of he magic properties ofthis ove pation, in silence, and his i ‘here his font teeth used to be the young man would listen i ip would culm @sneer over the place he woul! Isp athe end, suppose I must have picked that ube Pertaps the moon wasn't cacy midnight. am only glad now th those redberries whe was about it dn pick of two of 621Page SUT ooo ‘We all felt twas a sad thing that the juba-plant had done to that young man, But with Gideon van der Merwe it was different ‘One night | was cut shooting inthe veld with a lamp fastened on my hat a know that kindof shooting: inthe glare ofthe lamp-Sght you can see only the eyes the thing you area 1d you get three months if you are caught. They made it egal to hunt by lamplight since the time a policeman got shot in the foot. this way. when he was out racking cattle-smugglers on the Bechuanaland border ‘The magistrate at Zeerust, who did not know the ways ofthe catle-smugglers {ound that the shooting was an accident This verdict satisfied everybody except the Policeman, whose foot was sill bandaged when he came into court. But the men in the Volksraad, some of whom had been catle-smugglers themselves, knew better ‘than the magistrate did as to how the policeman came to have a couple of buckshot 'n he sof part of his foot, and accordingly they brought inthis new law. ‘Therefore, | walked very quietly that night onthe Krantz Frequent | put out my ight and stood very ‘aments to make sure | was not being ‘amongst the trees, and waited long Orsinariy, there would have been Ite to fear, but a couple of days before two poicemen had been seen disappearing Into the bush. By ther looks they seemed young policemen, who were anxious for remoton, and whe didn't know that honest farmer's peach brandy th ‘mare becoming fora policeman to drink an test him fr hunting by lamp ght {was watking along ‘hundred paces from me, rom side to side, when suddenly, about a ullboghiness ofthe ‘30 saw, above the eyes, a policeman's khaki helmet, | ‘ahl such as that was, was not good fr finding buck S01 went home, P. | Saw a pai of eyes. When Temembered that a moonlight "ook the shortest way, too, which ‘side—and on my way down tutche and tuts of grass Later on, "Was over the side ofthe krantz— the steep 8 vanetyofbranches,tee-foas, stone ledges "Krantz, when | came to and was able to ‘twp there was that poceman bending over me “Oom Schaky, + Twas wondering you would lend me you amp" T1Pageae fo: Gideon. struck me tat he would never mae a good polceman 2 be-plont of whieh there were thous About half an hour ater he: He took ated bet shoul tell any more T1Page TEM id, ‘the only other man who listened leftaterafornight. By that time twas deconcerting =n elLetie how much thnk of her.” Gideon said, but every time, 2s soon a8 sta, get a ice gets shaky, and alll can say to her is Gideon van der Merwe said, wistfully, “might make her say something frst” We parted shorty afterwards. took up my lamp and gun, and as lsaw Gideon's isappe he wees | thought of what a good fellow he was. And very ‘policeman, reflected. Forithe was a catte-smuggler ould get arrested everytime he tried to cross the border ‘over to Kijan Cordier’ farm to remind him about the tin ed me fom te rasn't able to get in a word ab n managed to el me quite alot about he is ih the cofee | made a casual remark to TaIPageinellens deseo him are not ony ‘hat [wouldnt be surprised ithe is made a ‘sereant one of these days, For these ‘asone | atwaysduellon the mote hep pats of my stan? | Gent ake much notice of Krsjan'sremart, however. Instead, | fooked Stray a Lette when mentioned Gideon's name. She di" ge mich avay, but ‘maui atthese things, and = enough The coourtht ceptor cheeks. The Nohtnatcame inher eyes (On my way back | encountered Let. She was standing under athon-ee ‘eh her Bowe arms and her et quel fco and het il boom, he wa avery ‘rely Pitre. There was no doubt that Lele Corie woud make a fine wile for any ‘man, ltwasn'thard to understand Gideon's fetngs about her. “Lotte asked, do you love hin? “Hove hin, Oom Schalk she answered twas as simple as that, Lette guessed mear van der Merwe, without my having spoken his name, Accordingly, was easy for me fo acquaint Lee wth what had happened the ight before, on the krantz, ‘Another man might have wearied her vi ith along and unnecessary desertion ofthe "™2Y he fll down the kranz,cliching at branches and treo. But am diferent 1 ‘old her that t was Gideon who fell down the kant “Now yu know what odo, Laie said, Put your cole on the abe vthin ach of Gideon. Then giv him what you think is ong enough o squeeze the ie into your cup." “Perhaps twill be even beer” Lee sad,“ vale though 2 cack inthe oor? "pated her head approvingly TP age UM 1 and drink your coffee," said “Ate that you came into the voorkamer and drink yo “Yes, Oom Schalk, ve answered simply “And when you have drunk the coffee” | concluded, “youl know what to do next Only don't go too fa.” ‘twas pleasant to see the warm blood mount to her face. As | rode off | said to ideon van der Merwe w lucky felow “There isn't much mor to tel about Letie and Gideon When I saw Gideon some time afterwards, he was very elated, as | had ‘expected he would be So the juba-plant worked" | enquired. as wonderful, Com Seal 's father was no there, ideon answered, ‘and the funny part of twas 3, when | put the juba juice into her coffee, Lettie. had brought him a message, jst before then, that he was wanted inthe mealietands.” “And was the uba-juce all they claim for it" | asked, “You'd be surprised how quickly it acted” he said, “Lettie just took one sip at ‘he coffee and then jumped straight onto my lap” But then Gideon van der Merwe winked in a way that made me believe that he Was not so very simple, aftr al, “Twas prety certain that the juba juice would work, Oom Schalk,” he said, “after Lee's father tld me that you had been there that morning T1PageSETTING The story is set in Groot Marico in the old Western Transvaal in about the 1940s. The action takes place in the bush near a kopje and at Krisjan Cordier’s farm in his voorkamer (front sitting room). There is also a brief mention of a court room during the story. It seems that the narrator is in one-time frame telling a story about events that have happened in the past MAJOR CHARACTERS - SUMMARY om Schalk Lourens IMPORTANT ACTIONS 1, Plays the role of narrator © Engages the reader directly, guiding the story 2. Goes hunting illegally and meets Gideon © Out hunting with an illegal lamp; encounters Gideon. Gets a fright when he sees the policeman’s hat and falls off a krantz © Starts off the adventure by accidentally falling. 4. Visits Krisjan to find out what he thinks of Gideon © Apretext for observing Lettie’s reactions. 5. Observes Lettie’s reaction to the mention of Gideon’s name © Sees her blush and shows interest when Gideon's name is mentioned Asks Lettie how she feels about Gideon and tells Lettie what Gideon has done © Reveals to Lettie about the berry juice trick. 7. Lies about who fell down the krantz © Tries to save face, pretending it was Gideon who fell, not him, Advises Lettie how to act once Gideon puts the juice in her coffee © Suggests Lettie pretend to fall in love by drinking the coffee. 9. Realises he was mistaken about Gideon © Ultimately, he understands Gideon's true intentions and Lettie’s feelings. 76|PageRELATIONSHIPS PERSONALITY TRAITS + Obtervant: 1+ Relies Gideon is more complex coor oon sanford bt lar e 6 ewes an ie SLIM ronan ACTIONS eres to Oom Schalk atPensowautyane + Shyand evened eter acon and tacon to eon tenor om Sch to come past 0s canta Ret : ‘oesena Ws ens Lai and on ls a Gece Com Seba ata caf nm about erg for Gen ih tab ni eaves term long enough er aa+ Practical and ealelating: IMPORTANT THEMES “THEME 1: LOVE AND COURTSHIP * Sinmeaee {rs hat eon as he oan ow he ‘bby tc her meme oe ep and foresight. = + Sout Loe © fete sr pogesen ste tncime nce str con anders tiem een tas powang ttre Overview: Socal customs prevent people rom dct expressing thei felngs, lacing thom fad alematve fen sub ways to communicate thei love Physica atractveness and genie demeanour -Kesan very garuous (very akative) He sms to be wel-knwn fring hs He story in sequence. He thinks everone is infeestd in his Me story and thatthe Incidents rom hee can be helpful thers. TM a1iPage S_ —sS& page —_ pany“+ The Jube pant asa pretence Te pants te character fat 4 Oom Senate's deception: Fates the Story About the Krantz Fall Com Sch bes 0 Lat bouton claiming & was Gideon stad ofthis 10 ooking teh 4 The Votarae's hypoeisy Tae A ht Ly ee ee eee ee 4 Page y\ CTT 2-MuMouR + Understatement: © Example: When Gor Se lonely potently da a mooi ih, sch 28 tat ? = ~ Example: Ou Shak menon r0Ne 7S) Oam Schalk uses sacal tone fo poko fun at varous people and stator, etn sien he Sc ‘yu ane hat sm a he weroroue macs te natacieness of heen Be ska ng esr bt canst icences the rok f geting caught Situation Kony Example: Vo bole thal Geo i fe en bra rhe t thkng we1PageQUESTIONS 1, What role does Oom Schalk Lourens play in the story? 2. Why is the juba-plant important in the story? 3, How does Oom Schalk feel about the juba-plant's effect on people? 4. What happens when the young man uses the juba-plant juice on his coffee? 5, How does Oom Schalk’s fall off the krantz contribute to the story? 6. Why is hunting with a lamp illegal? 7. What is Gideon's reason for wanting to find the juba-plant? 8. How does Gideon feel about Lettie? 9. What does Oom Schalk think of Gideon at first? 10. How does Lettie react when she hears Gideon's name mentioned? 11. Why does Lettie pretend to be affected by the juba-juice? 12. How does Oom Schalk facilitate the relationship between Gideon and Lettie? 13. What does Oom Schalk lie about when talking to Lettie? 14. How does Oom Schalk react when he realizes that Gideon was not as naive as he seemed? 45, What is ironic about the way Oom Schalk views Gideon's actions? 46. What does Gideon do to avoid confessing his feelings to Lettie directly? 47. What is the significance of the juba-plant in the story's theme? 48. How does the story explore the theme of deception? 49. What is the connection between the juba-plant and the theme of love and courtship? 20. How does Oom Schalk's view of Gideon change by the end of the story? 21. What does Lettie do when she receives the juba-juice in her coffee? 22. How does Oom Schalk feel about the community's reaction to the juba-plant? 23, What does the story suggest about the role of social customs in love and courtship? 24. How does the story end, and what is the final twist? 25. What is the overall tone of the story? 87|Page