"Across the gap" by Uzo M. Igbozurike.

Luke Kita is a short and fat 20-year-old young man. His parents, Obed
and Elizabeth Kita, have 6 daughters and one son. The girls are Anne,
Rosaline, Grace, Cecilia, Terri and Josephine. Luke does little work
around the house and his father complains. This gives him sleepless
nights.

Obed says all of Luke's agemates are married so Luke tells him of his
love for Lovette Agada, a city girl. Obed hates all city girls but
Luke's mother and sisters support Luke. Obed says Luke can't marry a
city girl as long as he lives in the house.

Luke goes to the city and lives with Lovette's family. Mr Agada
doesn't collect rent from him and eventually gives him Lovette without
requesting a bride price. Luke passes his exams and gets a well-paying
job as a clerk in the city.

Two years later, Luke returns to the village with Lovette.
Surprisingly, Obed has mellowed and gives no opposition. Maybe the
thought that city girls would demand higher bride prices than rural
girls was responsible for his earlier opposition. Now that Lovette has
cost him no kobo, he is happy. Luke and Lovette plan to build a new
building from their savings in the city. Through the couple, Obed's
two dreams (a grandchild and a story building in the village) will be
realised.

"Chaka the Zulu" by Thomas Mofolo.

This novel is about the dangers of unchecked ambition and is based in
the land of the Kaffirs in the eastern part of South Africa.

There are several tribes in Kaffirland : the Swazi, the Undwana, the
Abatetwa and the Ifenilenja. The Abatetwa is ruled by Jobe and later
by his son Dingiswayo. Chief Senzangakona rules the Ifenilenja, a weak
tribe which came under Jobe. Zwide rules the Undwana.

Senzangakona "has 3 or 4 wives" but they have only daughters. He falls
in love with Nandi but gets her pregnant before marriage , against the
rules of the land. Nandi bears Chaka, who is Senzangakona's first son
and real heir. Then the other wives start bearing sons : Mfokazana,
then Dingana and then Mhlangana. The other wives say Mfokazana should
be the heir, not Chaka who was conceived outside wedlock. Other boys
also beat up Chaka when they are driving cattle together. Because of
this, Nandi takes him to her witch-doctor for protection and he
becomes a brave fighter. Before the witch-doctor dies, she hands over
Chaka's case to Isanusi (i.e." the one who sees the future"), the
doctor who taught her.

One day, Chaka saves Mfokazana's girlfriend from a hyena and kills the
animal. Mfokazana and other young men are jealous of Chaka's fame and
try to kill him. He flees to the bush and meets Isanusi, who doctors
him. Afterwards, Isanusi tells Chaka, "You must continue killing with
this spear or the medicine in your blood will kill you. When you get
tired of killing, tell me so that I can dull the power of the
medicines."

Chaka later goes to Dingiswayo, who rules Abatetwa. Chaka wins wars
for Dingiswayo against Zwide's country. Dingiswayo, in turn, defends
him against enemies. Later on, Isanusi sends Ndlebe as a spy and
Malunga as a warrior to live with Chaka. When Chaka's father dies,
Mfokazana becomes the chief of the Ifenilenja but Chaka fights and
kills him. Chaka and Noliwe (Dingiswayo's sister) fall in love and
Dingiswayo approves of their planned marriage. When Dingiswayo is
captured by Zwide's army, Ndlebe deliberately misleads Chaka into
thinking that Dingiswayo is dead already. Therefore, Chaka mourns
instead of going to rescue Dingiswayo. Dingiswayo is later beheaded by
Zwide's people.

Chaka replaces Dingiswayo as the king of the Abatetwa. He chooses a
new tribe name for his people - "Zulu, Amazulu" (Heaven & People of
Heaven). When Chaka wants to marry Noliwe, Isanusi tells him to kill
her instead and bring her blood for sacrifice in order to gain the
chieftaincy of the whole of Kaffirland. Chaka kills her with a needle
while hugging her.

After Noliwe's death, Chaka becomes even more callous. He forces young
men into his army and warriors who lose their weapons in war or run
away are killed for "cowardice". None of his warriors must get married
so the Zulu spinsters have nobody to marry them. All that change when
Chaka makes Umziligazi the head of all his commanders. Umziligazi
rebels and flees with his men to settle elsewhere. They also take
young women with them for marriage. Umziligazi's deputy, Manukuza,
sent to capture him also follows his example.

Chaka has children with several women but has them killed at birth by
Ndlebe. Nandi is eager to have a grandchild so she hides one of
Chaka's pregnant women until she gives birth. The woman leaves the
baby behind and returns to Chaka. Chaka discovers the truth when he
visits his mother one day because the child dies when Chaka's shadow
falls on him. He kills his mother in anger. He kills many Zulus for
not crying enough over his mother's death. He also kills all the women
of Nandi's age and all the tribe of Umziligazi. All the corpses are
placed in the valley of Udonga-luka-Tatiyana.

Chaka gets the chieftaincy of Kaffirland but he is still thirsty for
blood. He organises feasts and kills people for singing badly, not
singing (because of fear of being killed for singing badly) and crying
for joy.

Chaka starts having nightmares featuring all his atrocities and in
which he sees Isanusi gloating over his downfall. He leaves home for
the veld but the nightmares continue. He grows jealous of his men who
slept soundly when he couldn't and kills some of them. He sends for
his halfbrothers, Dingana and Mhlangana, hoping to find comfort when
he sees them but they kill him for his chieftaincy.

"A heart's bitterness" by Bertha M. Clay

Violet Ainslie's  mother has died young so she is raised up by her grandmother. She is brought up to regard most men as fortune hunters who are only after her wealth. At 16, she meets and falls in love with Kenneth Keith but they lose contact. Kenneth writes her letters until her grandmum forbids him to and tells him that Violet has forgotten him. Violet and Kenneth each feel abandoned by the other.

Lord Norman Leigh is also wealthy. He is the son of an earl of Leigh. He has dated women like Lady Clare Montressor (Violet's older cousin), Edna Ambrose and Helen Hope. He loves Edna most but her father tells her to put Norman on a year's probation before marriage. Within the one year, Norman gets into debt through gambling and has to marry a heiress whose money will pay his debts. So he marries Violet, though his heart remains with Edna. He doesn't really love Helen. He just plays with her heart to gain access to her pupil, Edna.

Lady Burton (Kenneth's mother and a bridesmaid at Violet's mother's wedding) warns Violet to wait for a year or two before marrying Leigh. She doesn't know of the Kenneth/Violet love affair but secretly wishes they would marry.

Violet marries Leigh but faints an hour after the wedding vows. This is because she overhears his friends talking about his love for Miss Ambrose and how he has married Violet for her 2 million pounds. She is revived and later moves to her new home. Later on, she meets a strange woman (Helen Hope!) in a museum who offers to teach her embroidery. Leigh, who recognises her, tells Violet to send her away, without giving reasons. Helen later tells Leigh, "You shall marry me or die!" She is very desperate, unlike Miss Ambrose who tells Leigh to leave her (Ambrose)  alone and be faithful to his wife.

Clare Montressor marries Colonel Arlington, Leigh's older cousin who may get the earldom if Leigh has no son. Violet worries herself too much about Edna (whom she hasn't met), so she takes up her uncle's name and becomes Miss Haviland. Edna Haviland becomes Violet's best friend and confidant. Violet doesn't know her as Miss Ambrose.

Helen tells Violet about Miss Haviland's real identity and tells her to leave home for a year so that her husband will miss her. Violet foolishly agrees and becomes a lodger of Dame Magery Rogers, the twin sister of Adam Moreland (Leigh's valet). She later returns home and gives birth to a son, Rupert. 

Helen Hope has an accomplice in Bart Kemp, the stepson of Leigh's mother in her first marriage. They say, " Leigh's mother married his father before her first husband died. So, Leigh is a product of bigamy, an illegitimate child, and should leave the earldom to Hartington". It is later discovered that Leigh's mother remarried as a widow and that Kemp's evidence papers are forgeries. Kemp, Helen and the grave-digger of Leigh's father are arrested but Violet convinces Leigh not to prosecute them.

Kemp wants to marry Helen but she still wants Leigh. On her wedding day, she lures Leigh to meet her near the Black Pool with a forged letter bearing Edna's name. She jumps into the pool and drags Leigh in with her.

Violet thus becomes a widow after only 2 years of marriage. Edna marries Lord Alwood, whom Leigh has tried in vain to persuade to leave her with false stories. Violet marries Kenneth and becomes Mrs Keith while 6-year-old Rupert becomes a peer.

"Oju ri" by Kola Oni

Ògúngbèmí has 8 children and is poor. He loses his arm in a paper machine accident at work. His rich friend Iná-ń-jó wants to introduce him to money rituals. Agbọ́tikúyọ̀, the herbalist, asks him to come for the rituals within 15 days or he will die.

Bakare is Ògúngbèmí's friend. (Ògún-àjọbọ, another of Ògúngbèmí's friends,etc is caught in robbery and killed by a mob). Bakare's vehicle has killed an old woman, Ìyá Àlàkẹ́, who crossed the road without looking. He has had to flee.

Ògúngbèmí's first son, Ogunlabi, impregnates Bose (a fellow student) and they bear Kọ́nkọ́ọ̀dù. The couple live by fraud.

Ògúngbèmí lures Bakare to Agbọ́tikúyọ̀ with the promise that they will both become rich. However, only one of them will be rich while the other will run mad. When Ògúngbèmí gets home, he laughs wildly and runs out naked. Ogunlabi poisons his mad father to remove the family stigma but he survives.

Kọ́nkọ́ọ̀dù gains admission to OAU, Ife to study Law. He is named Dele by his fellow students. He is unable to get a job after graduation.

Bakare and Ruth take Ògúngbèmí to Baba Fadipe, who cures him. But Bakare's wealth will then dwindle.

Ogunlabi ends up in court for robbery but Kọ́nkọ́ọ̀dù defends him well in court. Kọ́nkọ́ọ̀dù becomes a famous lawyer, gets rich and marries Kemi. However, Ogunlabi is sent to the gallows and Bose runs away. Bakare loses all his money in the Ìyá Àlàkẹ́ murder case. However, Ògúngbèmí accepts Bakare and his family into the house given him by his grandson, Kọ́nkọ́ọ̀dù.

"Beyond Pardon" by Bertha M. Clay

This novel is about Lionel Ryder, Eleanor Ryder and Countess Vivian of Lynn.

Lionel is Eleanor's husband. After their wedding, he goes on a journey
and falls in love with Vivian, Countess of Lynn. Vivian has been
forced to marry an old count who has been unable to impregnate her for
years. Vivian continues the affair until she learns Lionel has a wife
and kids. Shocked, she leaves him, joins a convent and becomes Sister
Marie.

Lionel is yet to return home and his son is very ill. Eleanor asks the
nearby convent for help and the convent sends "Sister Marie". Eleanor
tells Sister Marie about her husband's desertion of her for "one
Countess Vivian of Lynn". Eleanor says Vivian's sin is "beyond
pardon", even if she repents. Lionel then comes back. Sister Marie
feels guilty, leaves their home and goes to China. There she is shot
dead while trying to save baby girls thrown into rivers.

Lionel now confesses his involvement with Sister Marie and Eleanor ends up pitying her. 

..____________________

Click here for the full text of the novel :

 https://archive.org/stream/bwb_T2-EYP-540/bwb_T2-EYP-540_djvu.txt.

Words of wisdom

Permit me to give you these words of wisdom sent to me. It will also be a great blessing to you. Please read and meditate on them.

1. Never depend on a single income. Make investments to create a second source of income.

2. If you buy things you do not need, soon you will have to sell off the things you need.

3. Do not save what is left after spending, but spend what is left after saving.

4. Never test the depth of a river with both feet.

5. Do not put all your eggs in one basket.

6. Honesty is a very expensive gift. Do not expect it from cheap people.

7. If you are depressed, you are living in the past. If you are anxious, you are living in the future. If you are at peace, you are living in the present. The past is a waste paper. The present is a newspaper and the future is a question paper.

8. When bad things happen in your life, you have three choices: let them define you, let them destroy you or  let them strengthen you.

9. Empty pockets teach you a million things in life but full pockets spoil you in a million ways.

10. Our eyes are in the front because it is more important to look ahead than to look back.

11. We used  pencils when we were small but now we use pens. Do you know why? It's because mistakes in childhood can be erased but not now.So read and write carefully. Otherwise, life will be a tissue paper.

I hope you have benefitted. Please, let others benefit too.

How to operate two Whatsapp accounts on the same phone

When you download and install Whatsapp into your smartphone, you can
use only one account (or number) at any given time on the app. You can
change your phone number on the same account or delete the account (to
set up a new account with another number).

To use 2 Whatsapp accounts on the same phone, download and install
"Dual Space - multiple accounts" into your smartphone. The app allows
you to clone Whatsapp, Facebook, Instagram,etc so you can have 2
copies of each app on your phone. Open the app, tap "Whatsapp" and
wait for Whatsapp to be cloned and opened. Follow the usual procedure
for setting up a new Whatsapp account ( opening the Dual Space
Whatsapp, entering a new phone number, entering the verification code
sent to the phone number,etc).

Your 1st Whatsapp account can be accessed on Whatsapp and your 2nd
account on Dual Space's Whatsapp.

NOTE: Your Whatsapp SIM can be in another phone (for
calls,messages,etc) without affecting your Whatsapp account use on
your smartphone. You can use any SIM's data to operate the Whatsapp
account .