SHORT STORY.

Alexandra Herald and Central Otago Gazette, Issue 423, 2 June 1904, Page 7

SHORT STORY.

(Continued from last week.) Down in the oak parlour, with its high wamwjot and its graan hangings, she found a company assembled. The Major iTLi 08 ' arrived, puiple of face with shortness of breath, and terror of soul, bw furred gown folded round his stout,Bcarlefcclad lege. The landlord was there, Maong with alarm and full of protest as fLr 8 *""?!?*"* of offence. Opposite them stood the tall Parliamentary officer, A"J quiet gravity a little broken by hie annoyance and impatience. They would on listen to a word o! hia attempted con--s™°- They were all deaf to anything bat their own fright. . ' A „ l *f re canton jest—a bit of boy's 'O'iy! biß voice sounded contemptuous and peremptory. The Mayor only wrung his hands. * I am undone— undone! The Parliament cave shaved men's ears for less I Give me the youag knave, 111 clap him in the o*uey, and teach him to utter rebel words against the Commonwealth J* Into the flurry and fright and tumult curst a joung figure in a riding kirtle and wide collar, her fair, short ringlets eecapiag from the hastily arranged Bombs. Ihe red flamed in her cheeks, her eyes eboneUke blue stars. -Beleaae him!' «ggj'a voica rang like that of a princess, it is I you should blame! Here, take me —punißh me—thrust me into prison, if you list I I, and I alone, am answerable! If year Parliament wars with wemen, cere is the woman for its weapons. 1 stand in this alone.* ~ ** *as a young whirlwind let loose upon thsm. The Major droppad his jaw, before he found breath to begin to scold again. Ihe landlord stared, and begaß again to whimper that it was a sin and a shame whoever had done it. He was guiltless as babe ■unborn- Into the eyes of tee Parliamentary officer there had flashed a tndden gleam of admiration, of interest, of respect He had Been that little episode last night. Ho knew well whose hand had Ecrawled the foolish lines, whoso feather head had suggested the stupid bit of boyish bravado. And she took it on herself that the young jackanapes should not be punished! Bhe biaved these angry men, with her maiden dignity and shyaesa tossed aside, careless what It coat her, so that she spued the boy! A such a longing that such a maiden stood at his aide, to do and dare for cim, that such blue eyes flashed in his defence, that lipa so sweet took up his cause, filled the Cromwellian soldier's heart. He stepped forward sharply. At thiß moment, Peggy turned, startled, and their eyes met. Till now she had not seen him, in her excitement and haste. Their eyes met, and he bowed before her with a gesture as courtly as her own involuntary curtesy. ' Madam/ he said, 'you do the Parliament injustice by a doubt. It has no war with women. There has been enough of this stir. By my autority it ends here.' 'By your authority, sir officer 1' sputtered the Mayor, too agitated to remember his politeness. 'And what authority is that, I pray ? In the town I am Mayor, and no one stands above me but the King. What say I? A pest on my tongue! I should have said the worshipful Parliament !'

A spark of amusement shot across the grave faca of the officer. ' And I hold the Parliament*a commission.' he said. 'I ant here to keep law and order. I answer for this. In jonr torn have a care, Master Major, lest they clap yon into yonr own bailey for that word of yours anent the Kingf* He turned to Peggy, noshed, defiant eager, and he bowed once more. ' Madam, there is no action against yoa or year party. I role that the window pone be broken, and that there is an end. Yon may go in peace, when it pleasures yon. No one here will seek to detain or trouble you.' * I thank you,' said Peggy. It did not come with effusion, Glad as the relief was, she owed it to a Parliamentarian. She took two steps to the door. Then her generouß spirit chided her. She turned back contritely. 'J thank you,' she repeated, softly. 'I thank you from my heart.' She held out her hand. He bent and kissed it with as gentle a reverence as if he had been a Boyakst, and received the grace on his knee. He was in the wide inn-yard presently, giving orders to his sergeant, with his charger led up and down before him, as the little party of the travellers passed down from the gallery above and took their saddles on their onward way. He came a step or two forward, to meet the bow Peg gave him with a sudden novel shyness on her part. One of the Chisholm grooms was busy with the straps of his mails, and lingered as the rest rode from the yard Turning, the young officer caught sight of his livery, and he started quickly, and looked again with a vague stirring of memory. 'Hiatl* he called, as the man would have mounted. ' Who* e colours are those you wear P* ' Sir Anothony Chisholm's of Huntonby.' 'Chisholm! Then the lady who has ridden out but nowP She is of Sir Anthony's family ¥ "Tib Dame Margaret, she that is wife to Sir Richard Tempest,' the man bawled the words over hi* shoulder as he galloped away to join the rest. ' Sir Bichard Tempest 1 Wife!' For one moment the young Cromwellian officer stood thunderstruck. Then, with a sudden dash, he ran over to bis charger, aad leapt upon its back. The little train of the Chisholm party had passed from the borders of the town, and were making their way between the hedgerows still sparkling with hoarfrost Peggy and her groom lagged behind a little. Old Hob was getting deaf, and his rheumatism was sharp of an early morning. He was averse to hurrying himself. The horses of the others were like flies on the road before them, when the thunder of hoofs behind made peg turn her head, and Hob grope with cramped fingers for the pistole in his leather belt. It was the officer they had left but just now behind them. It may ba that he lingered still in th 6 thoughts of Peggy, for at sight of him the rose flamed in her cheek. He defied his slouched hat, and said, gravely,' Madam, the way is rough, and this part of the country is unsettled, I come with your leave to see you safely through it.' She bent her head in acknowledgement, and said a word or two. Next, he pressed close to the side of Old Hob's heavy-footed mare, and laid his hand upon its flank. ' Madam, jour servant is old aad lags—it were better to keep closer to those in front Will you do me the grace to sit behind me, and he can follow swifter than with the double load ?' if Peggy hesitated, it was for so brief a space that it lent the more triumph to her yielding. ' I thank you for your courtesy, air,' she murmured. It was but a slip from one crupper to the other. Her arras were round the waist of her new eecort, and he felt the thrill through hi? doublet 'Madam,' be said—they had put space between them and Hob's slower horse—- ' I grieve that yoa should have had the

The Treason of a Window FaneBy JJillias Campbell Davidson.

vexation of that stir at the inn. 'Tie that the country is still like a ohild soared with frights. It sees a bogie in every bush, aud loses its manliness with the fright.' 'lt is naught. It has passed,' she murmured, 'only I was loath to have my brother involved where I should alone have the punishment.' He turned at that, so thai his dark eyes looked full into here, beyond his shoulder. He held them steadily. ' Madam, I orave your forgiveness,' he said, ' but I entered the room where we had supped last night, when you did not see me. I know what passed.'

The rose in her cheek flamed up to her white forehead. Before the steady look in his dark eyes her own blue one's sank. She was without a word, a gesture, so complete was her confounding, so cut was the ground from under her feet 'I pray you to hold me forgiven. I pray you not to feel offence. It was a brave deed, and a noble, what you did this morning. Shall I tell you what I said to myself when you stood and took it on you—you had no part in it P I said 'there Btands a soldier's wife. If I were free to choose there i* no other I would sue for.'

She stopped him with a little sharp cry. 'Hush, hush, you must not speak so to me. You do not know. For my sorrow I am past all lover's talk for ever. I bear a husband's name.'

'And if you did not bear itP If you were iree still, would ycu stop my mouth then?'

He read the flaming signal in her cheek—the dropped lashes, the trembling of the little proud lipß. His heart within him leapt at the betrayal. He turned in the saddle, and the reins lay on his charger's seek.

'Will you send me from youP Will you hate me when you hear my name P If a stranger woed you, and you were free for him, would he have more hope than Bichard Tempest P Sweetheart, say nay.'

' Dickson I' It came with a cry that was half disbelief. Then the dark eyes flashed their conviction back to her own. ' Dickson 1 I never dreamed, I never thought!' She broke off in dire confusion, but he read no rebuff in her dismay. His look pressed hers for his answer; It came with a drooping head and a whisper so low that he could hardly hear.

* I rue that I said I bore your name with sorrow. It is not true.'

' • p «i?gy!' his cheek was near hers and her hands were clasped against his heart, 'Do you remember, have you forgotten when you would not let me kisß you P There is a marriage kiss of mine never paid to me. May I take it now P' And then frosty land about them blossomed suddenly with the flowers of paradise. Eden's gates were open, and they roda on through the country sorely rent and shaken, with their two young hearts in peace.

other, the money was divided between them; if thej did, they wedded and shared it'

«A capital plan, I call it,' said the youngeßt cousin. » Why don't they try it in England P* ' Here marriage is already too much of a lottery,' said the Girl who Knew,