THE FIRST QUARREL.

Manawatu Herald, 22 February 1881, Page 3

THE FIRST QUARREL.

♦ ' (IN THE ISLE OP WIOHT ) (From Teuuysou'a new volume, " Ballads and other poems.") •' Wait a little," you Bay, "you are sure it'il all come right." Ptr th • hoy w « lx.ru i* trouble, an ' looks •o was an* co white : Wait ! ttu ouoe I u»' waited— l badn t to ivaa lor mug ; Nrw I wait, wait, wait for Harry — No, nn, you are doing we wrong !

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Harry and I wfl*re married : the boy; can j hold up histheafc ■ ! The hoy was horn in. wedlock, but after tny iiian w»« clonfl'; Iha'workel tor him tifteon . .vcars, au I w >rk Stt' I wait to th© ehiK i , / ' I am •»'! -»Une in the world, au 1 you are my only frienct.o.g ■-. 1 ;;-:'* ;,-.. ■:.;. i. Docti*. if you can wait, I^l ■ tell: ypnjtho '■ tleo'mylife. v .:-.. •". sjU „,iJ When Harry ss?l v?^a. children, he calld ; ni3 hia own littW wife ; r \ | I wag happy when I was with him, an ».rry wheWn'eWai'away; *-M 'i •■ I Au' when we pfey'dr- together, Il^v'o him,i better thaUjnkyf;,> \, . ;# -..-,, ., ....,, i He workt me ohauiT-W> made me the coif^llp'bati; "~ ' " : n He fought the boys that were rude, an 1 I loved hinvbetterfthant alti v,: • , , Passionate girl^q'..^ »%, «n' t! often at J home in disgrace, ' r^ r I never could quarrel with Harry— l had but to look in .his face. There was a farinetf r iff tforaet of Barry's 7 kin, that nitftteed - Of a good stout lad at his farm ; he^sent, an'thefa^era^rtedj. ;. .■.-.. , So Harry was- bound, to the Dorsetshire farm for yeare^h' for years ; ' I walked with him down to the qnay, poor lad, an we parted in tears. The boat was begjnnfng I»i"move, we heard them a-ringing the bell, " , * " I'll never love any but ybh, God bless you my own little Nell. 'V ■• v I was a child, an' he was a child, an' he came to harm ; There was a girl, a hussy, who workt with One had deceived Her ~an' left her alone with her sin an' her shame, And so she was wicked with 'Harry 1 : the girl was the most to blame. And years went over;* till I that was little had grown so tall, ; : 'The men would say, ; of: the, maidp, ."Our Nelly 's the flower of 'em alt'! I didn't, take heed c' them, but taught myself all I jcpuld,^' , g( ,..i, .; „ > To* make a godlf wife to Harry," when H trry catne home for good. : ' ' Often I seem'd. unhappy* and as' often happy too, For I heard it abroad in the fields, "111 never love any, but,you ; ;" " I'll never love any but youj" the morning song of tbelaVkV' '■■">■ '' ' ■ • "I'll never lov«fc any but y<ju," the night: inhale's hymn in the dark.' And Harry came home at last, but he looked at me sidelong and shy, t Vext me a bit, till he told me that so many years had gone by, I had grown so handss!ne,and; tall— that I ■ might ha' forgot him somehow— ' For he thought^— there were other ladshe was feared to look atine' now.' '' , Hard was the jrost.m'.the^ field, we^were married o* tAistmas liay; if '■■■/'•'■'- : - ! '• * Married amoiie thered berries, ah' all as merry as.Msy— "•-•■ ,-,; :-»i- •■••■• Those were tl»e pleasant times, my house au' my man weremy pride, We seemed like^sbipai' the Channel a-aail-ing with^witfd 'ait' tide. ;s, ; ' But work was scant in the Isle, tho' he tried the villages round, So Harry went-oyeg the Solent to see if work conlofbe fonnd ;'■ '' An' he wrote. " I ha' six ( weeks' work little m ife, so f»r fe l''know : ;* : i : I'll come for an hour to-morrow, an' kiss you before I go." ■ ' T^- ':' :. f '•> So I set to righting the house,, fpivwafl.'nt he coming that day ? * n :•' '■" ' '"• An' I hit on an old deal-box that was push'd in S£eorne.r%^fay j i .. .'>:■-.■■' / It wan full of old odds an' ends, an' a letter along wi' t^&resfc,! <? w ;; I had better W put my 'naked hand in "a hornet's nest. ;i>T^ M , . k,, : '• Sweetheart "—this was the letter— this was the letter I read —^. ; , i . . .• • "You promised to find me work near you, an' I wish I was dead— . Didn't you kiss me and promise? yon haven't done it, my lad, An' I almost.died o'jyour going away, an' - ' I wUh thall M." ' , ,-, : " '-.-- ; ' I too wish that'^r had-i-in the i pleasant times tha> { had past; • . •■ = .' ■ 1 , Before 1 quarrerd; with Harry— my quarrel —the first and the last. For Harry came in, an' I flung him the letter that drove mo wild, ■ And he told it me all at once, as simple as any child. & " Wuat can it matter my lass, what i did with my single life 1 1 I ha' deen as true to you as ever a man to his wife ; ' An' she wasn't one o'itht worst **Theii," 1 aaid, "I'm none of the best." An' he smiled itme, 4 >'Ain'tyou my love ? C >me, come, little wife, let it teat ! The man isn't.ljke/the,'woiaan,:Bo hetd-to make such a stir." But he anger'd me all the more, an' I said, " You were keeping with her, When I was a-lovine yqu;all:along an' the same as before." An' he didn'e speakifor ! a while, an' he anger'd me more, »u4 more. Then he patted my. hand ifthis gentle way, "Let bygones be?' ' "Bygones! you kept yours hosh'd," I eaid, " w,hen you married" me ! ' -s\ Bygones ma' be^cou)e^agaju9 5 an' she— in her sham^an?.,her ßin-r- .. ;< . You'll have her to nurse my child, if I die> o' my lying in !. .&KW You'll make h?£it& second mother-! I hate" Jier— an'.l hate you !'■ . . r .- . . ? , >. Ah, Harry, my man, you had better ha' beaten me black au' blue . Than ha' spoken aa-kind ajyou.did, when I were so ctazy-wPspite,' 1 *'' '"•■' '• - "Wait a little, my laavlam'sure it will all come right;" . An' he look three turns jn tl*e rain, .an' T watch' J him, an' when he came in I felt that my hea^/Wa^h«d, , he was all wet thro' to Vhe skio, An' l never said "Off wi' the wet" I never Bafd?« r Wwi' the dry.'" [ So I knew my- heart was, hard,/ when he came to bid me good -by. ■ " You said that .you bated roe, Ellen, but that isn't true, you know : I am going td*l^ave you a 'bit— you'll kiss , me before Igo ?" "Going ! youWgoingtoher— kiss her— if you will "— I Bhiir-^ i . { : -• j \ I was m ar my time wi' the boy, I must ha' been light'i' my head— " I had sooner be cureed, thaff kissed ! J— I didn't know well what I nxeant, Bat I turned- my t .&ee r frpm him, .an' he tura'd^iafc^^ewent , ; .; And then he>»t me^Mter, my work to as 0 ; ': •*^ , ■ " ( •' ' You woulda't^uflifle. my las«J an' l never loved any ibut Jkot j*- a ih:v;J T .-. :• I am sorry f<*M& *)il 4W»wlT:ta-4«orry f»r what Ac wrote^ , ,. t . , , , . j, . I ha' six weeks' work' in^riey.jur'cQ to*' night bf&lm.** '■ -f k™-™ "-■ An' the wind^&n' t^'ruW, 'to^^thouahi of Wm o^M%Ar* •^' T "** 11 ' • ' -™ ' ! An' 1 felt I LfloV^ri to -blame; he wai

always HuKl^PVrt ©dl '»»r»^.'o -a 11 W tit a liVi^gSy Ij^l-l Wr'g'Witlllall come rigul»-— * Au' the boat well t|. down nUbV— the boat west domtuak «%hi • ■