Tales and Sketches.

New Zealand Mail, Issue 26, 22 July 1871, Page 15

Tales and Sketches.

THE BEIDGE OF SIGHS. A Yachting Stoey. [From All the Yeae Round.] CHAPTER X.—THE BEIDGE.

The fashionable Mr Conway was much interested in this little first act which was working itself out so pleasantly. • Give me a bit of character,' he would say. 'lt is not to be bought by rank or wealth—it is the salt of life ; it is idle to look for it in real plays.' Yet here, in this provincial nook, he had lighted on a combination that promised to be of absorbing interest. Letters came to him of the usual pattern ; invitations from mammas; short notes, like telegrams, from men, as • Dear Con., bring your boat round this way. We will put you up for a week;' programmes of new races ; but he determined to linger on and study these two fresh ' bits of nature.' Even the place itself was amusing, its ways and commotions entertained him ; he liked asking questions. He saw how the eyes of the parishioners rested on those two girl figures, watching them with eagerness. He picked up the whole history of the great bazaar question, where the heiress wished to have the entire di rection according toher whim, and decreed that only genteel persons, of the rank of ladies, should hold tables, a proposal firmly and excitedly opposed by the clergyman's daughter. She would not have the holy cause of charity disfigured by such distinctions ; it must be thrown open to all the good shopkeekers, to the race of Higgins's or Smiths, whose honest contributions did not deserve such a slight. But what was she against the heiress, who, thus opposed, became, like a passionate, froward child, that would cry all night if its toy were refused ? At the price of a magnificent contribution, the obsequious committee yielded to her. It was wonderful with what scorn and anger Jessica stigmatised this unholy defacing of the cause of benevolence. But no one was more scandalised or ' put out' than her father. This girl would be the death of him. The transaction was welcome to the people of the place, who did not range themselves on different sides, but were almost all against the parsons daughter, including even those whose cause she had taken up. In the shops, everywhere, Conway heard little stray sketches of those two important persons whose images filled up the minds of the town. A very few said, how generous, how charitable, how disinterested and gallant was the parson's daughter, and how she stood up to battle against' unmeaning whims and humors. Mr Conway read off the true solution—all women are' rivals to each other.

But he had just arrived on the ere of another little battle—the battle of the bridge. Before the building of the light bridge already mentioned, the people of the district, on Sunday and holiday evenings, often clustered at the edge of the bank opposite to the Castle Gardens, gazing curiously at the gay and charming beds of flowers, the pretty walks, the rare shrubs, which a skilful Scotch gardener, hired at a vast price by the horticultural Sir Charles, had taken pains to make the pride and show of the district. Here were rare plants which had come from afar, here 'a labyrinth' so complicated and tangled as to be the wonder and delight of the few children, who had been allowed to lose their way in it. Sir Charles, good natured always seeing the rows of excluded spectators, had often wished to give them greater enjoyment, and unrestricted admission to his grounds. Having been poor himself, he would say, he knew how welcome were these cheap benefits. Once, when his daughter was in a pettish fit of impatience, at having to go round to the great gate, when she was in a hurry to get home, he said artfully that a new bridge across would be a great convenience. She caught at the idea with enthusiasm, and became almost restless until she had made her father get plans from an eminent architect. It was begun at once, and was pushed forward to gratify another fancy of hers that it should be completed and opened by her birthday. Then it was christened Laura Bridge. It seemed to be unlucky from the beginning. A scaffolding gave way during its construction, and a workman's son was drowned in sight of the drawing room windows. By a strange and fitful change quite characteristic of her nature, she seemed, when her whim was gratified, to become indifferent, scarcely ever to use it, and at last to dislike it. Her father felt he never could understand her. It was a pretty object, springing across airily, and seeming to be made of thin wire. It was a model of lightness combined with strength, taking the shape of an airy bow with towers, transparent as bird cages, at each end. In gilt letters over each entrance was the name ' Laura Bridge,' a christening done in honor of the daughter of the house. ' Laura Bridge, Laura Bridge,' read Conway, aloud and contemptuously, ' even this is twisted into homage to the vanity of wealth. This spoiled creature thinks the

whole world is for her. I should like to have the schooling of her.' The good natured baronet had even built the natives a little pavilion where they could have their pleasure parties and junketings. Visitors to the castle, as they looked from the windows and strolled through the gardens, saw these honest folks, the sailors and their lasses, shopkeepers and others, scattered about on the grass, enjoying themselves after their fashion with the usual rustic gambolling. This sight madeJVliss Panton more fretful on each occasion. She disliked the idea of community, or sharing, which it suggested. And she often impatiently asked her father to forbid them to come, or take away the bridge altogether. The guest heard many a discussion at the breakfast or dinner table, which he himself had innocently started by his question, * Who are all those people in the grounds ?' • There papa,' Miss Laura would exclaim. ' There is the result of your bridge. You should build them houses. They begin to think that our lands belong to them. Do get rid of this bridge, and let us have our place to ourselves like other people.' Another unjust speech caused deep indignation. ' That they were not going to collect all the beggars of the country in their garden.' And by the curious process by which events make themselves known even without the agency of persons, it became reported that Miss Panton intended to abolish the bridge and shut herself up in her own fortress, excluding the canaille . for ever. Then it was that Jessica's deep and burning protest was heard all over the place. There was true oppression, depriving the poor and the laboring of their innocent recreation! Such behaviour was cruel, scandalous, barbarious. Talk of the feudal times, of the serfs indeed. But she did not believe it still, she could not.

This spoken in the open places, at the market cross, as it were, flew to the heiress's ears, and at once determined her, that the bridge should go down. The low, mean, pitiful herd should not disgrace their grounds any more. It was a matter of favor, as they should find. She was not going to be put down by them, or by any one.' Her father looked at her with wonder.

• They put you down, the poor rustics ; why, what can that mean ? Oh, I see.' And he smiled, for he had often been amused at this wayward enmity, and had deplored the inconsistency and want of sense it led to.

A favorite stroll with Conway was that pleasant walk out of the town, up to the river. He began at last to regard that bridge as the temporary link between the two women's natures, as something with a more mysterious significance in it than was involved in its elegant iron foliage and arabesques ; and, in his own mind he gave it another name, the name which this little narrative bears.

One evening he had wandered to Laura Bridge, and found Miss Panton moodily regarding it and the few natives passing across it. She began to speak at once with excitement.

' Surely, no one ever heard of such a thing—a gentleman's place to be swarming over with the low mobs of a town. It should have been put down long ago, as I tell my father.' ' The fashion now is,' said Conway, ' to encourage the poor people's parks, and that sort of thing; keeps them from troubling us in other ways. But is it all settled ?'

• Yes ; I have got papa to agree at last, and next week the men are to take it down.'

' Have you thought seriously,' he said, ' of the dissatisfaction anything like stopping up a right of way, a watercourse, a pump even, is sure to cause ? There will be plenty to set them on and work them up.' 'I know that,' she said, excitedly. ' Who do you think is the leader—l don't mean in the streets, after the radical way, but that leads the gossips in the drawing rooms and lodging houses of St Arthur's ?' ' Well, I might guess.' ' Yes, Mr Conway, a particular friend of mine, and who wishes to be one of yours, too.' ' Does she ?' said he, smiling. ' I must seem ungrateful.' ' Y&u will seem what is only right, then,' she went on, warmly. ' Of course, we know her, and she comes to dine tomorrow. We carry on that farce, but it is owing to our two fathers. .Now tell me, Mr Conway, what you see in her, as they call it: for you like her, I am told.' • I,' said Conway, wishing to add some more scenes to the drama. ' I only look on at a distance from the deck of my yacht, as it were. But she seems to have a strange and curious nature, out of the common, but capable of generous acts.' She stamped her foot. 'The bridge shall go down, into the water, even if there should be a riot in the place. You don't know her, you can't.' 1 Of course not,' said he, smiling. ' She hates me, and do you know why ? Because I am rich, richer than she is, or ever will be. It began at school, when we were made rich. She tried to crawl and fawn ou me, but it sickened me, and I

The Dixnedin Graving Dock.—The j flourish of trumpets indulged in by the Dunedin papers over the successful completion *<>£ the Port Chalmers Dock seems to have been a little too far in advance of the fitting occasion, for the consummation over which the p«ans have already been sung seems still to loom considerably in the distance. Disputes I cropped up between the contractors and the Dock Board as to the carrying out of the contract, which of course led to jealous and bitter recrimination, and the dock was closed and taken possession of by the Dock Trust Board. We were told by a contemporary the other evening that " history" repeats itself, and many instances, " original," elaborate, and minute in detail, were given to prove the fact. This matter of the Otago dock is another example. First, the colony is deprived of the benefit and profit of a patent slip by the bungling of our slip in Evans' Bay, and now the graving dock at Port Chalmers is to be rendered of no service, at least for a considerable time, through the same kind of overdone official management, the dock being, like our slip, as useless at the present day as if it had never been thought of. But a vein of humor has crept into the affair, by the making of a proposition to convert the dock into a bath, for the purpose of enabling her Majesty's subjects in Port Chalmers to have that delightful and health preserving luxury, a saltwater bath. It is proposed to roof the dock in and partition it off, so that both sexes may have the felicity of performing their ablutions simultaneously" without inconveniencing each other, but a suspicion has beep raised that the concrete is so porous that it is not a certainty but that sharks might wriggle themselves through, and shares that were at a premium have consequently fallen to par. Of course the proposition is ironical, and let us hope that the parties concerned will soon settle their differences, and that the dock will be made what it ought to be —a service to the colony. Euterpe's Wand in Battle.—Count Bismarck is reported to have said that the famous war song " Watch on the Rhine," aided the G-ermans in the late war more than a well-equipped army of 100,000 men. Co operation.—A Co-operative Society is in course of formation at Whangarei, Auckland, but for what object our exchange does not state.

Mongolian Highwaymen.—" For ways ■that are dark, and for tricks that are vain, that heathen Chinee is peculiar." By our latest Sydney files we observe that " Chinese cheap labor" is marking out new courses for itself in New South Wales. Two Chinamen have started as bushrangers, and tried to rob the Araluen mail. The attempt, however, was frustrated, and the heathen highwaymen were arrested

A Modest Offer.—The Rothschild of Hokitika, Mr Cassius, who owns nearly half of the town, recently made the following offer to the corporation ©f that place, viz., to lend £I,OOO for twelve months at the rate of 12 per cent, per annum, with 5 per cent, added, for negotiating the transaction, provided it was used exclusively for the extension of the wharf from Wharf-street beyond Revellrstreet. The offer was referred to a committee. Anniversary Dinner.—A large and influential body of Orangemen assembled at dinner, at the Clarendon Hotel, Christchurch, to celebrate the anniversary of the Order, The table was laid by Mr Oram with his ■wonted skill, and gave universal satisfaction. Brother Thomas Merson was unanimously voted to the chair, and under his genial auspices a most enjoyable evening was spent. The toasts were interspersed with many excellent songs, and altogether the proceedings passed off in a most satisfactory manner. The toasts honored were c The Queen and Royal Family,' 'The Charter Toast,' 'The Grand Master, the Earl of Enniskillen,' ' Orangemen at home,' coupled with the name of Brother Wm. Johnston, of Ballykilbeg, "The ■Grand Master of the middle island of New Zealand,' to which Mr Redpath responded, c His Excellency the Governor,' and 'His Honor the Superintendent.' The Rangitata Bridge.—The "Timaru Herald" of a recent date says : —Sinee our last lengthy notice of the works of the above, on June 7, but little progress his been made by the contractors. In the first column bottom was reached about three weeks since, and the ainking of the second column forming the first pier was completed last Saturday week. The strata gone through in each sinking were of the same character, and if similar ground is met with in sinking the rest of the columns, this portion—and a very principal portion too . 0 f the work of constructing the bridge will be comparatively easy. In the two shafts now down about one and a half feet of difficult sinking was encountered, consisting of large 'boulders, but the rest was compact shingle of small size, with occasionally a large boulder. At the bottom of the shaft this shingle almost resembled cement, so compact was it. The ground where this first, pier is sunk is some few feet above the river-bed, and consequently, the depth to which -it is sunk is greater than it will be in the waterway. These two columns are taken down about .30 feet and the bottom being hard, compact •gravel, is very favorable both as a bed for the cylinders and as a foundation for the concrete with which each column on being •sunk is filled.

The Wangantji. —Through the severe weather raging during the last day or two, the •departure of the Wanganui has been considerably delayed. Her departure is now fixed for to-night at seven o'clock. Lusus Nature.—The Charleston "Herald" .mentions a freak of nature which has occurred on the West Coast. It says:—" Amongst a litter of pigs there was one which was a dog in almost every respect except the feet, which those of a pig. The head was of a non--descript kind, but had no appearance of any snout.

Masonic—The Regular Convocation of Royal Arch Companions, Canterbury Kilwinning Chapter, 136, S.C., was held in the Canterbury Masonic Hall on the evening of July 13. . Scientific. —The Anglo-Australian in the " European Mail" notes that a paper on " The Southern Alps of New Zealand," by Dr. Haast, F.R.S., was read at a recent meeting of the Royal Geographical Society. Anniversary Services.—The anniversary of the Sabbath schools in connection with St. James' Wealeyan Church, Montreal street, Christchurch, were commemorated laet Sunday by sermons preached in the morning by the Rev. Thomas Buddie, of Wellington, for many years superintendent of the Christchurch Circuit, and in the evening by the Rev. A. R. Fitchett. During the services the children, sang a selection of hymns arranged for the occasion.

English Partridges.—Mr H. Honour informs the " Oamaru Times" that he picked up an English partridge on the North road, opposite the Hon. J. M'Lean's paddock, on Thursday last. It was dead, but quite warm, and lying directly below the telegraph wires ; a wound in its throat showing, evidently, that the bird had been killed by flying against the wire. It was quite fat and plump, so that it is evident there is abundance of suitable food for these birds in this locality. Frost.—As an evidence of the severity of the frost this winter in the Southern portions of the colony we read in the Oamaru " Times" that the Otekaike and Marewhenua rivers were frozen over, the ice on the former being so thick that it was crossed by persons on horseback. Amalgamation of German Colonists. — The German Club at Hokitika, we learn from a local paper, is now in communication with other Clubs in New Zealand and Australia with a view to amalgamation. Justice Rebuked.—At the sitting of the Wardens, Court, at Lake Wakatip, recently, the Chinese litigants set an excellent example. A day or two before they withdrew all the cases between themselves, and deposited for each of the several compauies the sum of £SO —£2oo. The Company that first goes to law is to forfeit £SO, and so on. They have also adopted arbitration tribunals, to whom all matters of dispute between themselves are to be referred. Of course the Europeans would not use these means, but " John" is thoroughly disgusted with the European Courts of justice. He says that he always goes to the wall, and cannot understand it at all. Hence this new movement, which is likely to be adopted throughout the district. Special Jurors. The " New Zealand Herald" says an incident connected with the long trial of Mohi v. Craig is worth relating. The hearing of that cause lasted ten days before a special jury. The jurors returned their verdict on Saturday, and received the handsome sum of 20s each, or 2s per diem. They sent a memoiial to his Honor during the trial, requesting to be informed whether they were not entitled to a larger remuneration, as many of them suffered considerable pecuniary loss by being kept from their business. His Honor, however, could only give the jurors poor comfort. He told them that in England special jurors were paid by the parties to the cause for each day, according to a scale agreed upon ; but here the statute was peremptory, and there was no power to give more than twenty shillings for each cause. We do not know any reason why the practice here should differ from that in England, and it would be well if the Act were so amended as to allow greater freedom of action.

MARAVILLA COCOA.—No breakfast table is complete without this delicious beverage.—The " Grlobe" says :—" Various importers and manufacturers have attempted to attain a reputation for their prepared Cocoas, but we doubt whether any thorough success has been achieved until Messrs Taylor Brothers discovered the extraordinary qualities of' Maravilla' Cocoa. Adapting their perfect system of preparation to this finest of all species of the Theobroma, they have produced an article which superseded every other Cocoa in the market. Entire solubility, a delicate aroma, and a rare concentration of the purest elements of nutrition, distinguish the Maravilla Cocoa above all others. For homoeopaths and invalids we could not recommend a more agreeable or valuable beverage." Sold in packets only by all Grocers, of whom also may be had Taylor Brothers' Original Homoeopathic Cocoa and Soluble Chocolate. Steam Mills—Brick Lane, London. Export Chicory

Mills, Bruges, Belgium, Advt. Where the digestive powers are so weak as to cause imperfect Assimilation, and in many cases laying the foundation for Counsumption and Wasting, the use of Savory & Moores's Pancreatic Emulsion and Pancreatine, already so highly approved by the Medical faculty, will be found among the most potent remedial agents ; they effect the digestion of Cod Liver Oil and prevent nausea, while they efficiently supply the place o fthe oil when the stomach rejects it. These facts are attested by the published records of medical men, extracts from which accompany each bottle, price from 2s to 21s. Savory & Moore, 143, New Bond Street, London, and all Chemists. Note—Savory & Moore's name and trade mark on each bottle. April 22, 1871. [J2w. " Berkley, Sept. 1869.—Grentleman, I feel it a duty I owe to you to express my gratitude for the great benefit I have derived by taking 1 Norton's Camomile Pills.' I applied to your agents, Mr Bell Berkley, for the above named Pills, for wind in the stomach, for which I suffered excruciating pain for a length of time, having tried every remedy perscribed, but without deriving any benefit at all. After taking two bottles of your valuable piils I was quite restored to my usual state of health. Please give this publicity for the benefit of those who may thus be afflicted ."—I am, Sir yours truly, Henet Allpass.—To the proprietors of Norton's Camomile Pills.