UNWILLING WITNESS.

South Canterbury Times, Issue 7082, 2 March 1893, Page 4

UNWILLING WITNESS.

literature-

rooKTiinmD.) Bodewin, msnatims, in whom esptifity had bred i habit of restlessness that was not natural to him, had wandered back into the esbin, because he was tired of »he porch. He was snfprised to see Babe seated hr the table, her head bowed low, hor face hidden on her crossed arms. He stopped be-ide her, and asked if th« wounded eye s'ill £»ve her pain. She seemed to repei his sympathy by a mn f « gesture, which left him still in donbt as to the cause of her trouble. •What is it, Babe? What is tbs matter ?’ho urgnd. Babe had never in her life listened to a min b voice like Bodewin’s, with sensitive inflections, that made her eoloar some and go, and a distinctive quality like that ot a musical ioatru-

msnt. Hi* low tone* touched her the more keenly now by contrast to that peremptoty manner of the physician he had betore assumed. They thrilled •cross her fresh, wild sensibilities, as the fcehderst utter'd might have done. She raised her head and looked uo at Bodewin, without speaking. Bodewin turned awav. He wss impatient of »nealied-lrir show ot fee'ing in Babr, which sedrasd to threstsn complications in their enforced relation to each other. It was irritating to have to think Bab* when h* wanted to think about himself. . He called it thinking about himself when be dreamed restlessly, in the long, silent hours, of Josephine. From some impulse, perhaps to satisfy himself that be had not been making too much ot a momentary impression, be back to where Babe still sat, with hot face bidden in her hands. • Let me'see that eys again,’ he said, resuming the matter-of-fact tons of her physician. t • You don’t need to ; it’s all right, she protested, shrinking away from him.

*. Ij»t mo see it I’ bo repeated authoritatively. *lfc cannot be all right it \ you have to keep it cohered like that. She Ut her hands fall and suomi tted to ni« scrutiny ; bat it was impossible to meet bis eves, with such a helpless quivering of hr,r lips, and tbs blood rushing into her iaco. She drew back with a quick, gasping sigh, and burst into 'ears. * What «re you crying about ? said Bodewin, angry with himself, and with Ba e for making him tael both foolish add cruel. * Are vou crying because the speck is gone ? You will have to forgive ; I cannot put it back ugam. During the re-t of the flay Bodiwin made it e-iss f* Babe to avoid him by keeping nutside of the ca'un him self. At dinner she oid not 'it a the table with the f am ‘y. Bodewin was not suniris d ar. her absence Ho k.-.ew thet eh* had not forgiven him; moreover, be had observed that BsW vroulrt never w-th him it she could hel . it, partly fr mi sbrnees, partly from pride. She was itensely sura that <n a hnndr d anknown ways he found her different from the women he was m*d 10. N*>t to exhibit the difference, she took pains to give him as little of her speech and manner as possible. She had got a atep beyond th« tm-n of her family, who saw between Bodewin and themselves few differences that were not in their own

favour. At dusk Bodewin found himself alone with Babe, a moment, in the cabin. Tony sat in the ooorway, h>s rifle between his koees, his face turned towards t'>o copper coloured sunset, (flowing behind thw woods. It was Tony’s wateh. D«d was relaxing himself with • twilight ►troll outside. Babe had taken this opportunity to give Bodewin the card which Htllbury bad left for him. ‘ Where did this eom« from ? Bodewin a»ked * Hn tout me to five it to you/ ‘ H« P What, this man ?' pointing to the card.

Babe looked bewildered. <1 don’t know. He was a darkcomplexioned man in boekskin clothes. He stepped in here for some matches. There wasn’t anybody around but me. I found him stanctieg there with your *itb that picture of yon in his hand.’ . ‘And than-—-P said Uode win, seeing tb i whol* situation, and now painfnllv interested. * He asked me some question*.’ * Do you remember what questions P’ Babe repeated the questions falterj dfly, though she remembered them well * And you did not tel! him I had never been to the caqin and you bad ni a vrr seen *n« before V

Babe *as ileut. • This is the worst yet I’ Bodewin groHO-d. •Ti'd him yourself when you see him again, if you’re so ’shamed of it!’ Babe whispered passionately. ‘Ye», when I see him again/ Bodewin repeat d ‘When will that be?’ ‘Sooner than you think, maybe.’

•Thesooner the bet er/ he said. Stepping hack from the hearth, he trod on Partner’s foot. The dog bowled duomlly, and Babe, wit i a look ot angry reproach at Bodewin. •wept the wailing pupiy ini© her arms and carried > in oat of doors. Wt en rhe bad prepared supper she * tingle candle in a japanned tin candlestick on thn table, and, without gpeaking to a r >y one, went out into ‘he darkness, .leaving the men to them, selves.

• What ails Babe ?’ Tony asked.

She's on her ear about somethin’ or other/ he father explained, between largo mouthfuls of beans. »I’d make her quit her foolishness if I wsgyoti.* aaid Tony. ‘ TH yon better try a lasso to her ?

maybe you’ll fetch her same’s you did ) that white-faced boss o’ bis’u,’ said the j father; winking at Bodewin and laugh-1 ing uproariously at hie own joke ' Bodewin ate his supper in silence, and went to bed early. He was not fond of the ' dug-out,’ but its cavelike darkness and stillness sailed him to-nigbt better than (he society and candle-light of the outer room. Hillbury’s tacit message by the hand of Babe had given him a bad tarn. He eonld not have known that the keen eyes of bis friend had sari rised Babe’s miserable little secret in her face, and that the man of evidence had for once allowed bimsell to come to a conclusion without waiting for proof; but without going this length in his apprehensions, there were teanons enough why be should he impatient to explain him *eif. Small effort as he had over made to gain it, Bodewin really hungered for Hillbury’s cold and tardy approbation. Hs» friend’s whole atti'ude and

humour suited him exquisitely in a man ; in a woman the effect might be a little meagre. A man should never make A fool ot himself, but a woman might do so very charmingly on occasion—with the right person, of course. The conjunction of ideas was hardly complimentary, but Bodewin’s next ihoaht was of Josephine. There comes a time, no doubt, in a man’s relatione with an attractive woman, when he may yet decide either to take in ‘sail emotionally speaking, or square away before it, trusting there may be no danger ahead. This lime c-ane to Bodewin about tbe period of those lon/ gallops in the valley and pacings homeward through tbe pine woods at sunset. Setting his estimate of his own person, attainments, fortune, and prospects

against her youth, beauty, and nobleness of character, he had decided to take in sail. Theoretically he bad begun to do so before bis abduction. It might bo questioned bow well he would have succeeded in practice bad he been left to complete his journey to Denver, and to return with the honours of chief witness on the winning side, to be petted by the Baglrf Bird constituency. As it had turned out, Bodewin more than once since bio sequestration bad sadly congratulated bimselt on this stroke of late which had put him out of temptation’s way.

UTo be continued.)