Page 4 Advertisements Column 2

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XLVI, Issue 92, 22 April 1904, Page 4

Literature. ALMOST TOO LATE. Reuben Howard sat before the fire, Iris pipe in his. mouth, and gazed gloomily into the reddening enlbprs. His dark face, always sullen and morose, seemed to-night even more unpleasant than usual. The block, restless eyes had in them a look of sinister and bitter hatred—hatred again&t someone whose name he dared not breathe. The outer door of the littl-e cottage was suddenly flung wide open, and a man, whistling a merry country tune, came briskly into the room. lie presented a striking contrast to the other, who still *at over the fire. And yet they were brothers. Fair-haired,'blue-eyed, and frank as the day, Horace Howard was universally regarded as the friend, the confident, of all and sundry with whom he came in contact. Country matrons thought 01* him. and then of their daughters, and sighed. And as to the daughters themselves, sun-ny-hearted Horace liad wrought much havoc in more than one tender young heart—unwittingly, it must toe admitted, and all unknown to himself, but wrought nevertheless. The step upon the floor had evoked no movement from Reuben Howard. # He did not so much as lift his dark eyes as his brother entered the room. Vet a strange restlessness appeared to pervaSe him, and a close observer might have detected a certain alertness in his attitude that as yet was unaccounted l'or.

Horace drew a chair near his brother's, and seated himself before the lire. For some time lie was silent, but at last he said : " Reuben, I've a bit of news for you. I don't suppose you'll bp very much surprised." Reuben fidgeted slightly in his chair, but lie did not speuk, so Horace continued : " You have, no doubt, guessed already who, among our many fair neighbours, has attracted me most. I met Grace Hazel by the stile in the meadow this evening, and she has promised to be my wife. As to my own feelings, well, they are better imagined than described." He broke off with a short little laugh. The tone was light, yet it was evident that he was stirred by strong emotion, which the tono waa intended to cover. There was a tender, happy light in the frank, blue eyes that told infinitely more than the words he had uttered how ardently ho had desired that which h* had now won. For a moment there was silence ,lletwecn the two. Horace looked towards his brothel' in some surprise. Reuben slowly removed the pipe from his mouth, and, still without lifting his eyes from the fire, said in a low, constrained voice : "Glad to hear it, I'm sure. Suppose I must congratulate you ? Does she—er— think of you as you do of her ?"

His voice grew (suddenly hoarse, and he cleared his throat, but hk said no more. Horace regarded him a little uneasily. What had come over his brother ? He was always sullen and morose, it was true, but he had expected a little better feeling than Reuben had as yet displayed. The question, too, was queer. He might have taken that for granted. " Well," responded Horace, " I should think you might have guessed that much from the fact of her having accepted me." Reuben's lip curled disdainfully. " It does not follow," he said cynically. " You are gpod-looking, strong, tolerably well-oft, and—steady. A matter-of-fact girl would consider these things before the mere question of love. Grace Hazel is no fool, and it is quite possible—" But Horace stopped him. "i Emmgfi of this," he said shortly. "I am sorry to find you in this mood, to-night of all nights. Hut since you ask, I will admit thati Miss Hazel is actuated by no such mercenary or coldly-calculating motives as you imply. I have her own word to testify the truth of this assertion." And a glad little smile came on to his face as he let) his thoughts go fyack to that meeting by the stile not more than an hour before, when Grace had confessed her love to him and promised to be his wife. Reuben lifted his dark eyes for an. instant, and caught thq look. When he again turned his face to the lire it was blacker and more sinister than -tt-'fore. Horace rose and pushback his chair. " I'll just run over to the mill," ge said. " I expect Tom Hardy's gono home by now. The old mill's having plenty of work recently. There's been a fresh breeze all the evening, and we can do with it, for there's grain enough to grind for the next two months." He put on his hat, and, whistling' as he went, left the house. As soon as he was gone, Reuben rose, tossed his pipe viciously on the table, and b)egan to stride savagiely up and down the room.

"So you've won, have you ?" he muttered, clenching his hands together and shaking them at the door through which his brother had gone. "For years you've thwarted and balked me in every conceivable way. I have been the foil to show oil your cfualities, your virtues, your excellences. The memory of my dead father is hateful to me, fjtecause when he yet lived he favoured you and not me. And now—now you have snatched from me the jewel I have coveted so long, so ardently, and I must stand aside and see it done. She who but yesterday smiled at me and made hope leap within me till I thought I should have fallen. And she told you she—loved you—loved you !" Passion had seized him now. His whole frame quivered with strong excitement. He tottered, rather than strode, across the floor. His black eyes blazed, his mouth hardened, his brow darkened. For the time being Reuben Howard was a veritable maniac. Presently he controlled his outward agitation, and once more sat down before the fire. But a glance into Iris dark eyes revealed the fact that passion still raged within. Evil thoughts chased each other madly through his disordered brain. He must find a way to prevent his brother's marriage with Grace Hazel. He would try persuasion, pleading, intreaty, not with Horace, but with Grace herself. He would humble hinreelf, even abase himself before her. And then, if that failed, lie would threaten.

Meanwhile Horaco was walking briskly through tire meadows toward tho mill, of which he and his Ifrother were owners. It was not yet late—barely half-past nine—and darkness had not long settled down on the qtuiet earth. Presently Tie reached tie stile where, less than an hour before, Grace and he had whispered their lirst words of love. lie was just about to mount it and cross to the opposite meadow where the mill stood, when he noticed a slim white figure close by. Turning quickly, he peered into the darkness. Thai he stepped forward with a glad little cry. " Why, Grace," he eaid, taking her hands in his, " not gone home yet, dear ?" The girl lifted her bjue eyes to his. The look they gave him thrilled him through 'and through. "Oh. no !" she said softly. "It is only that lam very happy—so happy that I cannot go home just yet. The might is very lovely, and I feel so loth to dispel the influence —the spell—that is upon me. It seems a new world to-night, Horace." The young man stooped and kissed the upturned face. "Am I in the new world, darling ?" ho asked, tenderly. Grace lowered her blue eyes, and tho small hanids trembled in his. " You are king of it," she said, shyly. " You are even more than that, for you have created it." Horace bent his head. For a few moments there was a deep hush, and then ho said reverently : " May God help me to be worthy of your love, Grace, since it is only by my worthiness flint tills now and wonderful world of which you speak •an endure through the yoarg that are to come. Would that men might'