LITERATURE.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XLVII, Issue 792, 7 April 1905, Page 4

LITERATURE.

A. IttIOKEN DREAM. *' Look out, Fred ! Have we toilers on foot no rights a plowgtiMlriver is tbund to respect?" '• Good Heavens!, Millie ! Did I touch you ? You seemed, deepjy absorbed gazing into the misty bcyond." t was watching_ that brilliant V* qqjuipege, so iuflliKe thii carts and hay waggons of these parts, and I see It has turood down our lane. ■ ' Go to work, Fred, : as -I do, pnd do not dare pretend you are anything else b*t a toiling'farm hand if they should stop to speak to you." Milred Avery pulled her Wue sun-' bpnnet over her. face, and grasped, - . her ligirt. pitchfork with energy. Her x slronj>> graceful form seemed • lully equal to the work of piling l up the ■ hay. > Fred Larimer, a young • collegian home foi- Jfis summer s , holiday, a waid of Milred's father, " evidently thought she looked the pic- ' ture of health, for even while industriously. Continuing his tas';, hig eyes wandered constantly towards ?'i . the fair young hay'-maker. Up the grjen a large carriage pulled toy a fine pair of Muck horses, ,v rolled noiselessly until it stopped'by j Lo rimer and Milred Avery. Two '•? handsome, stylish young feitows oc- ; cupied it; ono of them sprang out and approached the hedge. Milred, apparently unconscious, as Fred wheeled, the horse about on his rectum.. .trip, stolidjy pursued her !.. I ~V - " Heigh ! You girl, there ! " Miltei turned towards the young man. V\Vcll, sir?"

k „, Can you direct us to the house ; . of Atfrcd Avery, somewhere in this vicinity ? " b Drive on to the end of the lcfne —you'll see the house then—a big :, w-hite one in the middle of a lot of 6. ■■■ trees.."- ■

Tfoo young man was evidently surprised, for Milred could not render her voice unmusical; he did not immediately turn away, M Ah, thanks ! We were very uncertain, you know. Glad to find ourselves so near our journey's end, you know."

Milred worked on, making no answir. Her fcuher, in his slurt sleeved was at that moment balancing himself "on the top of a load of hay at the othci- end of the field.

;■ j. » -^ s . *he young man £ * .<PgJy/ji<»«ii a ' away she called out ; -v. Do you want Mr Avery?" ; Perhaps this irritated the tc.-ker ■ after information, for her replied : E.rr,■ "Cant see thai it concerns vou, ™y pretty ward. Hut I don't mind J-.-' telling that we do want Mr Avery, -ami perhaps his handsome daughter ' , as well. So, fair maiden, are vou Vj. satisfied 'Ji Before the astonished Milred had ji-. to think what to do, Fred had . jumped from his seat and was strid- * fiercely towardsr the hedge. " look here, young fellow, you , need <to tw- taught manners. We do not speak to young ladies in that fashion in the country..' •- The man retreated from the advancing farmer in dismay. . »i.- ". Beat W tj- /What impetuous >: creatures these country boys arc, to - . 'be sure! I assure you. I meant no . - tofm. I beg the young person's pardon i/ what 1 said was disagreeaiblq i, to her.'' 1 - < " Young laxly, you mean I;'' , " iTloung ladj,—oil, very well, if J Phc likes jto be caK'Jed so,"if file grants it you may count ■ ~ ygwaell lucky to get oil without pwuailment. If not, I'll come and j thrash you- till she's satisfied." I V - " Oh, coma, Gray," exclaimed the ' '• young man jn. the carriage ; don't into a. controversy with Squire I . iCvery's farm hands—it wouldn't be f Bolicy, you know. Apologise asi 1 * . ineakly as possihle a n d come on." | '• Sorry, I assure'you—no pffence 'r ■" meant—Jiopeyou'U excuse me," ' said 1 Cray, backing before the gleaming ! eyes of the athletic harvester. ! " Come baci, Frod. It's all right" j , _ Milred exclaimed in a strange srno-' '■ thered sort of voice, and Fred ro- 1 join«t her as the carriage wheeled swiftly away. "I know tliem, Fred, —®t least, I know the one in the „ carriage," jfc, said softly, with - , chce'ts that were rosier than even ... .tSie heat warranted.

" Ohi, do you ? And am 1 to apoU> t ; r iSthen?'' " No—at leust —I don't, know (low wc shall m«jt them. It is Leo Alaynarj and his friend. Carroll Uiay. I met Loo froiuontly when I was ,il my Aunt Margaret's in London last winter."

" Huinpli ! And I suppose he has come out here to see'you ? "

Mi-lrecl made no reply. Slro stood with one hand on the handle of her l'ork, gazing dreamily towards the dim forest in the distance. She was I thinking of the time she had last met Leo iMaynard. It had been j u :a crowded IraU-rooni, where the pul- | sat ions of an enchanting wafta, tile l | fragrance of rich flowers, the soft glow of the lights, the graceful rhythmic motion of beautiful women and men around them, all combined to intoxicate the sense 1 : and make living seem a delicious enchantment. Nothing had s;\>med real in sudi a jjioment. .She had felt herself Ue exquisite being Jlaynar's liianuer seemed u> imply ; lu- was a knight jof olden time—romantic, mysterious, chivalrous—both were fascinated and under a spell ; and since tlicn to each other existed only as the Central star of a beautiful dream—- ; real nowhere but in the memory. Today tliey would meet again for the first time since that nig'ht.

" Fred, let's go home. Wo can slip in the back way, go to our rooms', and appear at the proper time- You see, we cannot send the servant 'down with a not-at-home message ; having come so far, the traditions of the country demand that t'hey be fed, entertained, and refreshed before they depart." Fred groaned, " I don't fancy the prospect. Let us run away to the woods, and follow the brook fo the coolest, greenest nook wc can and pretend that we never saw them. You know we are only S,quire Avery's farm hands" You lazy fellow ! Yfou Want to shirk your duties in either character. Comq. ca.ll someone to take the ■horse, and let's get along," It was high noon when Mi 1 red descended the wide staircase of liV roomy old farmhouse, dressed afresh In a soft, creamj' drapery, with a ■ dash of colour about her head and neck, and half a dozen roses in her hand. Dark, soft waves of hair fell away from a broad white forehead, and a now animation glowed in her deep hazel eyes and well-round-jed checks. She could hear the men from the hayfieid laughing and jok;|ing with each other as they dashed the cool water over their moist fao|ts ; the savoury steam of subßtanI tial edibles floated through the rooms ami the clatter of dishes sounded from the long dining-room. The [doors of the cool, Spacious room stood open, and men's voices- came to her from the room. I Ah, here is my girl at last ! "

exclaimed Squire Avery, heartily, j Come in, Millie. I suppose you knew one of these gentlemen—ah ! " Hoth young men sprang to their [u'eet, and both advanced to greet .her. lJut Carroll Gray stopped in dismay, his face turning a mottled pattern of red and white. | " Bless my soul ! It's the fail' maiden herself !. "

Leo Maynard turned pale. " And I called you one of Squire Avery's farm hands ! "

| " Good gracious ! What a dreadful mistake ! Mi.ss Avery—dear me—can you ever forgive me? No, I | suppose you can't, you know. I—l ( —whatever is a h'llow to say under such an awful toiufbinatjon of circumstances ? "

>! lire;] laughed-merrily. I " Say nothing. It was a very natural error. Mr Maynard, I am glad to see you again, Mr Gray, pray toe jEcatcd. Vou arc fully forgiven— Squire Avery's farm hands are not such very formidable people when !you become accustomed to them."

Hoth men plunged again into a (sea of abject apologies. A great flanging dinner bell Clashed out noisily at the moment, and Mr Avery recovered his usual genial tone. "" Htigiho—(tinner is ready, Millie, here, would not let us change our ! custom in haying time of eating tu'gether— saves time and work, you jKnow, for people that are hurried Ito death. Come out—come and partake of a good', plain, old-fashioned dinner, served as farmers serve it." jAnd the group, with the genial, prcsperoas farmer at the head, mov.ed out to the "dining-room. | A loitr table extended the length of the room, and a small throng of | well-washed labourers wen; gathiring round it. At the upper end the family w«ie grouped, and here Mr A\cry led his visitors and introduc|ed them to his wife and other members of the family. Carroll Gray sank into the abject sea again when he saw Liorimer, where he floundered hopelessly until Millie helped him out. They were all seabed at last, presenting in modem guise a fair p;cture of ancient feudal customs. Two sturdy girls waited at the table, but Mrs Avery and Milred divrd[ed many duties between them.

It was all new anil strange to Le 0 Maynard. He thought of' dinners partaken under softly masked electric lights, where rare flowers heaped up, and magnificent table furnishings, almost hid the guests from one another's view : where low delicious music from concealed players lulled, the senses to a sweet quiet ; where wine sparkled, and <lelicate perfume mingled every breath ; where noise'less servants moved about with 'skilful- uno-btrusiveness; where Milred sat beside him jn silken evening dress, rich flowers on her bosom and jewels in her hair and at her white j throat; when she had seemed 1 to him iSp fair, so exlfuisite a creature that | all these had seemed too po- 0 r and plain for her. | Aral now—this homely meal in the glare of n o onday, Milred herself sitjtinji down with a dozen dusty work- j jing men, and 1 even administering to their greedy wants—what a contrast! ! How this goddess few} become a ! ! mortal in a moment ! He had seen ( |her,' too, dressed as a servant and j | toiling like one. Whore was all that 'delicate ch-arm that had mado her j sjein so unlike ordinary girls? His; was not the nature to grasp the beauties of the practical, to appreciate the helpfulness and strength of this true woman. The magic spell, woven in hours of sensuous luxury once broken, ho felt only affright and wondering dismay. lie longed ■to get away from a scene the elTect of which' upon his senses he couldn't understand.: | As soon as they could reasonably <lo so, the young men made their excuses and rose to go. Maynard's face was sad and 'dejected, and his Jips refused to utter the suave, flattering words usually so ready to spring upon them. He took Mil red's hand and looked into her frank brown eyes ; but no "tender tones, no plains for the future, no hopes for a "brighter meeting wen; uttered by either. It was a simple, serious " Goodbye over a broken charm, a fadod dream, ami both knew it was the last.

Ami years afterwards, when Milred was the wife of the rising young lawyer and politician, Frederick Lorimer, Leo Maynaed was , a name forgotten in her memory, and unknown out in the great world of which she was an active part. (The End.)

HOW TO BE HEALTHY THOUGH MIDDLE A(J ED. I Tow . many middle-aged men ana women there arc who would he willing to give almost anything if they could be as strong, active, energetic and enjoy life as much as thev 'did twenty years before ! They are not really ill so as to.be incapacitated for their 'daily duties, but at the same time their health is not what they would 'like it to be. Meals arc no longer enjoyed, because there . is suffering from gouty dispepsia ; possibly exercise is distasteful because occasional gouty or rheumatic pains are experienced, and there are numerous other unpleasant symptoms that tend to rob life of its zest ami enjoyment.

Thesor health troubles of middle-age are frequently due to the fact that uric acid, which should pass out of the body, remains within it. It does not need any argument to prove that when this is so the health must suffer. You cannot well expect anything else, and just as long as the uric acid remains' it will accumulate and the symptoms from which you now suffer will, instead of getting better, become gradually worse. " It would not he true to say that jail health troubles of middle-age are [due to uric acid, but it is perfectly i certain that many are. li' you read j what follows as to the signs of uric I acid troubles you can tell for yourself whether your discomforts are due to uric acid. Irritation between your j .lingers, in your palms and ankles, I small C/O.ncretions on tile outer rim of your ear, torpid liver which causes aching in your right side, acidity, heartburn, or flatulence alter meals, are nil-symptoms of uric acid trouble. Stiffness of joints or muscleenlargement Ol' the joints', tenderness to the touch, or occasional pains in the joints and musjeks, all point to the fact that you do not eliminate uric acid as you should, and warn you that a remedy should be adopted.

ea. The best remedy is Bishop's Yaralettes, whi.ch -have proved their power in innumerable instances. Men and women everywhere who have regained their lost health and vigour wovild ; ! oU . vo " that the secret of their health ' is contained in the two words I'JS--1 HOP'S VAK A L ETT'E S. ■ WHY Sll'TEll FROM HUEI'MA- ' ■ TISM? The point of this queslion is that ■ suffering from rheumatism is unneces- • sary. Not only can you obtain relief ill an\ existing attack, but by oc- ■ casional use of Itishop's Yaralettis I >ou nia.Vjenjoy future immunitv. This : is not. a matter of assertion, but a question of evidence. Abundance of proof has' been given month after month of tile accuracy of this statement. Bishop's VaralcUeS relieve rheumatism by passing uric acid out ot the body as it is formed, and dissolving old accumulations of the urates. Their value rests on the firm basis of scientific truth, and is attested b,\ thousands o) men and women in every class of society. UlStrors YAKALE'J'TEK AUK WnXHEUFIL IV GOl T. ACtUTTY. GHAYEI,, sciatica, COI'TY ECZEMA, AMI U'.UBAt:o. Tn all forms or uric acid trouble Bishops \aralclles are equally successful. They are easy to administer, very portable and convenient, pleasant to take, and exact; as to dose. Uo not be deterred from the use of Bishop s \ aralettes because vou have previously resorted to some other socalled remedy that has disappointed .you. Bishop's A'aralettes are a specI ial combination of remedial agents, made only by Alfred Bishop (tamilWl), which are unequalled in their Ipower (U' dissolving uric acid and passing out or the'body. Test then for yourself, and you will admit they are all and everything we claim for them. . BISHOP'S YAH A IjETTES (Uegistered.) are supplied in vials at 1s and 2s, or 25 days'' treatment at as. by all Chemists anil -T)rug Stores. Als'o direct from Alfred Bishop, Tjimited, Spelmaii-s'lrcct, London, for Is Id. 2s Id. nnd 5s 2d, post free to anv part of the United Kingdom. Mine) you get