The Storyteller.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XLVII, Issue 78956, 11 August 1905, Page 4

The Storyteller.

Tte lidn's Kaj. I «et tta Rett. Ptarco Bianxton on Um steps el iba Tow Hall, and uoMdat to Uft at "a®® UIW to. Wt three tail been Grammar Sctoei Boys '« < h <j HcUon-aml thoug* we had 1t l — different courses in life, we ■MI enjoyed each other's hocttty wfcen eTe«l» brought.us together. "Billy's down," sa,d Puree. "Us beta here OTer a week, and has asked lor you a hundred times. hes

cumins out to dinner this evening. Wtot U you joiacd us K? has thai Stm old station work on hand, and to ■worryttag Ks Kad oft." ( knew something about the station—this Manilla Downs. Old John Wvastet had died seven or eight years tgo, leaving the property to tgs young widow who appeared to It In constant hot watlir with, wt Managers. Billy was well up in | «fl oatrtle. He had gone north Mrs tweatyew, and, with a couple d yartMrs, too* up a run in the Mf ootttttry, but the climate and M Weather was too much lor him, asd be returmd with empty pockets toi indUkrent fceaith. His friends alto tin* got him a place in a country Kimt , and be was now ledger-, hacker tat a branch about ten miles bom Manilla Dawns. Mrs Forester's doaliaa with the bank brought her is contact wtth Billy, and it turned oat in a short wMle that she regularly consulted Mm on the working ot toe sUttoo, As has been mid, she was apparently alwfcys in trouble with bor ranage*x Billy inserted advertise* ' marts <* her Mialf, wamimtl credentials, interviewed applicants, and - did all be could to engage a competent man, but seldom did one stay longer tbaa his.three months' trial. I, oi course, accepted the invitation, and was rejoiced to see Billy Ik tapttel health. After -dinner tt\' station trooWe cropped up. "I coofess t<* gettjng a little tired ol this thing," said Billy. "I'm wik ting to do «H I can tor Mrs Forester ; her position is one of very great responsibility, as she has, to answer to a couple ol sisters-in-law in Scotland."

"Tffhy doesn't she put the station into the hands ol a Trustee Company, or turn il over to some bank?"

■>T.tu talked to her ol all these Tays, but she likes an active life, ha*.actually a love ot bustling about and, I must say, has a cons.deiaiih knowledge of sheep and wool. Wiih * good manager, she could work the business better than most banks 1 know. Bat thr good managir—to .is the tub V

v You got her several, didn't you ?"

"At hast ball » dozen. It's over two rears slhw site first, requested ■e to top is ti»t way, and I've ken at it, I out say, ever wore." '"AH we c» hope is ihat you'll h»T« totter luck next time." "It doesn't took it,'' said Billy, glt*nly. He Inmbloi iir.iriS, pockei, tad dww oat a slip of paper. "This fa a copy of ilia advertisement sho wants ii: a competent mattger for a staeep station. Must bwe Wr hair.'" "What ?"

"Tata hair. I don't put in that. But wfcen they write to me, or call o« aw, I keep the point in mind. One thing certain is, i( he hasn't fair hair she won't keep him. ExCence has taught me that ridicu- ; 44pogh these Htt|c pointstlook, ttier mean a great deal to her." "Docs she study Lombroso

"She may. She was capitally educated as a girl, and Jrom what I bear old Forester was a sort of bush pedant. It is not every inland station that can show complete sets o! Kant and Hegel and such like. They are aH at Manilla Downs."

"Then your Job this time threatens to be a hard one. You are rot oaly bound lo search lor a compel - rot man, but for one with (air hair. It is tte conjunction that causes the difficulty."

"And I have to bear others features ii mind. On a former occasion she impressed me that the manager must t\f of nirdium height, and somewhere between ten and twelve •tone."

Pparoe looked at mc ami laugiiwl. Billy looked really distressed. "Do you mean," I asked, "that Ili • manager most have those qualities as .well as lair hair ?"

"Certainly," said Billy. "Is the salary up to all these specialities V I enquired. "Ob, the salary is all lißht," sai.l Billy promptly. "It's as liberal as is going ; I wish to goodness It? tonka were only as literal. Here 1 tm working twice as hard for halt »y. Indeed," continued Billy, care□Hy brushing the ashes of bis cipar mto the tray, -I have sent her i couple o( men, one or other rbom should have made salary arannmenU unnecessary." "Good!" Pearce, again laugbng> and looking at me in a way rbich puzzled mc. "But," I said, " had either of lose men fair hair?" "Nctthcr," said Billy, "(me wss red and the other was blown."

"Nor the requisite weight ?" "No," said Billy, ' tjotli were up to fourteen stone"

"Fair hair, medium bright, total and twelve stone," summarised Pearce. "Any age ?" "Between thirty and thirty-five." "Good," cried Pearce, exuberantly. Billy and I looked al him. I'twas ordinarily sedate, almost subdunothing in the conversation snomed to justify boisterous hilar) ity.

_ It often occurs to me to dr<m the whole thing," said Billy calmly. Uirt I confess the woman interests me. I've been a couple of years wiping her now. and it's a pleasure more than anything else lo mak« up her books rrom time to time. All tba( kind of work turns out right. If s only this siupj I business of manager I alwavs bungle. I nave done my very lx-st. a r.;l h.iv,80 far, failed, and I sre failure 1,1 fore me oa the present occasion alio."

Pearce bad strajgiilened his f.uc out bistyts were still laughing. nj|l Jy al ™ ' looked questioning ,:t Wtn. His lips •qubertd l witlnvi'l m«|t, and, rising abruptly [ ri;m |, js f!Si r, L^ e . Vallcd to "w P'ano, ai 1 with hands struck firmly the fulK- t chords of Mendelssohn's Wcddiii" March. ° Billy and I stood up. Pcarcc joined us. "Bilty," he said, with dramatic Wraestness 'art not th...i fair-hair-fd Art tbou not between ten and twelve sto,* ? Art , ilou * rt :,l '»u hetwei-n tlrirty«nd thirty-five. Tlie woman has «wn proposing to you all Ihe lime* fton «rt the man, and all these oih- ! 0U D ?' (li ' send Were siirnlu. ; l °,' Bi "*' Im ashamed of mv lathers son .'

tv"fi y rc! Pl i™, ck V 1 his lhair ■" lIS Words. His face grew wli.i,. aod Mm flushed red. He llm.ight , IS TEL bs , t ™*<' Hundreds and wT ,hl " E ' s r '™ w > t« Ws'hrww- c "" vic,io » '"to * CVf| y word. ami W "" W ! lrn fi'Nsi„,l and, catching o ur hands cried- . ? ** N—l sec it now ' Whai -1 bniale» Stupid I have been .l m <MinV** D,IU DoW " S hy ,he