Two Love Stories.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume L, Issue 59, 19 March 1907, Page 4

Two Love Stories.

' When Colonel John Bolders retired to Bed- ( lord on half-pay he naturally took with him his three most cherished possessions. These were a son called Tom, a prize bull- , dog colled Chutney, and a temper called •nappy. ( The house he occupied in De Farys avenue was semi-detached, his neighbour being a *ridow some fifteen years younger than him- v islf. On the afternoon of the Colonel's ar- r ; rival he vent out accompanied by his little , soil and Chutney to inspect the garden at the back of the house. After a brisk march around, the old soldier's curiosity was satis- , ted and he finished his cigar on a bench in the middle of the lawn. c The boy, however, continued to play about J until he presently found himself opposite a break in the hedge, through which he could v look into the next garden. E Souoelj five yards away from him he saw jk little girl of about the same age as himself, | fitting upon a basket chair. To bis intense 1 urpries she suddenly began to call cut in a ! Very persuasive voice: " Tom I Tom! Come here, I want you!" j The boy stood hesitating for a moment, l Bhe could scarcely have seen him, for her i chair faced in the opposite direction, and, besides, he had only that moment appeared ; ct the gap in the hedge. But he had heard his name called distinctly, so he passed into $ the other garden and walked towards the i girl.- She turned as he approached. ] " Yon called for me ? " She shook her pretty little head silently, j too shy to speak. * , " Ob, but you did 1 I heard you distinct- ] ly I " cried the boy. j " I only called for Tom." JJjf' " Well, I'm him." .. "That doesn't sound right," she answered , gravely. "You shouldn't say 'l'm him'; 70a should say * that's me.' " M Well, they are both right," he protested. , "I'm him and that's me." "But you can't be him and me as well." , •• Why not?" . ••Weil, it's this way. Now, listen very tfosely, please, and don't wriggle. I called him, and him's Tom, and me'sl, and I'm • Klleen, and you're not either oi us," she added triumphantly. • " Yes I am, I'm Tom," he protested. V "Is that vonr name?" „ v / "Yes," . 41 Oh, I see now. But I was calling our cat* See, there he is going down the path." The boy tamed round again and saw a magnificent Persian cat trending his way daintily down the garden. A presentiment ol evil oocurred to him. " Don't let him go through into our garfa)," he cried. "Chutney would kill him '/vfdon't know Chutney." ; $ • " He's dad's bulldog." "Well, he mustn't 1 "-And the child's lips began to quiver, "and you're not a nice boy at ail. Here's mother coming. " I'll tell her I mustn't play with yon." f Tom stood irresoltte as the girl ran to fteet her mother. And whilst matters were

- #t this stage there was a sudden hoarse growl from Chutney, followed by a snarl from the fenian, and then the latter raced along the garden path into the house, followed by the ungainly form of the bulldog. . The lady who had jast come out eaught '-t .her daughter up in her arms and followed - the two animals into the honse. Meanwhile the Colonel had been aroused : tribe noise of the combat and now found - his way through the gap in the hedge into his neighbour's garden. " Tom, what ate yon doing here ? What's l the matter? Who's hurting Chutney?" The question was answered automatically, for the bulldog presently appeared in thekifchen porch, whence he ambled sideways towards his master. He was followed at a. respectful distance by a servant girl, who- . canied a broomstick and looked "as though I she would an she dared." "The Engliest hanimal I bever set heyw ' npoa," she cried, " Folks as keeps bulidugs r '„> '•> Heeds keepfn' theirselves." And she nod/fed J to her own mysteriocs thoughts. 1 ' Stra%Lt I;.* weakits for man and beast and no quesciuni> hanked," she muttered, and then vriih a Sudden glance at the indignant Colonel, >- - "Was,*oo pleased to hown this luvly dog, "Pleased and proud," snapped the old . soldier. "Have you a message to deliver to Bia? If so, deliver if and go away."

Whit she would have said to this terrific ~ i j tnsnlt cannot even be imagined, for at this Bument Mrs. Htfward herself reappeared Mil bade Jane return to the -house. The t- Colonel was already hatless, so ho bowed profoundly and then took the war right into lbs enemy's country, according to bis habit *'l regret exceedingly, madam," he began, '• that your people should have been allowed to plague sa^,ill-treat my poor dog as the» fcaridpue. A-.poor, timid, mild, inoffensive IjilflaJthat,wouldn't hart anybody " "Afterit had eaten them," retorted, ft# ■■..:.- <aiy with warmth. "Your dog slioa'a n under better control, sir. It is dans«:to':«. i especially where there are children." « , "You are mistaken there, iu&edi It wooldn't hurt a child for anything." "Ton must allow me to bolicwmyown eyes, sir. Eileen, come indoors,si once and * please remember yon are not to play with ,that little boy any more.'' g _ One evening the Colonel took a turn in the garden just after sunset. As he saiinirb. tered quietly down the path lie took out a cigar and proceeded to cut it. At ths same £■_ moment ho heard the sound of voices wliispering. He stopped, sfiddanly and silently, f ' his first thought bfriag. thai burglars were '* hiding, waiting earlj morning befc:« I - tlioy commenced, operations. , " Only a fCiW.years.njore," whispered Bur-

"* gbir No. 1, "UP-d:Uitu wo shall be old enough rr to marry, audit doesn't matter what the/ , ibjnk', bggwgft *® be so happy to- , jethe;." " ' so," whispered \ourglar No. 2, ■hut you can please yourself anyway.be-

»nsq yaa are a man, Tom, and men, always tyre their own way. I'vo heard nurse say : 10, and she said it killed pa, because he'd n-~- have lived longer if they'd counterdicted him ir-\ oltener." ■ The. Colonel crept away with a grim smile " tyrMng about his grizzled moustache. And juftas be got to a safe distance he heard th/s vfiise of Jane calling in the sweet accents of If ' - Cooknigne: t "Miss Hilleen! Miss Hilleenl Come here at once! Where bare you been you naughty child? " > . "I've been talking to Tom ever so long," Kid the child, happily, " and lie's ever snch a nice boy, and we're goinp to make mother Tom's father be friends, and then we're ;>' going to be married. Ai-d they won't be ■j lonely, becos we're going to live in Tom's - house and his father will come and take car a ' of mother, and we'll go and see them qui often you know." '*ll On the following evening, when the ' £■«[_ ■s onel returned from his customary strolj inquired whether Tom had gone to bed . xhe nrrant to he spoke appeared rather surprised, but said that the boy had '^ n e out; ' * about an hoar previously, and had' *,{t a no ( e \ - for his father in the drawing room., J. The Colonel hurried along thtrf 'null - won obtained the important ' written in a, very straggly,, with sundry blots and smudges, the bo „ . bid his M» with commendable brevity.

•Dcre Dad/' he wrote, "I'm away with Ilcen becos we are both xniaerbl«,| and we are going to be married, and Pleasfc excuse Imsto. Your loving son, q Toil," the Colonel read this letter twice over he put it into an envelope addressed tc Mrs. Howard, and desired that it might be delivered to her at once. Then he set off to find tho truants, which was by no means an easy task, for there were several streets along any of which they \ might have gone. * | He soon reached the embankment, and here a fresh terror gripped his heart. He glanced swiftly along the course of the river. With this new source of anxiety, he turned hesitatingly from right to left. Then ho decided to cross the river and search the meadows nt the other side. But this time he felt hopeless from the first, for the runaways were not likely to have come to such an open place. The rain was stiil pouring down us ha turned a corner, but what cared he ? There bc-iore him were the two children ! Tom sat propped up against a tree with the girl's head resting upon his knee. She had evidently fallen asleep in that position, and he had taken off his little jacket and laid it oyer her shoulders to shelter her from the driving rain.

The Colonc-l cleared his throat gruffly as he approached. "Torn!" he growled, and then with ft sudden change of manner, "stand up, my boy, and put on your coat. I'll carvy Eileen." The boy arose and troltered home by his father's side in silence. Even when they reached the Street and were joined by Mrs. Howard and Jane, be seemed to take but little interest in the meeting. And as for Eileen, she slept soundly until the following morning, when she awakened in her own cot. Tom's unusual silence was explained the next morning. He awakened with a severe* cold, which threatened to turn into pneumonia. The doctor shook his head very seriously, gave careful instructions to the housekeeper and went his way, after promising to call again later in the morning. Meanwhile the boy called unceasingly for his little playmate, until the Colonel at last resolved to sacrifice his pride, and to ask if she might come in. He rang the bell with some misgiving, for the errand he came upon was not much to his liking. " Is Mrs. Howard in ? " "No, sir; she went out only halfamW' nte ago; said she'd be some time." The Colonel groaned audibly. " Which way did she go? Can yoa tell me?"

"Ican't, sir; she left tho house bythf side door."

"Thank you. I'll call again." l As he opened the bedroom door he found, to his surprise, that his son was fast asleep, and his breathing was almost normal. Some one rose from a chair by the window, some one whom the Colonel in his trouble had not noticed until then.

" I have taken a great liberty," she whispered, " but your boy caught his illness entirely through the care he took of my little girl, and as I know something of nursing I felt bound to offer my services at any rate.'" The Colonel grasped her outstretched hand and then with a sudden gesture that sealed their reconciliation he raised it to his lips. ' " I have been to your house," he whifc pered, " to beg your forgiveness for my rud». ness and to ask if your child conld pay n little visit to Tom. They're so fond of each other they've quite mapped out their livep together." . He camo to a stop as a particular portion of the plan proposed by Eileen occurred to his memory. And Mrs. Howard, looking at him, blushed suddenly ami turned toward? the sleeping boy.