THE STORYTELLER.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LI, Issue 148, 13 June 1908, Page 3

THE STORYTELLER.

IBS WEAXKESi. OF COLONEL i WATESTOKD. Colonel Waterford lolled bark in an easy-chair, puffed bis agar, and positively purred with contentment. \ good digestion, good tobacco, and a good SwUng account, be often .said, were ZLfP* in the wor 'd worth £~Wffl* about. . „„,, at the , moment ha was in full enjoyment of all «Tee. He bad just finished a luxurious Dreakfa»t, nig cigar wan unimpeachable, Ma-thank* to a wonderful run of luck the night before at bridge-his money matters were in an exceptionally pros- I perous condition. I :

Hi* thought, were evidently running to this direction, for he complacent] r patted, first, bis somewhat ample waistWat, and then bis coat just where it wuged with a well-filled pocket-book, which he took out and proceeded to empty of its contents. * Five hundred—one thousand—two thousand—two thousand eight hundred —three thousand pounds!" he counted running his fingers over the crisp banknotes, with a smile of obvious satisfaci k "i". "f!H? ? oaD B •"*' that "wn Hoy«f L A 1 " ,ppo * e he <* a *«oid it. Three thousand pounds! Ha, ha' It comes ia most handy. Lots of little things that would have had to be on «ek, ornot at all, will be quite feasible new. lfcn't see why I shouldn't run •ver to Paris for "

1D» meditations were interrupted bv the tinkling of an electric bell, the mur»nr of voices in the passage, and the appearance in the doorway of his valet, w*o seemed for once to have lost his Usual imperturbability. "H you please, sir * Ik began, M« hesitated. *£ "Well, what is it, ffKeefe?" " It's • lady, air." "What!" "Yes, sir; that's what I thought, sir. Bat she says she must speak to you—most argent, air." "Pshaw) I won't have any beastly women admitted into my rooms, on any consideration whatever!" growled the gallant colonel. "Surely you know my order, by this time!" "Yes, air; and I as good as told her •o. But she's in deep mourning, sir. And, besides, she's uncommon pretty, and—" I; •=, "Great goodnet*, OKeefe, don't tell tne you're becoming impressionable in your old—«r—middle age! Tell b,er I won't see her, and there's an end of it!" . "But » "There's an end of it!" he repeated, lighting a fresh eiigar from the stump of the old one. "Tchah!"' he grunted, as o*Keefe beat an unwilling retreat. •"I won't have 'em about the place—•women or cats! Offensive creatures, both of 'em, and I'm blessed if I know which are* the worse I"

- Again lie was interrupted by the murmur of voices—not quite so subdued this time—and by the entrance of O'Keefe, very shamefaced and apologetic "If—if you p-please, sir," he stamBered, "the lady insists " An explosive expression, which looked as if it were going to begin with the fourth letter of the alphabet, formed on Colonel Waterford's lips; but it had got no further, when the door opened • little wider, and a black-robed figure poshed Ha way into the room. "O'Keefe, show this lady out!" exclaimed the colonel. "Xo, no; one jnoment, please—just one please!" she begged. And, throwing back her thick widow's veil with a gesture of dainty helplessness, she disclosed a tiny, oval face, rather like one of Sir Joshua Reynold's cherubs, with the added loveliness of womanhood, framed in an aureole of deep-red hair, thick and rich and wonderful. • "Very well, then, one moment. O'Keefe" he replied, surprised at himself for so lightly yielding, "I'll ring <when I—er—when I—l'll ring." The man went out of the room, discreetly silent, and closed the door behind Attn. For half an intsant Colonel Waterford stood stock-still, puzzled as to how to address his mysterious visitor. She soon put an end to bis hesitation, however. "Oh, thank you— thank yon, Colonel Waterford!" she exclaimed, seizing his hand and pressing it almost imperceptibly. ' "You have the advantage of me, madam," he observed, with an irritat ingiy unsuccessful attempt at icincss. "May I not know " "My name, of oeurse! Didn't I tell it you? How silly of me! Caversham —Mrs. .lack Caversham. " Yes," she went on, as he started, and seemed about to speak—"yes, the widow of your old friend, Jack Caversham. Didn't you hear of bis marriage after you and he had quarrelled about that girl in Calcutta, who jilted you both?" • Colonel Waterford winced, for this was the secret that explained—if it did not excuse—Us antipathy to the fair •ex. "Yes-, I remember hearing that ■e'd "be began. "That he'd made a mesalliance—eh? Don't deny it. Perhaps he did. Oh, I know what people in your world call 'unite quite'! Poor papa did make his Money in patent pills; but, all the same, I they never did anybody much harm. And—and we were very fond of each other." Her voice quavered, and she produced a tiny black-edged handkerchief. "I'm extremely sorry," the colonel stuttered helplessly. "Oh, I know I'm very silly; but I'm sot going to cry. And I didn't come kern to talk about Dick " "Diekr ,' , "I—l mean Jack. No, no. What I mast speak to you about, and at once, is really serioos. I don't know how I am going to begin. It's so awful, so sodden; and I'm afraid you'll be dreadfully angry with me." ... "Angry with your 111 try not to be," repued Colonel Waterford, with more kindness in his voice than be

could have wished. "Ye*. Oh, I almost wish I hadn't tome! It's so awful! But I did it on the impulse of the moment, and it seeni--4 almost my duty." " Pardon me, Mrs. Caversham, but yotfre speaking riddles. Please explain yourself. Won't you sit down?mßefiere me, I'm not quite the ogre you teem to imagine—indeed, 1 am not." > "Oh, thank you—thank yon!" she an nwered, sinking on to the sofa. "If only you'd been harder! "lour kindness mjnerres me, and " -igsin the little Uaek-edged handkerchief was produced. Utterly at a loss what to do or say. Colonel Waterford bit his lips, threw away his agar, with an inward imprecation on hi» bad manners in not having dose «o before, and then, crossing to the .ideboard, poured out a liqueur-glass of brandv and came lack to the fireplace. «Dn»k this," he said, stooping over the hnddled-up little figure; "it will give you eourage to tell me this dread ful new»." . "Thank you— thank you!" she mnr „ured once more, swallowing th«> brandy in a gulp. Then. I.ngh«P gently-a delicious, bubbling little f.uifh--he added: "I m afraid y»u I «Sk me dreadfully .illy «"-• Waterford, and I so much waiit.d t» mi prel you as a woman of common-

**T woman of common***"."' An fl b*n«t*ly nonexistent qnant.ty_wo,,ld tare been hj» mental comment ten minute. Wore; bnt somehow the hli« wa, beginning to **rn not so completeJv prepoateronis, after all. • "XowYU*t*». plea**." she *«* <•"•'" A pretty, plaintive voice. " AfteT T*' . Jack* death, I went to live with m> onlv brother, llarente H.iylanil. "' »•«; all 1 had in the worl.l, ami we.l always loved each other very dearly -fat madf-l l-"«y k "° w "'.'"- surely norland isn't the son of ••\o. no; he'* my stepbrother II - cot nothing to do with patent pillHi* lather ui dl right from yourpo.n „f V*w; but mother married .yam. and then *. .lied, ami left w all alone «' hadn't got any money, you know. from MM*rt of the family; it wa, .11 mine WelU after .T«rk% dealh--h. dear Wr I am repeating' myself, a rent !•-■ ™t back to live with him Ue ha* nothing except what he tarn in the City; and Cs*«» ■ 1 . v « ,r ';"' ninch, considering the way he lik' <

'"-Vcll-oh. « don't know how 1., g-„n!-withont telling me a word« "» ft,hc% Wen gambling and li»»lv I di-eovered nothing .it a" "■' wJt-r. rather early }^m. ; n,- *«« in note", will.-'; ' ,„ to-day. ~,.,, („ i,,-.,. if "I .aw there was *. ."■« ' .hi, Wrible di-grace wa* m t . nnnn hiro—ilium me. In ;', l ..,,1,1 **. flown round here at th.*-northl.

hour— to beg you to let me have those notes back again. See, here is a cheque for the amount. I have already made it out to you, relying on your generosity and kindness in this terrible business. You see, the whole thing must be over and done with before anvone can get an inkling of it. By the'way, nolwdv knows of it already!'' "Xot a living soul except us three Your brother didn't settle with me last night till <|iiite the hist thing, and there was no one about at all—except, of course, the waiter." I

t "A waiter? Oh, dear! You're sur.i I lie can't make mischief? Waiters ar" . so dangerous!" "You needn't worry about this one, .' -Mrs. Cavershain. lie's a new man. and ! particularly stupid—o much so. in fact, that 1 have agitated for his dismissal already. 1 recollect, now. he happened to upset a braiidy-and-soda just as your brother was paying me, so he probably halt overheard. Bßurint r in anv case be*. .eve me he is far too thick-headed to be feared. Besides, the payment of trll d ? tS t 9Uth an «f«»rdinar transaction that " "Ah, you can't think how relieved I am! There are twelve notes i„ all Clarence told me. Let me see. Five tofive hundred each, one for three hundred, and six others— one of them foi a hundred, and the other five for twenty pounds each. I have no right, 1 know, to ask for their return, except, perhaps. as poor, dear, darling—er— lack's widow.-' Again the production of the handkerchief, a few pathetic sniffles, iln d the brushing away ot half-hidden tears. Colonel Waterford was perplexed, lie was also touched. A man impervious to a woman's tears—especially a widow's—has yet to lie created. " I—l hardly know what to say. Mrs. Caversham," he mumbled. -Kr—of course, I am exceedingly distressed at—er—l had no idea that— so very unusual " He stopped dead, and look,ed down at her. Instinctively she raised her head, and he hesitated'no longer. A single glance from those eyes of hers had settled the question. "Of course, my dear lady, I will do as vou ask! ' he blurted out. "But I hope you will not insist on my accepting your cheque —indeed, I would rather not."

"Oh, please, please!" she answered quickly. "A debt of honour is a debt of honour, even in the code of us poor women! 1 beg you to—no, I insist on your doing so!" And she thrust the cheque into his hand, so that he had no choice but to take out his pockct-liook and count her out the notes without another word. " I accept this on one condition only," he said, as he passed her the money." "Wat is that?'' she asked hurriedly, making a frightened movement backwards, and in doing so leaning against the electric bell-push. " That you give me also one of those roses you are wearing," lie went on, oblivious ot the tinkling bell. •' Oh, Colonel Waterford "—she blushed—"of course 1 will!" And, taking a llower {from her ljelt, she kissed it daintily and hauded it to him. "Thank you!" he whispered. ■' Thank you," she answered, "my friend, my dear, dear friend!'' And, almost kneeling down, she seemed about to kiss his hand. >'o, no; not that!" he said. And their eyes, and then their lips, met. A tiny screech from her, a startled exclamation from O'Keefe, who stood, •ransfixed with amazement, at the door, and Colonel Waterford was left alone with a Moire de Dijon rosebud. 1

A few mornings later* Colonel Waterford sat in front of an excellent, but untouched, breakfast, reading and rereading a fetter from his linkers, with which was enclosed a dishonoured cheque. liis eyes blazed with fury, so that he could hardly make out the words. Something about " coincidence — handwriting experts —extremely daring pair ot swindlers—various disguises—man sometimes as a waiter—widow's weeds—ferreting out details of the pas: lives of their victims—awaiting further instructions." Suddenly he became conscious that O'Keefe was in the room. staring, tray in hand, at the untasted breakfast. "O'Keefe, you—you unmitigated ass!" he exclaimed, starting up. "Eh? What? I -beg yonr pardon, sir," returned the man. not unnaturally, somewhat puzzled at his reception.

What on earth induced you to let that woman in here the other morning?" " I—l—you didn't seem to mind, I thought, sir." "I'gh!" thundered Colonel Waterford, striding across the room. "Oh!" replied O'Keefe, as he was violently hit in the mouth by a faded <Uoire de Dijon rosebud. " Well 1 never!' r lie added, as soon as he could speak—by which time Colonel Waterford was in the street, and had whistled a hansom. Where to. sir?" asked the driver. "Scotland Yard!" was the reply.