THE STORYTELLER.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LII, Issue 121, 19 June 1909, Page 4

THE STORYTELLER.

"A SHAPSHOI."

'*? «<**t* is so satisfactory," remarked B «aay a p^^ L « kea JZ* already view her »th '"» £ and, as I urn rcsumnibh .<» ■« amount on Charlie si* and at the Dr&yW ball last St ? am certain he proposed, though* ZwUdmitit. They *n«d toM TiuW- Old Sir CUaries and ESTdW evidently wprt, and approve, for they beamed upon u* mo»t • m^^ioo**' alone recommend ta to any **»&» said the Colonel, •%ut she rides well to hounds, and that counts for righteousness to the.eyes ot Sir Charts, ft *n» too bad hol ° staNe being horsde wmbat to-day. l Wanted to mount Sara for ewry posgiWe hunt while she was' with us. i "I am not at «U son?- I «•"•«*" huntiog a*t« » b»U is too mudh> for any ginl, add the bail -was a, long way off. Mnnfa &• our sole representative to- . day. The Shame b»y arrived m a wokrwar and -took the child off in high gee."

•Later on, in <tfee afternoon, Sara wa» restate ,m ** room pretending to read, " hutreaUy pondering over, the doings of the niriit (before. There was no doubt ■she wbs aa arrant little flirt, and someEms USBe 1 flirts suffer for their ana As «fce laeed over the to. a maid knocked and entered hastily with, an alarmed expression upon, her ace "Oh! Miss Sara," she exclaimed, /Miss Minnie las j™* » me bsa& f d J^ c found her in floods of tears on hear bed, and She won* say wtet'e " n j the mistress is ouJt, and I doat know how to paclilfy Jner.". "Poor obM She must foe all; I wall go to her at once," eaid Sara, spnnging; to her feat and hurrying tormardis her little cousWs bedroom. • . There lay Mtate with- her face burred in the piUow a!ad her fair hair tossed ' about, convulsed with, sabs. "It was awful-too awful/' <*( gasped. "Ohl 1 wish—l wish I hadul done it." . .. „, "Darling, wtat is the matter? "Jinuny told mo to-he told me 1< take it, and—" faere SCsmfe doubled tier self up with renewed grief—"and I tool it." The. fear of poison flashed throng] Sara's mind. "Pot Heaven* sake tell me what yoi have done!" she cried, shaking Muni in a paroxysm of afarm. "What hav yon taken?" "A snapshot," moaned Mame.

Sari's feelings ivere sdei, that slie did w t Ww (whether to atop; her smail xusin'or t<f;bttrat out laughing. The iatfter indinatiatt prevailed. _ , "Don't laugh," said Minnie, sitting bolt upright and Hooking TeproaUhfully at Seta.-, "you dan/t taiow what you are doing." "I nron't; now dry your eyes aad tell me all your trouble." "It was Jimmy's doing; .he is a mateful hoy. I should nearer have thought o€ an* a horrid thing. We were in the nuHtor when the tox crossed about a hundred yards up the noad. Jimmy is frightfully excftatl* and was going to dhout "tallv to," but I wit my hand 1 over his mouth till tlhe fox was safe across; I was frightened out of my life ' we would head Wm. TTnien the hounds and all the hunt followed, and Jimmy told *h« chauffeur to drive like hell." "Minnie!" "to Lanehom Gwss fioads, as they Bigttt tome oven the big iboutndary fense, where there'd be some chance of spill*

Tlie chauffeur did drive like " "Jfinoie I "—this 'mry waraingly. v "Lflce anyrttoig, a»d Jimmy persuaded me to get out and' go towards the boundary fence iwito. liim. We had a long ■way -to run, bat I lad my camera, '' ' and that was wiry Jimmy wanted me. ' We eftw> the tenuis cross arad wheel ' away from where we stood, but not one horse came near enough ifor me to anap. All of a sudden a man appeared on tlie bank just abome us, and seemed .to be jumping oa the tap of Jimmy. I be- ' Have seeing Jfmnfy almost underneath made Jam enatxEi tup hie horse, for he 'tame' d«wn crash!" , - "Wto he tart?" wasn't, he jumped on one aide, bnt,*l» poor all crumpled ' vo, aad .the Jwrse .was struggling to get off nim."

"What dW you do?" "Jimmy sail, 'Snaip him. snap hini , quick,' and—oh! deaf, oh, dear!— l snapped." "Minnie! how ghastly; how could you do suit'j a horrible tiling?" "I don't fcnow, I don't know," solbed Minnie, 'that's what I'm crying for." "Who wa» the man!" asked Sara suddenly.

Drayton^—" "Is Jre killed?" interrupted Sara iinpatieutry. "Olaiiie Drayton came up in a few aniantes and said ihe •Miouglit he was. jimmy and I didn't wait, 'but tore back t* the road. Lady Drayton's car .was just toebind ours, and we saw Charlie iteUing her' what had (happened. He flhontei cat to out chauffeur. 'Fetch J)r. Leonard and bring i/aa to Drayton Hall},* so that was all we heard, for we flew. They dropped ane on the way, and now I can, Uftnik off nothing but that awM sight sJhut up in my camera. Oh! Sara," and Mamie looked anxiously at fhiar cousin, "you are ias iwhite as that jaatt."

"Giro me the camera," said Sara firm- ■ jv, J 'v<m- must not ih»ve such, a dreadful | ategfatjSr'e. Lie down, dear, and rest for < ■a. little end try to forget all about it." I ; With She (atoiera in her hand, Bbe|! left the CibJW. TremWßng violently, it • seemed as''ttough the (black box .held her spelibouinld. Presently controlling ibeiseJf and directing her step* to her coutrin's play-room, still! shaking with agftation, she colletited the necessary •Chemicals, and with Minnie's daylight <leveloj>ing tank proceeded 'to develop the negative. The inimttes passed like lours, for this was' no mere curiosity. Khe jnost know and 'satisfy a terror, an (wrfuil fear, tca-rimg at her iheart. JVfien She tiiqe AirrSved for inspecting Xhe engative, her aroxriety became almost greater than «lie could ibear, Imt, nerving hereeJf (with ai great effort, «hc held ' toe film to the Hg|ls. Tn it' She beheld a. horse, rising from a. crushed piece of humjurity, who lay •wife!* uptuiried '(xte at the loot of the ' touik over which 'the animal had come io grfef wiHJli Such, disastrous effect. 3&> save herself from failling she clutched tilie table as she recognised the twisted (eaturcs disclosed through the snapping of a shutter ity a child who had not realised the grnesomeness o' the deed thns perpetrated. Her eyes 'were riveted upon tlic object she held. 'Xumb and frozen she stood, when suddenly her aunt burst into the Tooin. "Sara," she cried, ''Where is Minnie? I have just heard a Mr. Heathcotc, who mi staying with the Draytons, has 'bint kHied out hunting, and the child jsaW the accident." ' Then Sara slipped to the ground, and (Teeilia thought no more of Minnie. ' TKhen Sara regained consciousness, ' ■'•• found herself on a sofa in the to loir, Cecilia bending over her. "Minnie Oias told nic the dreadful story of the snapshot," she said. '- ''h ft true that he as' dead?" whispered Sara. '•Only too true, dear; but tell me wh.it it means to you. 1 '

"[ Joved him," cried Sara wildly, ''.and i j i; d not realise till too late." 1 '"Yon loyed liim? I did not know < ■ " —-it knew this Mr. Heatlicote; he was aji *iti»nye r to us; lmt if ft is any comfort.i' -dear vL ild, confide in uie, and tell me • -what ha* happened." * '"l'lr/layed with him, I would not treat : ' T)iui seriottrty, «nd -we parted in anger. He stayed at tlie Draytons' for the ball, knowing I should be there. He was a ■friend of theirs, afld did not know till ', , ilairt night that Cfrariie eared for me. L'• We thought I was gofirg to marry Char- % lie, and reproacl-ed Ine, I was angry, W"; <oh! bo aagry, and I let Jrim think he Mc •was right, aad it made roe encourage Wt; Chariiejßore Mian ever. And now, Jack V ' lis dead—dead, and fcan never tell him ■>. 3t was. nOt true." W' Sobbing (bitterly, Sara buried her faec g' in Jier lhands, and did not observe a peen-) ss,- liar expression pass over her aunt's I JS®-*?-? countenance. "Sara," she said decisive J "at present you most talk no more. ||j|fo.,i.io? tWs sad occurrence, you will only yourself ill. Don't think me un-HBKK3dafl.-if X do not sympathise more just ] ffijgs&jgKiw, -I am going to leave you quiet and me I am doing the 'kin:!-

I liem,'' said Cecilia gently, and with a loving kiss she left her niece to wrestle with her sorrow. ! Once out of the Toom. she appeared strangely excited. Ordering the ■pon.ytrap to'lhc brought round immediately, <lie hurried on her hut and coat, a:id drove awav in the direction of -Drayton Hall.

| Sara never forgot that plunge into the abyss of despair. As she lay there and thought of the love she had despised and treated so lightly 'while it was hers she knew how great was her his?'. The room was practically in darkness save for the fitful light from the lire.

As time went on the loneliness bocame unbearable, and she yearned for the company and sympathy of her aunt. At last there came a gentle tap, and Cecilia entered softly. "I have brought a doctor to cure your trouble," she announced in- a siugnlailv o'jcerfti.l voice, and the man by her side pressed forward.

"Sara!" lie cried, "oh! Sara!" "Jack! It is' Jack!" sobbed Sara, anj Aunt Cecilia discreetly left the room. "They do say," said Jack later when Sara had, with her own lips, assurred hiin Of her love, "that photographs bring out family likenesses, but I never thought I was like poor Gerald, though ■be was my first cousin. When you mentioned my name as Jack to your aunt, sle suspected there might foe a ■mistake, as she heard it was a Gerald HeatWte who had been killed." "But he was not at the ball, so how could I tell two Heathcotc6 were staying at the Draytons'?" said Sara; "and of course that terrible 'photograph was only a glimpse, but the family likeness is' extraordinary, and I "naturally thought it was you." "Poor chap," said Jack, sadly, "he I •meant to come for the ball, but wisl prevented, and arrived just in time f or that fatal meet."

"If it had been you—oh! if it had been you!" and Sara shuddered. "If you had married Charlie, I should have envied him," replied Jack.

"But I had no intention of marrying Charlie; and," she declared emphatically, "I am never, never going to flirt again iwith anyone ibut you." And sne kept her word.—By Evelyn j Grogan, in MAP. ' " j