THE STORYTELLER.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LII, Issue 306, 4 February 1910, Page 6

THE STORYTELLER.

THE COLONEL'S SACRIFICE. '•Hello, dad!" '•Hollo, my boy!" j The bright-faced schoolboy and the lean, brown-faced Colonel clasped hands ■without a single trace of that feeling that Englishmen of all ages would rather die than exhibit in 'public. The boy looked after his luggage and gave directions with a lordly air that made his father smile, ran along the platform to shake hands with a grave-looking young man who had alighted from the same train, and returned breathless with his haste. ''That was 1 old Two-and-Two; teaches us our sums, you know, at Nowhousc," he explained volubly as he got into the carriage beside his father. "Awfully decent chap —no end of a good sort." "lis he, my boy? Is he staying in town? We might ask him to dinner, lleddy, if he'd care to come." "We'll ask him later on, dad. He's putting up in Chelsea. lies been awfully down in the mouth lately." "Ah, lost money, perhaps'?" "Girl, I think,' said Roddy gloomily. "Poor chap," said the Colonel sympathetically. There was an embarrassed pause—they were both painfully near a subject that was in the minds of both. But the present time was hardly one for a discussion of so delicate a character, So when the boy plunged suddenly into voluble chatter about his own past doings, the Colonel was visibly relieved. But when dinner was over and they were alone together, the boy curled up in an armchair with his hand on the ■head of Ole Bull, the great bulldog who

had been his pet from childhood, and ■who keenly felt the boy's absence at school, the Colonel lit a cigar and ■broached the s'ubject that was uppermost in his mind.

"What did vou think of my news, Roddv?"

"Just at first I didn't quite cotton to it, dad," he said candidly. "It hurt you, Rod, eh?"

"Xo, it wasn't that," said the boy stoutly. "I don't remember my mother; I never saw her, did I? There has always been just you. But I thought it would be rotten to have a woman always dodging about, and we'd never be by our two selves again. And then 1 felt jolly glad. I thought it must be "beas'tly slow for you all by yourself when I'm at school, nobody but Bully, and he can't talk —though he comes precious near it sometimes, don't you, Bully? And then I thought it would be rather jolly to have a lady here, someone kind and sweet and up to fun like—like"—the boy hunted round his memory for an example—"like Mrs. Dane."

The Colonel broke into a laugh that had a tinge of chagrin in it as he recalled the rotund form and the beaming red face of the lady in question, and knew how different his Shelag-h was, with her blue Irish eyes and the snow of her skin. '

"And s'o will the one I have chosen be jolly kind, Roddy. She is young enough to be a first-rate pal for you, iind old enough to feel her responsibilities and to know that our happiness will lie in her little hands. And we've got to make her happy with us and put luv before all, eh, Rodi '?■" •'Why, of course," said the boy promptly, ami he gave the hand that the ■Colonel laid upon his shoulder a tight squeeze.

"['m not going to describe her to you, for I have, promised to take you round the first thing in the morning, and Vou'l] s'ee Shelagh for yourself."

The boy was decidedly nervous when he followed his father' into Hie little drawing-room in the house in Hill Street the following morning, and he owned to himself that '-o wished he were jolly well out of it. for anything of tiiis kind made a fellow f ce' a fool iii'ivs he were the chief actor. But v.'hoi a thin little woman, wilh an elc-g.'.iilly-iln'.-.sotl head of a sea shade of ;;.old llr.it betrayed its ow:i falseness, and a glittering smile 'o match, came fuiw.ml eagerly to greet thtf, the boy christened her a "cat" there and ■ then, ami wondered at his father's blindness. "This is my boy, .Mrs. O'lSrian!" "How perfectly charming! What an immense fellow!'' She shook hands with him, and then seemed to forget his' existence, and rushed oil' into a tirade about Shelagh. The boy drew a long breath of relief. "She has been out —she knew that you were coming, of course, but she took into her head to go to matins at the church. A very ridiculous idea — burning the candles at both ends, I tell her. She did not return from the Delivers' dance till four this morning. Her father was of a very serious turn of mind, and 1 do hope Shelagh is not following in his foots'leps. 1 shall be so 'jlad when she is really in your care, my dear Colonel, for she is a great responsibility." She put her head on one side I and sighed. Then the door opened and a girl came in—a girl in a white woollen frock that showed the perfection of a lovely slim figure and matched the snow of her flawless complexion and heightened the daring contrast of her densely black hair. And at. the sight of her Roddy's' eyes started from his head, and he gave a low 'whistle that threw him into an 'agony of confusion. But what right had this girl to be his father's promised wife, when ho had seen her only a few weeks before standing on the river bank at Newhouse with her hands held fast in those of Old Two-and-Two, the mathematical master, and wilh a look on both their faces' that any fellow who

was not a fool could have understood? The Colonel went to meet ner with a j tender, protective air that made Itoody , feel queer as he watched them curiously; then they both came towards him, and he rose to his feet. "This is Roddy, Shelagh. You two are going to be tremendously good friends, you know." '•Tremendously good friends!" said the girl, her firm, red lips breaking into a fleeting smile. It was so sweet a smile that Roddy looking at her, could have wished that it had lasted longer. She held out her hand. "And what does Roddy himself say?" "I hope we shall be jolly good friends," said the boy, with a shyness that made ■his voice gruff, "for dad's sake." "He is cautious." She put her two little hands on his shoulders and looked 'down into his face with her blue-grey 'lrish eyes, and Roddys fell in spite of his boldness. "But when you get to know me, Roddy, won't you try and like me for my own sake?" There was a little plaintive accent in her voice that went to Roddy's heart. He would have sworn hims'elf to be her knight-errant; but where did Old Two-and-Two conic in? Did girls fall in and out of love with such callous rapidity? It was quite a relief when Mrs. tTJJrian called them away at last and he had time to recover himself. He knew that it would be so easy to love her— she was just the sort of girl that a fellow liked to think belonged to him. She -was prettier, far prettier, than he had thought when he had caught that glimpse of her at Newhouse. Had s'hc thrown up Old Two-and-Two to marry iiis father? and was it that that had made so great a change in the cheery Voung fellow who had won the boy's heart? Roddy's face hardened at the thought. After this, as was natural, they were often together, and one day the boy blurted out where he had seen her first. "You saw her at Newhouse?" "I'm at school there, you know?" "I did not know." She caught her breath quickly. '•Your father has mentioned it, I suppose, but I thought 3-011 'were at Rossall, I was staying with the Barringtons." "At the Flosh, yes, I know." "Then you know Mr, Betnune?" "Yes." "And—is he a favorite of yours!" She smiled a little at the uselessness of s'uch a question relative to one who could not fail to be loved by anyone. "He's the best all-round cricketer i& the county," said Roddy solemnly, "and the decentest chap that I have ever seen, bar dad." In spite of himself the boy felt drawn to Shelagh—she was more herself with him than with anyone else—she never had any of the gay little speeches for the Colonel that she had for his Son—with him she was always quiet and eold —she had the aspect of one who receives irnd never gives. Roddy saw it all, he wondered often, that his father did not also, and there was no one to open his eyes and tell him that his wife would go to him lacking that love without which marriage—true marriage—is impossible. And there was Bethune also —if she cared for him why did she not break with the Colonel? One morning, when he was taking an early morning prowl, lie came upon the mathematical master and Shelagh talking together, and it jumped into his mind that this explained her sudden liking for the early services her mother objected to. She came to meet Bethune. They were walking along and the aspect of botli made the lad's heart sort, ) though he hardened his face and turned : on his heel to avoid them. But. they had seen him, and Shelagh came hurrying after him with a jocular greeting that did not deceive Roddy in the least "Did you not see me, Roddy? What do you think of yourself, sir, that a lady has to hurry after her knight in this way?" "\ou had got Mr. Bethune," said Roddy coldly. "Roddy, are you cross?" "If you like Mr. Bethune best, why don't you stick to him-?: It's not failto dad, meeting him every morning." "Roddy, you are impertinent. ¥ou are incensed because B meet Mr. Bethune in the street and stop to speak to him? Must I, then, cut all my old friends because I am going to marrv Colonel Drayeott?" ' ' ! "He's—he's' more than that," mumbled I Roddy miserably. "I was engaged to Lim once, Roddy. You know that?" "I guessed it." "He is too poor to marry me. My mother would not consent, and so—there's the end of it." "Did he give you up because Mi at uncle of his married?" "That was it, Roddy. Don't say anything more about it." She clenched her hands fiercely as s'he remembered how she had refused at first to be released. She had held valiantly to her love, but circumstances had been too much for her. She must forget him; and best for him to forget her too, though the thought cut her with its pain. ; "Here we are at Hill Street. Are you ' coming in?" "Xot now," said Roddy. "Good-bye, Roddy—try and think the best of me. I'm going to run straight, you'll see." But the white misery of her face haunted Roddy all the way home. He confided it all to Ole Bull that evening when the boy and the dog were alone together. "You see, old chap, Old Two-and-Two lis 1 a thundering good sort, and he's awfully down on his luck." Ole Bull acquiesced with an upward curl of his lip. "And Shelagh can't help loving the beggar. And we like lier, too. You

see, we haven't got any womenfolk like other people, and it would be downright jolly to have her—a fellow likes to have ■his women pretty and smart and all that sort of thing. I'm fond of her, Bully, and dad is awfully gone on her." Oh' Hull agreed with this exactly. "But dad's the best of the lot," and we've got to think of him first." It would have surprised and pained Ole Bull if any other view had been taken of the matter. "But if Shelagh marries clad, and she can't forget the other I guess it'll be worse for dad after all.' And then the Colonel, coming suddenly in, nearly fell over them in the dusk. "Hello! you two. What are you doing in the dark?" He poked up the fire briskly and sat down on a chair beside them. "You are going to Hill Street for tea', .aren't you, Roddy?" || "They asked me," said Roddy slowly. "Then we'll go round there together, Rod. Rut I've got a bit of news for you. I've boon thinking of that friend of yours—Bethune, isn't it? llr. Sellcnger wants a secretary, and asked me to recommend one. What would you s'ay to Bethune, Roddy? It would be a splendid opening for a young man." "Why, dad ; that's splendid. It's no end good of you," and then he stopped suddenly with a look on his face that puzzled his father. • i

"You think he'd like that sort of thing? It is not a post to go begging. But ask your friend to dine with us to-morrow night and we'll talk it over. You know where he's putting up?"

"In Chelsea," mumbled Roddy. "I've got it written down somewhere, But I don't think he'll come, dad, because of —Shelagh.' It was' out now with a vengeance. -" j

"What the devil has Shelagh to do with the fellow?" " ,

"They were engaged once, you see. Old Two-and-Two was going to marry her, and, being poor and all that, and—the Ca—Mrs. O'Brian cut up rough and prevented it."

"Do you know what vou are savin". Rod?" * " °'

"It's the truth, dad, If they weren't poor, they would marry—now'." The Colonel was silent again. He had tried often to cheat himself into 'the belief that Shelagh of the soft Trish eye 3 loved him—that it was only sweet maidenly coyness that had made her hold him at, arm's length, and he had worshipped her for the tender modesty that, was so rarely to be found. Shelagh had never told ly'm that she had loved him, but her mother had. How often had he not listened to her asseverations of Shelagh's profound affection that girlish shyness sought to hide from him? And—confound the lying old woman. "Roddy, this is news to me. I'll have to enquire into it. Thanks for the hint. There'.-' no fool like ail old one, they 'say. and it took a schoolboy to find it out." ' ,

"Dad, you won't be hard on Shelagh? Girls can't help liking fellows, you know, and Bethune is no end of a good chap." "I'll be hard on no one but myself, Rod."

( And the end of it was tTiat Bethune received his secretaryship and a wife at the hands of a brave soldier and a generous gentleman, and Mrs. O'Brian's hysterics had no avail. And on the day of her wedding, as' Shelagh came up the aisle, she turned ba.ppv. grateful' eyes that shone like jewels'to'that pan' of the church where sat lier faithful friends —the Colonel and Roddv.—Bv Elizabeth M. Moon, in M.A.P. ' ' , PERFECT DIGESTION MEIXS | PERFECT HEALTH. A good stomach keeps everv part of the body in perfect condition,* and disease cannot -break in. Dr. ■•■;■ Digestive Tab;;les ar-. a nam ml remedy tor al! d]<on!ers and weakness of the I ■sSomaeh. They possess exactly the same properties a* the gastric 'jnie- s and other digestive fluids "of the Lh.m----ac-h. They actually do the digestive work of the stomach, and enable that organ to rest, recuperate, and become sound and healthy. They act in a mild, natural manner, and cause no distai-b----ar«e in the digestive organs. They prevent any fermentation "of the food, wliieh causes -our stomach. Dr. Sim]-' donV into every part v>f the human body. They compel perfect digestion of the food, and perfect assimilation of ihv food nutriment. Every organ of the : body is kept in repair, and good health necessarily remits. At tho"=ame lime the stomach, being relieved of its work, get wells and s|-vo,i<r.' A trial will on- : vinee you. Sold in tins containing SO '■ Tabules at 2s fid. Obtainable every- ' Where.