THE O'FARRELLY FEUD

Wairarapa Times-Age, 5 June 1940, Page 10

THE O'FARRELLY FEUD

COPYRIGHT. PUBLISHED BY SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT.

By

GEORGE A. BIRMINGHAM.

Author of “General John Regan,” “Up the Rebels,” etc., etc.

CHAPTER IX. (Continued). The whispering and giggling of the neighbours merely strengthened his will to victory. He quite realised that Lady Margaret’s drive through the town was meant to be a triumphal progress. It was almost more than he could bear.

The unfortunate man had more to put up with than Lady Margaret’s silent satisfaction and the half-smothered derision of his neighbours. Lady Margaret herself might and did refrain from open taunts. Her dignity forebade such indulgence. But her dependents and the members of her staff were under no such ban. Ronnie became more and more humorous. Quinn the butler, drinking an afternoon bottle of stout at O’Farrelly’s bar. warned him of the uselessness of attepting to get the better of “Miss Daphne." “She has got you beat. O’Farrelly," he said, “and if you’ve as much sense as they say you have you'll not be contending with her any more. She’s one too many for you. Whatever you may do she’ll do more and I'm telling you that for your own good. And it’s myself that knows the nature of her.” Jimmy Flanagan, the chauffeur, was quite as outspoken. As befitted a man of his profession he drank very little; but after Daphne's second victory he became a constant visitor to the hotel. “She's a grand young lady, so she is.” he said. “I knew it the minute I set eyes on her. and her getting out of the train. I saw well that she was the kind of young lady who’d get the better of any man that might set himself against'her. The man that crosses her will be sorry for himself at the latter end.”

“She’ll not get the better of me,” said O’Farrelly, sulkily.

Jimmy Flanagan grinned offensively. He had the firmest faith in Daphne, and believed that O’Farrelly neither could nor would attempt anything further. He was wrong. O’Farrelly meant what he said. He was not yet ready to give in to Daphne. Ronnie, who knew the people of Ballycon well and understood O'Farrelly, was under no delusion. “We’ve not done with him yet,” he said, when talking the matter over one afternoon at tea time.

Daphne welcomed the prospect of another struggle. Success had whetted her appetite for more success and she would have regretted the immediate collapse of O’Farrelly. “What do you suppose he'll try next?” she asked.

“Whatever he means to try,” said Ronnie, “he’s keeping mighty quiet about it. I’ve been keeping an eye on him and barring that he's dragged that net of his up into the backyard behind his house I don’t know that he’s done anything up till now. But I’d like to know why he did that. The net is no use to him there.”

"Perhaps,” said Mousie, “he’s storing it away and doesn’t mean to use it any more.”

The three young people were taking counsel on the lawn at the shoreward side of Carrickduv Castle, They were joined by Lady Margaret, who arrived just in time to hear Mousie’s suggestion. ,

(‘Peter O’Farrelly’s a blackguard,” she said, “but he’s a good, upstanding kind of a blackguard with some guts in him. I’ll be disappointed in him if he gives in now.” “You needn’t be afraid of that,” said Ronnie. “But I’m bothered if I know what he means to try.” “What about setting our own net,” said Daphne, “ and catching a few more mullet. That would annoy him, if it did nothing else. The net's all ready. We could set it any time.” “I’ll have no more mullet brought into the house,” said Lady Margaret. "I'd rather go on hunger strike for a week than eat another of those fish.”

“It might be our net that O’Farrelly’s waiting for,” said Ronnie. “I wouldn’t wonder but he has a notion of coming round and taking it away, if we set it. He knews well enough that we have it. Everyone in Ballycon heard that half an hour after you bopght it. It would please O'Farrelly well enough to take it."

"But wouldn’t that be setaling?” said Mousie. She had not yet succeeded in shaking herself free from the English views of conduct to which she had been brought up. And it is an English belief, almost peculiar to them, that the taking of other people's property, either by force or fraud, is reprehensible.

“Of course, it would be stealing,” said Lady Margaret. “But O’Farrelly would like it all the better for that. Stealing is what he’s best at. and lie enjoys it."

“We would take it in turns to watch our net," said Daphne. "After all, it’s only for about six hours that it’s set. That’s not very long to watch." “Darling Daphne," said Mousie. “Don’t ask me to do that. I’d be afraid of that man if he came while f was watching. Anti—and I really would not like to throw stones at chat poor little boy again.” "Very well," said Daphne. “I’ll do all the watching myself, unless you like to help. Ronnie. But perhaps you’re frightened, too." “No, I'm not." said Ronnie. "What Fin thinking of is that O'Farrelly will be pretty nearly desperate, and he's a violent man. If it comes to a fight—" "Surely you and I could get the better of one man and a small boy!" said Daphne. "We could," said Ronnie. "If O'Farrelly didn't bring a gun with him. But we can't be sure that he won't. It wouldn’t be the first time he's used a gun. He's always swaggering about the way he shot policemen in the Sinn Fein times. To listen to him talking you'd think he'd mowed down policemen and soldiers in hundreds with

machine guns.” "I don't believe O’Farrelly ever shot

a policeman,” said Lady Margaret. “He wouldn’t have the nerve. Why he did not dare to face even an old woman like me. When I took him in hand in this very house in the middle of the night, he was as mild as a lamb. But I’m sure I’ve tolct you that story.

She had. She had told it twice to Daphne and Mousie, and at least a dozen times to Ronnie, who had also heard different versions of it from other sources. It did not convince him that O’Farrelly, driven to desperation, would hesitate to shoot at him, if net at Daphne. The kind of courage required for shooting at an enemy is common enough, especially if the enemy happens to be unarmed or to be looking the other way and unsuspicious. The other kind of courage, the kind which would enable a man to face Lady Margaret in the middle of the night, is a different thing altogether; especially when Lady Margaret is justly angry at the illegitimate use made of her husband’s most valued, and ornamental clothes. This kind of courage is much rarer. Very few men, perhaps not more than two or three in the whole world, possess it. “Let him shoot," said Daphne. “I don’t believe he’d dare, and if he did he probably wouldn't hit us. I’m not afraid of his old gun.”

Nor, indeed, was Ronnie, but he had no wish to be involved in an affray with O'Farrelly. Whether there was shooting or not the whole thing would be . dangerous and the consequences very seriously unpleasant for him. It was all very well for Daphne to face light-heartedly a first-rate row. She had nothing to lose. But his position was different. He had his profession to consider and there is such a thing as being struck off tne roll of solicitors for unprofessional conduct. A fight with O’Farrelly might easily be regarded as unprofessional. "I don’t expect the boy Danny will do much to help his father,” said Daphne. “He’d be more inclined to fight on our side if he fights at all. Quinn was telling me that he got a terrible thrashing after that last day.” “Oh, I hope not,” said Mousie. “I can’t bear to think ”

“According to Quinn,” said Daphne, “his shrieks could be heard for miles round.”

“That kind of boy,” said Lady Margaret, “would shriek for the love of making a noise, whether he was hurt or not.”

“And I Ijear,” said Ronnie, “that he bought three pounds of peppermint lumps and two packets of cigarettes after getting the five bob we promised him. If you ask me, I should say that Danny is very well pleased and would take a thrashing every day of the week on the same terms.”

The discussion, having reached Danny’s bruises, was becoming desultory. Daphne recalled it to the proper subject. Like a good chairman she saw that no decision would ever be reached if side issues occupied everyone's attention.

“Never mind Danny,” she said. “The real question is what we’re going to do next.”

“Must we do anything more?” said Mousie. “Perhaps if we do nothing O'Farrelly won’t either.” “Every good general,” said Daphne, “as soon as he has won a victory does what’s called consolidating his position. It’s practically useless to win a battle unless you conolidate immediately afterwards and put some vigour into doing it. If you knew anything about military science, Mousie, you'd know that.”

“But I don’t know anything about battles, and I never said I did.” “So what we’ve got to do," said Daphne, “is to consolidate. And the best way to do that is to set our own net.”

"If we’re going to do that," said Ronnie, “let’s do it at once before O'Farrelly finds out what we’re doing." “Come on then’,” said Daphne. “It ought to be pretty near high tide, isn’t it Ronnie?”

“I should say it was just on the turn," said Ronnie. “But no more mullet,” said Lady Margaret. “Bring back lobsters or crabs if you like, but T wont have mullet.”

"The net," said Daphne, “is in the garage. Jimmy Flanagan fetched it out from Ballycon and has been keeping it for us ever since. All we have to do i.s to drag it down to the shore and set it.” / CHAPTER X. Daphne's net was never set and Lady Margaret’s fears of a glut of mullet turned out to be groundless. Ronnie, leading the way with the heavier part of the net over his shoulder, turned the corner of the House on his way from the garage to the shore of the creek. Behind him were Daphne and Mousie, each bearing her share of the burden. But they did not reach the corner. Rennie, when he came in sight of the creek, stopped dead, dropped his part of the net and turned to the girls. "He’s there before us,” he said. "O’Farrelly. Setting his net.” Daphne, realising at once the need for caution, stepped forward and peered round the corner. She saw exactly what Ronnie had seen and was just us much surprised as he had been. There was O’Farrelly's boat in its usual position, half beached at the end of the creek. There was O'Farrelly himself and the boy Danny setting their net in the way that was now quite familiar. They seemed neither hurried nor nervous; but were working precisely as if there had never been any trouble about the fishing. "The man must be a fool," said Daphne. The inference seemed reasonable enough. What was the good of doing again what had proved useless be-1 fore? (To be Continued).