THE O'FARRELLY FEUD

Wairarapa Times-Age, 7 June 1940, Page 10

THE O'FARRELLY FEUD

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CHAPTER X. (Continued). She sat down on a stone, placed her elbows on her knees and rested her head on the palms of her hands. This is an attitude suggestive of deep thought. Perhaps it actually assists the working of the mind. Daphne’s eyes, in a glassy stare, were .fixed on the stones just in front of her toes. Her face, what could be seen of it, would have pleased a film producer who wanted mental concentration registered. Ronnie and Mousie did not move. They were shamed by Daphne’s taunt of laziness and frivolity. They stood silently behind her, waiting for her to discover a way of dealing with what seemed to them a hopeless situation. They did not have to wait long. Daphne's mind worked very quickly.. In less than two minutes she sprang to her feet. This time her face wore an expression which would have suited that of the Syracusan mathematician who said Eureka and meant it. “Mousie,” she said, “dart up to the house as quickly as you can and ask Quinn to lend you a carving knife, the largest and sharpest he has. You’d better, ask for two. in fact, get three if you can, all large and sharp.” “You can’t cut through barbed wire with a carving knife,” said Ronnie. “You’ll ruin the knive and produce no impression on the wire.”

Daphne looked at him with a smile which was at once contemptuous and pitying, as an adherent of the League of Nations might look at a man who raised a frivolous objection to the imposition of sanctions. “Go at once. Mousie." she said, ignoring Ronnie’s protest. Mousie wrapped her bathing cloak round her and set out for the house at a slow pace, as one unwilling to reach a destination. Daphne was by no means satisfied with this kind of obedience to an urgent command. “Run,” she shouted.

“You can’t cut barbed wire with a carving knife,” said Ronnie again. “If you try you’ll ruin the knife without doing any harm to the wire. Quinn will never lend you the knives if he knows what you are going to do with them.”

“I’m not going to try to cut wire,” said Daphne. “And if I was I wouldn’t tell Quinn. I know just as well as you do that I cant hack through wire with an ordinary carving knife.” “If you're thinking .of waiting till O'Farrelly comes back," said Ronnie, “and then stabbing him in the stomach, you needn’t be in such a hurry to get the knives. He won’t be here for another five hours at least.” “I’m not going to stab O'Farrelly,” said Daphne. “Although he richly deserves it. “That would be murder and you’ve always told me that murder is allegal, although Aunt Margaret says not in this country, and I daresay she knows better than you do. But’ anyhow, it doesn’t really matter which of you is right for I'm not thinking of killing O'Farrelly.”

“If it isn’t to cut the wire,” said, Ronnie, “or to stab O'Farrelly I don't see what you want the knives for at all.”

“I’ll tell you that when I get the knives and you won’t have long to wait. Here’s Mousie coming. She must have run pretty fast. I'll say this much for Mousie; if you once get it into her head that she’s to do a thing, she does it. That’s because she's English and has that sense of duty which makes the English middle classes so insufferable; though, of course, it’s useful when you really want a thing done.” . CHAPTER XI. Mousie, goaded to speed by Daphne’s shouts, returned from the house. Quinn followed. He had three carving knives in his hand ,but seemed unwilling to part with them. "Would there be any harm in asking, Miss,” he said, “what is that you're wanting the knives for?” “Hacking through barbed wire," said Ronnie. “Thick, strong, rusty wire.” “Nothing of the sort,” said Daphne. “Nobody would be such a fool as to cut wire with a carving knife. It couldn’t be done.” "I’d be sorry now if it was that,” said Quinn, “for it would be the ruination of the knives.” “Well, it isn't that. So hand them over,” said Daphne, firmly. “It might be," said Quinn, “that you're thinking of lifting limpets off the rocks with them. I wouldn’t say that that was too good for the knives either. And, mind you. her ladyship is particular about her knives and she’d be annoyed if anything happened to them.”

“Dcu you think I'm an idiot?” said Daphne. “What would I be wanting limpets for, and if I did want them I’d kick them off the rocks with the toe of my shoe. I'm not going to do the knives any ’harm."

"Well, it’s for you to say. Miss, only if her ladyship is annoyed in the latter and I'd rather it was you than me that she spoke her mind to.” He was still unwilling to give up his knives. But Daphne left them little choice in the matter. She took them out of his hand.

“Can you dive, Mousie?” she asked. “Not very well," said Mousie. "I was trying to learn in the swimming bath last term, but I rather gave it up because my bathing cap used to come off and then I got my hair all wet. There was one day, just after I'd a perm, and mother said —" Daphne cut her short. It was no lime to discuss Mousie’s mother’s opinion of the effect of water on permanent hair curls.

“Then you're no use. and we shan't want three knives. If it's only to be Ronnie and me we shall only want one each.”

She handed one knife back to Quinn, who seemed relieved to get it. What-

GEORGE A. BIRMINGHAM.

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

ever happened to 'the other two he would now have one knife to produce when Lady Margaret next wanted a joint carved. "You can dive, of course, Ronnie?” said Daphne. Ronnie could, but, not unnaturally, wanted to know where and when and why he was to dive and what use the carving knife was io be put to. "You and I,” said Daphne, “arc going to dive down and cut the net clear of the weights which hold it to the bottom. Then the whole lower part of the net will float to sea with the tide, and the mullet will be able to swim away. That will teacn O’Farrelly not to come fishing here again. If he never catches anything he'll soon stop.” It was an ingenious' plan, and no doubt would have discouraged O'Farrelly if it had been carried out; but Ronnie saw a serious objection to it. It was utterly lawless, and O’Farrelly, if his net was cut to pieces would have a good case with which to go into court. He would obtain legal compensation for the damage done and, since the act was deliberate and malicious, there might be unpleasant penalties for the aggressors. He realised that it was quite useless to put this consideration before Daphne, who of all people he had. ever met was least amenable to law. But he felt that in his own interests he must make some protest. “We'll give ourselves away if we do that,” he said. O’Farrelly is just the man to take an action against us in court and ...” ,

“If you funk it, you can stay on shore.” said Daphne, “and I’ll do it all myself. Here, Quinn, take back the second knife.”

“I didn't say I funked it,” said Ronnie, “and I don’t, only—here, give me that knife, Quinn.” He was, after all, a high-spirited young man, as well as being a solicitor. Whatever the consequence might be. he could not stay tamely on shore and watch a girl doing what he shrank from doing himself.

Quinn had an objection to make, an objection of quite a different kind, not based on regard for the law, of which, indeed, Quinn was no great respecter. And Mousie had something to say, though hers was a terrified and tearful protest. “Begging your pardon, miss ” “Oh, Daphne, darling, don’t you think ”

Quinn, having the louder voice of the two. had his say first. “Begging your pardon, miss, but if you go swimming about the bottom of the sea with one of them knives in your hand you’ll be cutting an arm off yourself or may be a leg, her ladyship will be terribly annoyed with me. and small blame to her. I’d rather you’d be cutting the wire than do that, though her ladyship won't like the knives spoiled either. Still, better a spoiled knife than yourself with a leg off you.” “Daphne, darling,” said Mousie, “It’s a most frightfully dangerous thing to do. You’ll be tangled in the net and be drowned.” She had in mind those stories which appear from time to time in newspapers of incautious swimmers and divers who plunge into weedy water. Long strands of weed wind themselves round the limbs of these people. The more they struggle the tighter the weeds cling to them —and a net, in Mousie’s opinion would be even more dangerous than weed. If a net caught fish, it would catch girls. Mousie’s education had been scientific rather than literary, but there floated into her mind a vague recollection of a poem about a girl caught in a net: “Was never salmon yet which gleamed so fair, Among the nets of Dee.” And there was something about a drowned maiden's hair. Mousie began to cry. She could not bear the thought of Daphne’s hair waving about on the ebbing tide while her body lay tangled in the net below. “Nonsense,” said Daphne. “Only fish get caught in nets and I’m not a fish.” “Oh. lots of other things get caught too.” said Mousie. For a moment she could not think of anything else of whicn she had ever heard being caught in a net. Then a vague memory stirred in her. “And submarines,” she said. “They used to catch submarines in nets during the war.” “I’m not a submarine,” said Daphne. She was wholly unimpresssed; but Ronnie knew or guessed more than she did about the behaviour of nets in a tide when suddenly cut adrift from their moorings. Mousie’s fears struck him as not entirely groundless. “Look here. Daphne,” he said. “Couldn’t we ” “If you funk it,” said Daphne, “stay on shore.” It was the same appeal and for a young man like Ronnie irresistible. No man of any spirit can bear to bo called a coward by a girl. “I don’t funk it,’’ he said. “I was only going to suggest that it would be much less dangerous —I mean to say • —•” he did not want to hear the word funk again. “1 mean to say much easier to. cut along the top. Then we should not have to dive at all. We could swim along, slicing the meshes as we went, that is to say if we're going to cut the net at ail, though I still think ”

He stopped, fully conscious of the futility pf threatening the consequences of malicious injury done to other people's property. "We’re not going to cut the net,” said Daphne. “It would be a mean thing to destroy O’Farrelly’s net. He’s a poor man ” <To be Continued)