WAS IT BARNARD?

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume XV, Issue 4501, 19 August 1893, Page 3

WAS IT BARNARD?

A Romance, ~., \ AOOKLAND, August 12, Presumably writing under the above date from Auckland, a correspondent of the Groytown Standard says:—Tbia morning I reoeived a wira from an old ohum in the Wairarapa to tho following effect:—"Job Barnard has bolted. Look out for him, If jou spot him inform police. Warrant out," Of oourso I know Joe well, many a gumo of devil's pool have I bad with him, and he always paid up like a man, and ordinarily I shouldn't have liked to have spoiled his little game, but tho call of friendship had to be obeyed, and a warrant looked as if there was something ugly to be accounted for, so I determined to do a bit of the private detective business, I was walking down Short- | an-l Street, to go down Queen Street to the wharf, ruminating about the matter, when just at the corner of the street I mot ono of the finest looking women I had over seen. She was tall, unusually tall, with a beautiful bust, anil n form that in all its graceful curves bespoke the womanly woman, and from tho rather long, though slender feet, with arehed instep, encased in irreproachfully fitting and very stylish shoes, to the top of her fnirbcadcrowned with the daintiest of hats, flie looked the aristocrat. Sho was coming towards me, aud I was rather rudely staring at her, noticing that Iter elf off had a ru idy ■healthful glow, that her eyes weie blue thoush shaded with the darkest of eyelashes, awl overshadowed by dark beautifully etirvrd brows. Iler lips woro uuldior than the cherry, and although her mouth and ejus seemed rather larger than the ordinary canons of beaaty would pass, her wholo appearance was certainly of ihat kind that makes a susceptible bachelor straighten himself up and put on his best masher style, and ovon old mariiod men to tub a second slance. She was handsomely dressed in a deep cardinal material, with a close fitting jacket of navy blue. Her hat w«s also of cnrdinsl with large ostrich feather going right round it, and thus surmounting a glorious moss of fair hair, completed a pioture rarely met with in roal'lifo, though occasionally seen in chromographs. I was completely mushed and imagine my feelings when the fair creature ppoko tome!

Yos, \rlien witln'n a yarJ of me, after my eyes had been rapidly noting all the points I have mentioned, she stopped, and in a soft modulated voice, with a lisp, asked me the way to the potht office.

What a chancel I would bo delighted io walk that far with her I said, if she was a stranger. Oh yeth, she had never been to Auckland before She was leaving that day by the mail Loat and had come up the town to post some letters for her peoplo who had already gono aboard. We walked along, chatting, I doing nearly all the talk, and feeling as proud as a peacock, till it began to grow upon me that somewhere or other I hud seen my fair charmer before. Once or twice I Caught- her eye and there was an indelinable laughing twinkle in it that I couid not at all understand, but which made me wish she would miss the boat, so that 1 might improve lior acquaintance, for certainly her handsome face and wonderfully graceful and beautifully formed figure completely fascinmod me, yet she bad awful hands. Large and not well shaped by any means, and I warrant she had taken the Invest size lady's glove in the shop she got the outfit from.

Well wo got to the post office, and whilo walking with her I could not help noticing what dainty little steps she took, almost affectedly so for a woman with such length of limb as she evidently possessed, I was, as I say, mashed, and was doing all I knew to" mash " her if only for the next half hour or so.

I took her to tho post office and then i4o'l if I might accompany her to the steamor.

It wath very kind of me she said, and then I asked her if shu would like to linvo a look round the city before sho went aboard, There waß pleniy of tine. She accepted ibis offer with rcmarkablo pioniplness, and seeing I iookod a little surprised at her readiness, s ;id in her low, gentle, drawling voice, she had so mind) wanted to see Auckland, and had no ono of her o#n to offer to tako lier round, her father being an invalid, She supposed it wt>s very forward in a young lady to confess it, bat she bad eojojed her walk with me so much and felt quite safe with me although a complete stranger I . And again 1 noticed that twinkle in her rather— I must confess it—small eyes. Was Bbo laughing at me 1 Who the deuce did she put me in mind of ? I couldn't tell and didn't care. The main object 1 had in going down the town instead of to work was lost sight of, and I hailed a cab and drove round the heautilul suburbs of Auckland for about an hour and a half, and then took her to«first-class confectioner's and had a lunch of cakes and tea, As Bbo tat with her back to the window, her eyes modestly oast down, her glorious bust rising and falling with her gentle and languid breathing, and her soft lisping tones replying to my stream of talk, I really had an intense longing to propoao to her on the spot, Till as these thoughts were flitting through my mind she looked straight at me, and her eyes, not soft eyes either, were absolutely dancing anil glittering with merriment, yet her face was grave even to seriousness, and her lashes were quickly dropped again. Well we made our *ay down to the wharf when the first whistle of her steamer blew, and on nearing the vessel I noticed my old friend Oaselberg talking to a woll-known detective there.

My companion had to briißh by'the Masteitonian to gel on to the gangway, and she turned there to shake hands with me, bhe gave me' a grip of her tremendous hand that I shall remember for a good while. She made me wince, and again I caught her eyes, and this time she smiled butright, indeed seomed irresistibly, inclined to scream with laughter, and I noticed that the vfrinkles caused by the contraction of the musolea made little ridges of pearl powder or .whaU.i ever the iadics call it dislose themselves and it struck mo she was made up a little and that bar color was of a rather fixed quantity. However, there was no time to stand on tbe gangway talking to a charmer or analysing her mokeriip. Pcoplp/were rushing t? and fro .'in;, the 'greatest of hurry, policemen .were flittiag here and there amongst tbe crowd and I stepped off on to the wharf and stood alon'sido of Mr Caselberg and the detective, arid Stood there till the moorings were cast off. 'fhen I heard MrO.'say "lam,almost Burej saw him'go aboard half an hour ago." -" Who, said I," joining in, "Why,

I bad forgotten nil aboat Barnard' The •"police'tod' ail 'singers were ashore, the boat began to mow off, and my enamornta re-apponrod at tlio aide and waved her hand to mo, and S3 the boat moved further away and I followed it along the whatf, »»o daintily throw me- a kiss aud thon another towards my friend 0., and I heard the low tones Iliad learned to like bo well murraer aorosa tho widening gulf of waters—" Qood-byo Katorapekal" Nowj was that Barnard ? HadO, ail 1) the police carefully shadowed the wrong man, while the righ- oue had 1 fooled mo into filling in his (into till all was safe, and taking suspicion off him by placing him aboard the vesel just as she cast off? I cannot answer ihe question, hut I s'lall never forget the few hours I spent with the'individual who give me the name of Madeline Gray.