CHAPTER VIII.

Waikato Times, Volume XXX, Issue 174, 19 June 1873, Page 3

CHAPTER VIII.

"Wie war ihr Anblick wnnderhold! Ihr Aug so blau, lhr Hnar so gold ! HQ^"Winny Rowlands was as nice a girl as it is possible to r^ imagine. She was of medium height, fair, with bright laughing ejes, and golden hair folded iv graceful masses about her head ; could mount a steep hillside without stopping to take breath, straight as a dart, and active as a deer. She knew all the old men and women in Aberhirnant and their numerous complaints; she was godmother to linlf the babies in the village The young squires of all the adjoining counties were in love with her, and proposed to her at regular mteivals ; but Winny was romantic She was very A he was, and if she did niai ry, he must be more of X hero to win her than Owen Meredith of Plaauehaf, or HpJolmin Jones of the Fron. only person in Aberhirnant, indeed, who was not in ■ ™vo with Winuy Rowlands was the Hen Doctor. I ' Yoh ! ' lie would snarl as she went by, 'there she goes, I figged up in her finery ; the bank will suffer for that — yes, Iby Jupiter ! ' The lien Doctor was not so classic in his I objurgations as all that, but we will say Jupiter. i As poor Winny, at the time, was dressed in a cotton suit ' find a straw hat, this was rather hard upon her, but then the Hen Doctor hated everything blight, or young, or fair; he had lived all his hie amongst giay stone w€llg, with gray, money-grubbing people, and the sight of anything sw eet or pleasant seemed to diuagiee with him. ' Papa, dear ! ' said Wmny to her father on the evening of the day he had been so queer ; he was better now, and would join in conversation sometimes, with an effort ; but for the most part sat in his cushioned chair by the fire ; he always «it in a wooden chair with a cushion in it, although his ooms were furnished with all the modern luxuries of couches and easy chairs j he sat for the most pait with his chin resting on his hands. ' Papa, dear ! ' said Winny, by waj of making a little cheerful conversation, ' I've seen Q-wcn — lira Jones the Captain, they call her m the village — papa, and she's getting o\er her first grief at her husband's loss; and it's s'ich a mercy for them the ship is well insured. There is a large family, and auothor little thing is coming ; and if it hadn't been for the insurance, thoy'd have been left penniless ' ' She's a fool, that woman, 1 said Evan angrily, ' grieving about a man who's still alive. The Mencvia's Pride is as safe as I am — as safe as my bank.' Rowlands gave on groan as he said this ; it had been a favourite, if a vainglorious expression of his, ' As safe as my bank.' ' I wish I could think so ; but, papa, there's no chance of it. A piece of her boat came ashore k»t night and more wreck, but no bodies ; Gryffydd Crydd says they're taken out to sea by the under-tow. 1 ' You're all a parcel of idiots together j there's no proof in the world she's gone.' The footman here eunto in to say that Captain Ell it of the Bride was waiting to see the master ; and presently Ellis came in — a dark, weatherbeaten little man, who sat uneasily on the corner of the chair, chewing a straw, and jerked his head sideways at every sentence he spoke. ' Well, glad to sec you home safe Find all well ? ' • O yes : we'd a narrow squeak for it ; got hung up in the bar, and ' ' What sort of cargo ? ' 1 Why, I haicn't got a cargo at all,' said Ellis, spluttering forth a mouthful of small bits of chewed straw. 'Come home in ballast, we have. They won't look at a ship like out there ; that's a fact, Mr Ron] Aids Iron, iron, iron ' that's what's the go now, and new-built ships ; and no freight to theni worth speaking of. I might have waited all my life for a cargo, and never got it. But I brought her home safe for you, Mr Rowlands, bach.' £ Rowlands sat looking gloomily into the fire, drumming the arm of his chair. 'Did-jou have a pleasant voyage, Captain Ellia? 1 said Wmny. ' Pretty well, miss, till near port. We got ashoro in a fog at Java, miss.' ' Got ashore, did you 9 ' said Rowlands. ' And how much ( did it cost to get you off? ' ! ' Well, I've given bottom bonds to the tune of five hundred pounds or so. 1 % ' Oh, that's nothing, nothing!' said Rowlands. ' Well, no, considering that, after all, I've brought her safe W homo for you, Mr Rowlands, bach.' I ' How very exciting such scenes must bo ! I think I should I like a voyage so much.' r a ' Well, mi 93, after wo were blowed ashore and got off again, imo was strained to that degree with knocking about on the beach, that she took in wafior like an) thing, miss, and we ha 1 to take to the pumps, miss.' ' O yes,' said Winny eagerly. ' Poor fellows ! what excitement for you, pumping for your lives — poor fellows !' ' Yes, miss ; and the mate he says to me : " You leave the ■hip and save our livo»." It was beautiful fine weather, miss, and the land right on our lee-bow. But I says : No, miss ; I stick to the ship. — And so, you see, I've brought her safe home for you, Mr Rowlands, bach.' ' I know papa is grateful to you and your poor men. What %rill you take ? Sherry, port, spirits ? ' 1 I'll take a drcpof whisky, thnnk you, Miss Winny. Good health to you, Miss Winny, bach. — And to you, Mr Rowlands i — y.es, indeed.— Well, miss' 'Well, captain, you left off at the pumps. 1 ' Ye% miss Well, mi«, I worked her round, miss, and kept the ship* company at tho pumps, and brought her into port to refit, miss. 1 . ' Refit ! ' cried the banker. 'A nd pray, what was that to Wcost " ' ' Oh, that wasn't more than a hundred and fifty pounds or so. — And when we'd refitted and repaired damages, wo A bore up for port, and was nearly wrecked in Caerleon Bay, miss — BiU thanks to Providence I've worked through it all, and brought her safe home for you Mr Rowlands, bach.' ' Ah, how thankful we all were to hear of it ! ' said Wmny : 1 wo were afraid, for a time, that you had been wrecked.' 4 Ah, miss — but the poor Pride, miss ! — I saw her that very night, miss, 1 was bearing up my ship, miss, with never a ras» upon her — begging your pardon, miss— except a bit of forsel ; I and I caught sight of a full-rigged ship driving right athwart me, a* though she'd run into us ; but she cleared us, miss ; M and I hailed her as she passed, and she hailed mo. "'Menevia'a 7 Pride," her capain called : and tbero was a dog barking ; I 1" could hear it throgh the storm. And sho went ashore soon after, miss, as you know. — And it was through eoing to the custom-housif to report what I'd seen, that I didn't get here afore, Mr Rowland*, bach. But, indeed, it's lucky thoy'ro well insured- 1 ' That'll do, Ellis, 1 said the banker, sinking back in his chair. ' Thank you.' ' Well, sir, I thought you'd be pleaded with me, sir, seeing ■what I've done to bring the ship safe home for you, Mr Rowlauds, bach.'

Tin: Premier ox Curates — The following" letter habeen recently addressed by Mr Gladstone to the hon. secro taryof tho Curates' Augmentation Fund- — "16, Donning street, Whitehall. Rev sir, — My attention has been called to the effort which is about to be made for enlarging the pecuniary moans of action now possessed by the Curates' Augmentation Fund, and I bee; to offer a contribution of £30 in aid of this effort. The labour of an intelligent* and - devoted curate is certainly among the cheapost descriptions of labour in this country j and even if at times, from a rapid growth of demand as compared with supply, there may be •orac tonelmey to an increase in tlio rate of remuneration for this valuable clasj of men, I oannot anticipate any considerable permanont change in that rate. It is always to bo borne in mind that, while the immense growth of our commercQ ha* produced a powerful and upward movement in wagon, the extension of education makes coutmued and largo adtlit.onj to the classes who compete for mental rather than |^ manual employment, and that there is, therefore, much less f likelihood— porhupt no likelihood atall — oft heir experiencing a similar advantage. Ido not overlook the fact that motives far abovo tho dc&iro of temporal reward operate on very many, if ndt on tho whole, of tho*> w ho seek and obtain holy orders ; but these motives do not obviate tho social necessity of their having the means of atlctst decent supp r , or of the obligation of others to assist them in obtaining it. I hope tho rules of the fund may be found effectual for directing its aid •Pinto the proper quarters — I have the honour to he, Sir, joiir faithful servant.— W. E. Glads roNE —Tho Rev. J. J. A punster challenged «, »ick man's vote at the city •teotlOU oa th« ground tb,at he was* an ill-legal voter.