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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Wingham Times, 1900-06-29, Page 744 E VIE ENDS A MAI BY JEANNETTE H., WALWOR1111, (1°14001E, 1899, by .Teannette E, W'alworth. A. puff of wind caught her white :apron and sent it guttering right Into the horse's face. She could hear the brute snort and squat. Its rider exploded angrily: "Who In the deuce aro you? You Wive made me drop my bag." "It's only me, Alalvina Spillman. I wanted to ask about the colonel. Is to dead, Mr. 'Matthews?" "Yes," "Did Tom get there. in time?" He was down on the ground now groping for his dropped bag. Malvina groped too, It was she who found it. It bad bounced quite up Into a corner of the fence and come unclasped in the transit, She mechanically clasped it as she banded It back. "Is that all you dropped?" eyes.e "I am sorry I frightened your horse," But Mr..Matthews was already back In the saddle and cantering rapidly 'homeward. Her apology had gone for naught. There was nothing more to be gained by standing at the gate. She went .back into the house, taking care*uot to be too quiet this time. She Wanted her mother to wake up, so that she could tell her all that had happened since she fell asleep-1n*'poor Tom had come home afoot and Well nigh breath less, how, through teuben's being (blink and gone quite senseless, Tom's home coming had been too late for him to hear his father's last words, and how Lawyer Alatthews bad been pointedly rude to ber simply because her white apron bad fluttered out and frightened his horse. Then she „took herself sternly to task. But, after all, what a small matter to get ruffled about at such a time, :when there was poor Tom and his great disappointment to think of! She promptly effaced herself, always an easy task for Aliss Malvina, in thought of the poor boy then wrestling alone with the fierce agony .of his first' great sorrow. darling! The phaeton does not fit hire Very Well, does It?" "1 stopped," said the lawyer, with unsmiling dignity, "to ask if by ellane0 you discovered any papers near your gate this morning?" "Papers?" "Yes, In e, long oflicial envelope, un. addressed. I thought they might have fallen out of my bag last night when It struck the ground," Miss AlalvIna gazed speculatively over an area of several rods of leaf strewn earth. "The bag certainly was open, for I distinctly remember clasp- ing it as 1 picked it up, but if any pa- pers fell out I didn't see them then, and the hard wind that blew last night would have carried them away by this time," Mr. Matthews had got out of the phaeton and was going slowly over the ground with his head bent. He stirred the leaf heap with his umbrella as he searched. "It is possible that I dld not bring them awdy from Broston Hall, but barely possible." A sow with a largo family of new- born pigs was contentedly reposing on the atttumn Leaves that filled the near- est fence corner. The lawyer prodded her mercilessly with the ferrule of his umbrella. She got up with an indig- nant grunt and waddled sullenly across the road, followed by her squealing progeny. But nothing came of her ejectment. There was only an Innocent pile of autumn leaves pressed Into'a compact mass under her bulky body. On all occasions Miss Olivia Mat- thews' patience was easily exhausted. It gave way with explosive sudden- ness. "Oh, papa, come on! You wilt find those stupid papers in Mr. Broxton's study, just where you left them. I ani sure of It." "Perhaps so, thy dear. It is possi- ble, but by no menus sure. I am corn- ing. One moment longer, if you please, my dear." A hollow stump near by suggested' a possible lurking place. He walked briskly toward it. 011ie was getting impatient. That spurred his steps. Ile was 011ie's abject stave. He enure back to the phaeton empty handed. "I do hope," said Miss Malv1na, In- discreetly anxious, "that it is nothing of importance to Tom Broxton that Is lost." The .lawyer was climbing back into the phaeton, Ile carefully adjusted his superfluous length to its requirements and drew the gay lap robe over his long legs before noticing this imperti• nent "hope." Ile looked stonily at Miss Malvina over 011ie's golden head to say coldly: "Your anxiety is natural. CHAPTER II. TIIE MISSING PAPERS. The next morning Miss Malvina— 'Tepee angling," as she contemptuous- ly vaned her own efforts to keep up with local happenings—saw coining to- ward her from the Alandeville direc- tion something almost too brigbt and :vivid for that somber day of sorrow, It was a smart little basket phaeton, drawn by two satin coated ponies. The morning sun, .shluing through the Clouds of dust that rose in the wake - 'of eight swiftly pattering hoofs, mit verted it into golden hued mists sur- rounding the swift revolving wheels of the chariot. Miss Malvina gave a little gasp. "Elijah's chariot must have looked just that-a-way"—Miss Alalvina's art conceptions were drawn largely from chromes. It is to be feared—"only," she modified, "Elijah's chariot wasn't her- UeSsed to two satin coated ponies nor driven by an extremely pretty girl In saucy sailor hat and a mannish shirt ;Waist. Looks like she had monopo- lized all the suushine there was to •spare. Our Heavenly Father Is mighty good to seine folks." She for whom such celestial partial- ity was 'claimed was Miss Olivia Mat - :thews. She certainly made a very vivid ..spot of color on the dun landscape as :she bore rapidly down upon the patient gure at the gate. Her yellow hair floated away from her white banded sailor hat in burnish- ed beauty. She occupied the driver's seat In her tiny phaeton and guided the chestnut ponies that were harness- ed to it with a spirited grace quite be- yond her years. She was only 14. By her side, with his long legs drawn well up to accommodate his dimen- talons to those of the phaeton, sat Law- tyer Matthews. When the flashing little turnout bad •wbeeled fairly into her lite of vision, Miss Malvina Muttered her disap- proval. "Goodness gracious me! They do look ;dreadfully gay for going to tbe house of monrning!" But when the satin coated ponies, with their jingling harness, came :abreast of the gate, she discovered a -compensating gloom in the lawyer's -face. Its profound solemnity mollified :her to a degree. As for Olivia, she was always vivid. •One must teecIshave shorn her yelloW anane aed robbed her laughing lips of their cherry ripe redness and her eyes .of the sparkle that made one thiuk of ,foinlight op dancing waters to have re- Aluced her to that somberness of aspect considered the fitting thing for such r:becasions. Of eenrse they were bn their Way' to the Hall. Seeing they were going to stop, Miss Whine opened her front gate and ad - *awed as far es the bor5e4i10elt, talkbag as the went. "Good morning to you both. My, but -den't the sun shine just 10o bright to- day! 1 was on the lookout for somebody to tell nie--sOmething," she concluded yguely ttre an Mu* way to the Hall said Olivia, utilizing the halt to fling her yellow Inane back over het :Shoulders. "Reuben, :stupid old ,broke papa't baggy lad night, and so I had to bring Ifith over." SIM leaned 'back., knigh1:4g, to give MISS Malvina a .better view of tier cantuthlolig. "Pr 4 hag. V.ell 0041 menu my gettig 10 tut funeral, do you. mother?" "Of course not. It'our duty to go. 1 want to hear all about it. It ought to feteb O big CrOWd to the Old hoeSe,, Broxtoo Was the Salt of the earth. There's none like him "You won't be by yoUrtelf entirely," Said MgIrina cheerfully. "Jimmy Mar- tin is working on the fence aud mend - Ing the bean arbor today. VII tell him to look I ou you once or twice to see If you need anything while I'm gone." "That's all right; that's all right. I'm not an infant Iu arms, Malvina. Did Matthews seem *very much put out about those papers. lie lost?" dl] not say so, but when I said hoped it was not nnythIng that eon corned Tom be as good as told me to mina my Own business," 'M -m -m -m -m -m! Just like Ws harm - deuce'. He's forgotten the time when you were the minister's daughter," Then Aliss Maivina begun preparing for the great event of her absence. She put a howl of cold tea on the win dew sill within easy mei: of her mother's big chair, rushed out Into the garden to give jimmy Martin tils final orders and had good live minute - left in which to hurl herself into lie. best gown, a brown serge trimineo with velvet, and her Sunday bonnet. which alas made her look preter- inert retnaluhig. Whiners In aepressisg di ellence—throUgh Hie ohIr ltdeer, the valley of death—t he gay little eqUit: page and the vivkl girl. ••Mother" Spillnlan, having eMptled her bowl of cold tea, was computing the pa8Sage of time by ber :craving for food, Surely, Malvina Mkt not be gray nittel: lager. There the was nowt TIM Doren noon was Matting, but the vibrations Of the porch floor Were caused by a heavier footfall than Miss hialvirat's. it was Jimmy i‘lartia, Who wat mending tlie bean arbor that day. He carefully wiped the gardeti soil farhis eltliusy feet before advaueing farther into the neat sitting '•:::orn. It was his second !ovation since Miss Afalvina's departure, 'Mothert) Spillman greet- ed him tartly, , "How much work Are you likely to get done prancing 34 here every min- ute or two? 1 hired, You to mend the beau arbor, not to inursci me, James Alartin," "'fills is only twlcet, ralOsis, and my word's ant. I was to look in on you occasional- I've found something out yonder that maybe you have lost. That's what brought, me this time." "What is it?" r4 "A letter—a long, gig letter. Mighty mussed un it Is, though. I'm thinkin the eta sow must hake snuteLl it under the fence when she 4vas ron.kin up her htd. I saw a hit of white gleamin when I went to nett on a new base- board to the fence."'" Mrs. Spillman put out a withered hand eagerly. "What's written en the back of It, James Martin? My eyes are not wbat they used to be." - • "Nothin as I can mate out for the dur-rt. It's just a' long, blg, thick, durty envelope, and it may have been there mouths from the looks of it." "I know. It's mine. Give it to me. And, James"—the old lady fumbled in the long pocket of her wrapper—"here's half a dollar. I pay you that for bring- ing me this paper and for holding your tongue about it. Do you understand?" "But, mum"— . "I pay yOu to bold. your tongue, James • Martin. One word about this envelope, and never another hour's work from me will you have. Now get back to the bean arbor." And James, knowiug the minister's widow to be a, woman of her word, pocketed his half dollar and shuffled back to the bean ar- bor. Long before Miss Malvina got home, walking this time, with her brown serge held carefulky above her dusty shoe tops, her 'mother had mastered the contents of the soiled envelope and secreted it between the‘ back of her chair and its chintz slip cover, where, she declared, with a triumphant chuckle, it should stay, Matthews or no Matthews, Malvina or no Maiviva, un- til Idle had decided for herself whether it was for Tom Broston's good to have it found or lost. M MULLEN 8 POULTRY NE' *01.: "0:101140.0*. I I t,t/i; 47741.••• 'utt r•45-4" , Special otitws made this year ou �OQ .4 '464.4 ii.`110111VIN These goads are all manufactured by "4 lattor—a tom big letter." • naturally smart and distinctly unfa- miliar. By the time Olivia, on her return trip, had made the grand circle around the beech tree, which she called "turn- ing her ponies around," Miss Malvina was standing ou the horse block in a state of nervous readiness and effusive gratitude. "It was real sweet of you, my dear," she said, somewhat jerkily, as the po- nies bounded forward, "to come back for me. The walking is so dusty. 1 don't often get such a nice ride." "No; it's not sweet of me at all," said 011ie, with decision. "You are giving me credit I don't deserve. I love to drive my darlings, and I did not want to go into that gloomy old house one minute ,sooner than I was obliged to. I did not want to come to the funeral at all, bet I was afraid Tom wouldn't like it. Poor, dear Tom! It will break your heart, Miss Malty, to see how white mid miserable he looks. It has quite broken mine. He keeps on moan- ing because he did not get here in time to hear his father's voice once more. Oh, I could kill Reuben for that breakdown!" Miss Malvina felt that she could gladly help in the execution. "And, Miss Malvina, we are going to take Tom home with us after the funeral. Papa says I am to cheer him up. I'm sure I don't know how. I don't seb how anybody in the world can do that, do you? I know 'if It was papa who had been taken and I left alone in the world I should hate anybody who tried to talk me into thinking it didn't matter much. It wohldn't be any use. But then I don't suppose girls love their fathers the same way. that boys do. Father says he will have to be it father to Torn now, and 1 tell him. if be isn't.just as good to poor Tom as he is to me I shall make him answer for it," Suddenly the small, clouded face was illumined by a mischievous smile, and a sidelong loolr full of fun was flashed under Miss Matvina's Sunday bonnet. "You see, I feel as if I must be a moth- er to Tom now, or an aunt. or some- thing elderly and useful." Miss Alaivina begged her not to he frivofflus with such nnlifting gravity that the bright' face became overcast again as, with a hysterical cateh in her voice, 011ie added: "Oh, what a lovely world this would be If all our 'friends would fest keep well and happy and go on living for- ever until we are nil ready to start for the next world" in a big family party, and the sun world shine ell the time, and flowers be in bloom always! Oh, Miss Viey..I hate sorrow! T hate to cry!" She was doing it copiously, however. Her dimpling smiles had all been drowned, her sparkling eye.s growe dark with the gloom of her crude pre- test. Miss Malvina put an arm about the small, grief shaken figure and Moaned a platitude into the ear near- est her: "My love, man is born to trouble at the sparks fly upward." The girl shook her off impatiently, "Oh, What makes you say that? The preacher will be using those very same words presettly. They always do at funerals But I'M not a man, not a Spark, and I don't want to fly upward, Them noWl" Miss MalVina, feellag Vaguely guilty and distinctly repentatt, lapsed into Silence. She was entirely Unequipped ttsn weapons of defense agelett this original line of argutnent, "SuppeSe We don't reason about it at all, deer, but just tubmit," she said meekly, "We may as Well," said the young girl, with a resigned sigh, "as insub. 'mission neither alters nor Softens the •hid 00.118 facts," But the word • "submission" was written �n one of the Unturned leaves Ofiria Matthews' book of life. It Alta Malvina opened ha front gate, but uncalled for. Air. Broxton has left his son's interests exclusively In my bands. Ile knew inc long enough to judge whether or not he was safe In doing so. We will drive on uow, if you please, Olivia. my dm.," Olivia nodded her pretty head at Miss Malvina, "l'll be back for yen in 20 ininutes, Alis8 Molly, so you be ready. My ponies don't like standing still any more than I do. Don't mind papa'S rude snub. He'S ns cross as n bear to- day," And with a gay little lengh she gave it slight ifflake of the scarlet reins, ti,ghteued her hold upou them, chh•ruped musical encoaragement to her little thoroughbreds and was off. The gashihg equipage disappeared from hilts Maivina's view in a fresh dna of golden dust. She Went hurriedly bock into the house end straightway bawled her la - formation at her mother. "I am going up to the hall, Mother, 011ie Matthews is to drive back for tri She'll be here In 20-11finutes." 'Going to drive beet foe you "Yes. She's a kind little body. She and het father have just gone up to the ttnlL They stopped at the gate. Me. Matthews Wanted to know if 1 rotted • any papers on the ground when I pick- ed up his bag." "And did yeti?" "No, mother. 1 told him, that if any pipers had fallen out the wind would • have blown Won away before Morti- IN alld LAWN FENOINCS are net sued in the WORLD. Tbeir Woven. Wire FencitiaS Lavas stood over fifteen years of very iuoaes testing on MUM :and RAILWAY. The Ontario Wire Fencing Co.; Limited, of Picion; Ont. For sale by the Hardwate Merchants and General Dealers throughout Canada. Also by the Can. Hardware Jobbers. Gen. Agents—VA B. Greening Wire Co., of Hamilton and Mcntreal. Agent for Railway Fencing—James Cooper, Montreal. arCorrespondepee with the manufacturers invited. .4•Trirgam. L'- A Travelling GENERAL * GENERAL A.GENT. An experienced canvasser, or a man with good character and address, with the necessary ability to travel from town to town and appoint agents. No canvassing. Salary and ex. CHAPTER III. WAS IT A EIIOST? "Could ye not watch for me one hour With a sense of fright and recreancy Impelling him, Toni Broxton deserted his bed at a bound, to stand, dazed and trembling, amid the familiar surround- ings of his' own bedroom. Had lie dreamed. the utteronce, or had the reproach been whispered into his slumber dulled ears by voice of mortal or spirit? He passed his hand rapidly over his bewildered brow and tried to pierce the encircling gloom with startled eyes. Was it a part of his hallucination that the Moan Jo - creased as he stood and stared? A dim, faint radiance seemed to re- cede slowly from him, leaving his cham- ber iu the absolute darkness that had enshrined it when he retired. Present- ly everything came back to him—the utter weariness that had overtaken him when the minister's monotonous droning of his father's summarized merits had come to an end; his sicken- ing sense of the futility ot' all the wordy condolences pressed upon his shrinking ears; bis longing to be alone and in utter darkness, alone with his grief, veiled by friendly darkness; his turning away with a sense of dismal relief from the neighbor crowded par- lors and halls, conscious of having paid the lett outward show of respect to the only friend the world held for him. Even Olivia Matthews had been an unwelcome intruder upon his solitude when, with a sweet womanliness that quaintly crowned her childish head, she had followed him no stairs with a motherly injunction about not sleeping in a draft and had placed on a table by his bedside the cup of tea she had brought hira herself. 011ie was not much given to serving others, and even in his exquisite anguish Tom realized this unusual element in her hovering attitude. • •Hatl he ever shown her the grace of a word of thanks? lIecould not meet- lect. The awful irrevaableiness of Itis loss, the terrifying stretch of his Com- pantouless funtre,, had swallowed up thought for anything else. A portrait of his father stood on an easel in one corner of his robin. He had knelt before It ab soon as 011ie had left him raid cOmmtinicated the de- sire of his lonely young heart to the fa- ther who had been father, mother, sister and brother to WM, "1 should like so ter carry out sour slightest wishes itbopt everything, fa- ther, If Only yoe luld Waited for my mining, If It perniltted the angels to stoop to poor 'mortality, guide me still, so OM I may not miss the turning In the road that shall finally bring you and me together ttgain," That bad been his last thought be- fore failing into a sleep of utter ek- hatittiott. It was his first remittent vim as he stood pondering his sudden awakening. The easel that held his fa- ther'S portrait was hidden from bitt by the tall footboard of his heavy font posted hedttettd, HOw long he had otAgt r.iotwg atl,$ot. They drove the slept he could not eaniptite. penses paid. merit. Position permanent and promotion accortling to The Bradiey-Garretson, Co., d, 111 ANTFORD, ONT. 4444rm•wayamooll,-_.44:: _ . r. 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