That Green-eyed Jackson.

Auckland Star, Volume XVIII, Issue 278, 25 November 1887, Page 7

That Green-eyed Jackson.

flw N.Z. Tit-Bits

■*j HATED Jackson from the ■| first ipoment of our meeting, mm ehen I caught him staring ffi it roe with his malevolent H peep eyes, as if he would H like'to do me a mischief. I Do you think I may have 'i-f been -prejudiced ? Perhaps pother people liked him ; but |ta I shill always believe in MrsShillingss|:: rich old lady who had the of him on that first Ifea is a great favourite. All mm, "ftirty. worship him ; and. I ilbik he knows which he loves llßille gentleman also adore AiU there was a little sarcasm light;; bjitMrs Shillingsworth did M!iH r Abbot, lam sure you : Bic( expect "that. They never jepwered. 'Never. , :B"i» I shouldn't,' I said. Wliected that I need not have iplodo with Jackson ; and, as [;HN seetoed pleasant, and the !-"BjpMrally very nice people, I [JBteftont room on the third [Beover thy own easy-chair and t.B*paper basket, trunks, and wi&jfcrg Mrs Polo's. .Ballad seen better days, and so. She had had liked to talk about bad had boarders who [/Bfyyit was some consolation [ m*&t tfieir names, and to say i;.:«™ manners they had had, % seemed to be, and '•jßOeen impossible to doubt I; or hifeh social position, they went off without NHplNcase Qf one lady, a IJK 5 ™ jacket went also; I an circumstance. M Whole, it was not unor would not have been ■ Msofl. I "hated him, from «jjl9,|}is grey coat; but it §W« appearance, but for his |Mf. J*! doubt that they were f WLM: OI J may be shocked : °BC? 8 C0?l!d be Stowed in ; but I & BuS ln OD e week I saw him v HS :^ inßt that ° f the fair j sitting on the '?K with her hand «.Bwir with his head actually Smiles. IMlft!! Cons idered respectable WKS , Dyof them I should to leave the house |.HKr^Q n di<las he pleased> i«Cl S0 M good - 1 knowif %W> J hi P ht as he did having been 3b esSp l shouldn't have % he was privileged. *ft,t that he could do t*e^y er d * re <* d °- i £«*«? amusln g t0 some 35■■w! 01 tome - More - ' « War* was not strictly Plain language, ■%"ii !ef ' Ihad seen ■*j • H « Was always being and y whll t W\lP& go with no I ||| «VU Word Qr a boWj

there would be a chords of ' There comes Jackson ' from the ladies when he sneaked into the room in that nasty, sly, noiseless way of hi. c . I hated his voice, too. In fact, he was my pel detestation.

.1 believe I should have left Mrs Polo's in a few months, comfortable as I was there otherwise, merely to be rid of Jackson, had not Rose May come there to board with her mother. She was a charming girl, and I fell in love with her at once. I had resolved to remain a bachelor, but she had not been seated opposite me at the table more than a dozen times before I changed my plans entirely.

I resolved to marry if she would have me, and I set to work to make myself as agreeable to her as possible. I believed that I had succeeded. She seemed to like to talk to me. She shared my tastes, and she pretended to share my prejudices against Jackson. When she said, ! I don't know what they see in the creature,' I felt that I adored her; and when she added that 'she should call him a hateful thing,' I adniired her more than ever.

I was quite sure she liked me, as I said, and I was ready to propose and to be accepted ; to buy the engagement ring, and follow it up by the plain gold one which is put on on the wedding day, when a circumstance occurred of which I cannot even now think calmly.

One night I had retired, but had not gone to bed, and was reading near an open window, when I heard a voice below softly whisper the word, ' Tackson.' Surely that was Rose May's voice. I extinguished my light and stuck my head out of the window. The May's window opened on to a balcony. Rose stood in it, leaning over, looking down into the garden, which was large for that of a town house. She spoke again, • Jackson !' His hated voice answered her; I saw him moving stealthily pver the path below, and I suppose I made some motion. At least the white-robed figure instantly re-entered the window, and Jackson vanished in the shadows. The next morning I was inclined to think it all a dream, but I determined to watch carefully, I did so. At the hour of eleven I "heard the little creak of a tread upon the balcony below, and warily peeped over the edge ot my window sill. I saw Rose May on the balcony, and there was something grey in the garden. Jackson was bad enough for anything, I knew. I had caught him in my room that day, and I had been greatiy tempted to kick him out. Of course, he may have been ' admiring my goldfish,' but, as I told you, I knew he was a thief; and flow he had some reason for being out tKere in the darkness, 1 knew. And again I beard. •Jackson!' uttered softly, and this time he not only answered, but ad He C was very active. In another moment he bad scaled the balcony and stood beside Rose ; and, to my horro and disgust, I heard her call h?rn sweet names and saw her fondle him. She had something to eat out thSe, some dainty which she shared Wi i h suppose Mrs May, her mother was on the nsideof the window, perhaps

own mind. It was more than flesh and blood could stand.

At that date I carried a pistol, which was always under my pillow at night. I consider it wrong to possess one now. It is so easy to shoot first and repent afterwards. Jackson remained in the balcony about half-3n-hour. Then he descended and Rose closed her window. A little afterward a shot was fired ; a cry followed. Everybody heard it. No one thought anything of it ; but I crept to my bed with guilt upon my soul, and only slept to pass from one nightmare dream to another. In the morning I hardly dared to go downstairs.

I should have settled my bill and left before breakfast, but that would have betrayed me. I dressed and opened the door softly. A great commotion stirred the house below—cries of horror and pity. I advanced to the balcony and leaned over.

Mrs Shillingsworth passed through the hall, with her handkerchief to her eyes. She saw me, and looked up. ' Oh, Mr Abbot.!' she cmd, tragically ; ' someone has shot Jackson.' 'Is he much hurt ?' I asked. ' He is killed,' she answered. I went downstairs and joined in the lamentations.

No one ever suspected me, and Rose May never dreamed why I did not propose. In fact, I think I never confessed the deed before; but it is so long ago. Mrs Polo has married a rich Cuban and gone to Havana with him. The boarders are dispersed, but I met Mrs Shillings.vorth the other day, and she asked me to call on her. I did so, and the first object that I saw when I entered the room was Jackson.

' I had him stuffed,' said the dear old soul. ' I was so fond of him,' The taxidermist had made a fine bit of work of it, but the big, green, glass eyes stared at me in a way that stirred my conscience, and I could not stay long. I was afraid Mrs Shillingsworth would see the truth in my face. Yes oh, yes. Of course Jackson was a was a large pet cat. What did you think he was ? I couldn't have killed a dog that way. lam too fond of dogs myself.