MARRIAGE BONDS; Or, CHRISTIAN HAZELL'S MARRIED LIFE.

Auckland Star, Volume XIX, Issue 266, 10 November 1888, Page 6

MARRIAGE BONDS; Or, CHRISTIAN HAZELL'S MARRIED LIFE.

fey tlie Author ot ' Hedged With Thorns.

CHAPTER XVII. (Continued.)

fas dogcart, with Alick and Eustace in front, wound slowly and steadily down the bill. They were talking of a petition which some of Eustace's friends were urging him to get up against Mr Ryan's return. 6 No, no,' he said ; 'I am satisfied that Ryan is the real choice ovE the electors, and by all means let them keep him. I will not desert Ballintrague, thouerh; I will still go on trying to help the people to help themselves as well as I can.' ; ' You help them a vast deal too much, answered Alick peevishly. 'The idea of your sending up a lino young .Kerry to those pestilent Morans was too absurd ; it was absolute prodigality, tfou might have gob fifteen or twenty pounds for her in a year s time, and it was only encouraging him in his impertinence to me.' 'You are too hard on Andy MortAn, Alick. You should make some allowances for that fiery Celtic nature of his ; and besAdes, he imagines he has been badly treated.' ' Pooh! pooh! these rascals are not li"ke us ; they have none of those fine feelings you give them credit for. They understand .tear, and that system is the only one that re»Uy works well with them. Look how it has succeeded in this country ; see how qu.let

we are !' \ 'You would not. like to get a she« through you, Alick, my boy.' 1 Well, no. I suppose lam as fond oi life as most men.'

' You have ties that 1 have not. Sometimes I seem indifferent to life, and yet I daresay I should be. sorry to give it up if it came "to the push. Just now my way is closed ; the people that I most wished to serve don;t care to have me.' The last turn in the hill was now reached and the broken sign-post came in sight. The thick mist that hung over it and j everything around gave it a weird, ghostly appearance. Alick's sharp ferret, eyes peered restlessly about as usual, and he thought he saw in the shadowy light something moving behind the bank. It was Andy Moran's head. Suddenly it gave a quick forward jerk, Alick started to his feet. He always kept a case of revolvers under the seat of the gig, and he novr stood up and pushed his hand down to get it oat from its hiding place. Just then there was a click, a flash, a loud bang, and not Alick, but Eustace, fell back with a low moan of pain. ' Gracious heavens !'■ cried Alick, pulling up the. horse till it almost fell on its haunches. •• A shot, I declare: it just grazed me — actually singed my whiskers. If I hadn't moved I should have been done for. You ays not wounded, Eustace? You are barely touched at all, are you ?' ' I think I am,' answered Eustace, with an attempt at a smile. He kept his hand on his chest, and, breathed heavily. ' Oh, it's nothing to signify ; but those precious scoundrels —you see now what they're up to. ill be even with them. There they are, making off across the fields like mad. They shan't escape so easily,' and Alick fixed his revolver and fired several shots after tho flying figures. 'By Jove! I hit one of them,' he cried, chuckling truir;phantly. ' I saw him stagger. Ah !he has to be dragged along by the other. Well, lam glad of that.' 'Drive on, diive on !' cried Eustace. • Don't you see I can hardly keep myself up ?I am bleeding somewhere inside. 'me shot went right through me. Alick, I have got my death.' , ' Nonsense ! nonsense ! No, you haven t, exclaimed Alick sharply. ' You are always alarmed about yourseli. It ia just a mere scratch, nothing more. Lean on mo; we shall be home in no time. These fellows of Ryan's must have heard about the petition, and they wanted to give us a fright,that was all. I had a sorb of notion there might be danger as we came near that corner (queer how1 it flashed into my head), and so I got up to get-the revolvers out.' It was then the shot whizzed by; it was evidently aimed at you. The fellow chose his time well. But, good gracious ! Eustace, what is this? Are you fainting? What's the matter with you now ?' ' I don't know. Drive on faster, faster. Better, perhaps, that it should be me than you Don't drive up to the front door: Chrissie might be frightened. Go round the back way; be sure,you do, and Eutace's head fell heavily on Alick s shoulder. ~.,.,. ' -~ 'My patience ! cried Alick in dismay. 'How can I get home with the weight of this heavy man, three times heavier than I am, thrown on me ? It is as much as I can do to help myself being crushed, and con found these miscreants ! I know they are all-aiding and abetting one another, and there's not a place I can go to to get help.' The gallant grey horse galloped bravely on ; the cottages of Shanogue soon came in sight, but every door was closed, every Hcrht was out, not a head appeared at tha windows. Alick shouted, but no stir, no sound was given in answer. He might as well have been passing through a place of the dead—a dull heavy silence reigned everywhere. Eustace's face had growii paler and paler ; he was almost ghastly, and only that Aiick strove fussily to twitch his head up he would have fallen helplessly on one side. At last Moynalty gate was reached, and they drove up the avenue. 4 The back way,' whispered Eustace as the castle came in sight, and so through the yard and up to the kitchen-door they came, and Alick tapped furiously against it with the long handle of his whip. Christian's vigil had grown insupportable.

She had left her post ab the window, and •was roaming through the .silent house, ■with a small lamp for her only companion. When the violent noise of the tapping came she started with a quick sense of terror. ' What could be the matter? "Why had they not come round the usual way ?' She rushed into the kitchen. Peter had fallen asleep over the table, a dip candle, with a long toppling Tyick, almost burnt out, by his side. ' Peter ! Peter !' cried Christian, shaking him by the arm, ' wake up, wake up! Something is wrong. Your master is at the door. omy God ! what has happened ?' Peter rubbed his sleepy eyes and looked stupidly at the blanched, terror-stricken face before him. 'Sure it's only the masther, 5 he muttered. * Why would we be carin' for him ?' But Christian rushed away, hardly hearing what he said, and flung open the door herself. In the dim foggy air, by the ashtree where the mounting-block was, she saw the dogcart with its panting horse. Alick and Eustace had not got down. She heard Aiick mutter a curse between his teeth. ' It's only Christian. She is no use.' Then lie called aloud, 'Christian, call Peter or Mick, or some of the men.' •An accident! to you V 'No -to Eustace. Some of those electioneering blackguards have -fired at him. Go and call up the house, can't you ? and not stand staring there like a fool.' Peter now appeared afc the kitchen-door, still rubbing las eyes and looking vacantly about him. \ ' You stupid blockhead ! can't you stir yourself ?' screamed Alick. ' Come over here directly andhelp me to bring in Cap tain Hazell. DoVt you hear that he has been wounded ?

I M*Eustaco ! sure it's not Mr Eustace f cned&ter, starting forward. Of.courso it is. He has been shot by some of Ryan's mob of ruffians. Don'fc look at me like that with your great stupideyes, you fcpl!' ■ '

'Oh, Mr Eustace ! Mr Eustace!' wailed «? *S ' &n? one ever liear t!ie tike • Oh, gory ! glory ! to think of him bein' touchtd !'

What's that ye say ?' cried old Molly, who now arrived on the scene, her grey hair steaming over her shoulders. ' Sure ye don't mean to say that my fine brave boy, the darlint of the world, is hurted?' V\ orse luck, he is,' sobbed Peter, ' and black onrses be to him as done it! Sure iVi!"1!* tlie masther»' he whispered in Mollys ear. 'I'll go bail 'twas him as ™?« down his mane little head, es he did afire, and that's how the shot wint asthray,' ' Oc|! my sor , ( m y son j» cr ; et j Molly, ' what is ib they've done to you ? What was in the cruel murdherin' shot that ib could hit your precious head? How had it the heart to touch you ! Sure it was nevor mint for thalikes ov you ? there's ne'er a wan far or neat that 'ud harm a hair ov yer blessed, blessed head.'

/Will you shufc up with your humbugging nonsense, you idiots?' screamed Alick. ' To hear you go on one would think that you expected—actually expected—somebody _else to be shot. Here, help me to carry in Mr Eustace, and let us have no more of your absurdities.' So Eustace was brought into the house, and laid, half sitting, half lying, before the kitchen fire.

' Nov,' cried old Molly, * rouse up Tim Mulloy and bid him My for the doctor. .He needn't be stoppin' to dresa himself or to saddle and bridle the horse. Off wid him as if ten thousand divils were at his back. Sure it's the captain's life he may save.' Tho whole house was soon in an uproar. The frightened servants tumbled over each other, while Alien rushed up and down the stairs^ calling for lint and lancets and everything that could not possibly be procured. Meanirhilo Christian still stood at the back door. She had not uttered a cry or a sound; Icar seemed to have struck its roots into her ; her puzzled eyes stared blankly intio the fog, her lipa and cheeks bad. fflded to an ashy whiteness ; she looked like an embodied spirit, Presently Eustace slowiH' opened his eyes. ' Chrissie, are you there ?' he whispsreci. ' Y.&\' she answered, hurrying over. c Are you very much hurt, Eustace t

11 tbiiik lam bleeding inside. I know nothirg can be done. " I have got my death, Chrissie.'

' You are suffering ?' 1 No, not very much. I only want to be still. Give me 3'our hand, Chrissie.'

She gavo it to him silently. So "they remained till Dr. Mullaghan ar<ived, • an/.l Eustace was carried upstairs. There the door was shut, and nothing but whispers could be heard in the passage outside. A sort of dumbness fell upon Christian. She did not seem able to think or hope. She walked and spoke mechanically, as if she was only halfconscious of what was passing around. She was ii the midst of a great mist-stricken desert that closed her in on every side.

. . {To be Continued.)