THE STILLWATER TRAGEDY.

Auckland Star, Volume XXII, Issue 283, 28 November 1891, Page 6

THE STILLWATER TRAGEDY.

Br Thomas Bailey Albrich. |

Author of "Tho Queen of ,Sh^» •■llarjcri- Daw," " Pradoiico ; JPalfroy," etc*

CHAPTER Vll.—(Continued.)

Mr Slocum rooogniaod Richard at once, and listened kindly to his story. 16 was Mr | Slocum'- way to listen kindly to everyone; bub ha was impressed with Richards mand manner, aud bocaine .>-- ai_ou_,for several reasons, to assist utm. In tho first placo, thcro was room m. tho shops for another apprentice ; experienced hands were on jobs that could have been aa well done by beginners ; and, in the Doeoud placo, Mr Slocum had an intuition that Lemuel Shncklord was not treating the lad fairly, though tUch„.dhad a d nofehinr- to fchia effect. Now Mr blocum and Mr Shackford woroja-b then at sworas P °* I don't Biipposo I could annoy Shackford more,'was Mr Slocum's reiicction, 'v lian by doing Bomothinj? for this boy, whom ho has always shamelessly neglected.' Tho motive was not a high one; out Richard would havo boon well ratisfiecl .nth ic. if ho could havo divined it. He .did divine that Mr Slocum was favourably inclined towards him and stood watching than gentleman's face with hopeful anxiety. ' I havo my regulation number of young mon, Richard,' said Mr Slocum, ' and there will bo no vacancy unbil autumn. If you could wait a few months.' Richard's head dropped. • Can't do that? You write agood hand, you say. Perhaps you could assist the book-keeper until there's a chance for you in tho yard.' _ ' 'I think I could, sir,' said Richard, Casjorly. ■ If you wero only a draughtsman, now* I could do something much bettor for you, I intend to _•>_ up a shop for ornamental carvi„_-, and I want sumo one bo draw patterns. If "you had a knack at designing, if you could draw at all ' Richard' 3 face lighted up. • Perhaps you name a turn that way. I remember the queer things you used to scratch in tho mud in the court, whon you were a little shavor. Can you draw V . ' Why, that is the on 9 thing I can do !' cried Richard—• in a rough fashion,; of courso,' he added, fearing ho had o?erBtated it. 'It is a rough fashion that will sorve. You must lob mo see some of yoursketchbs.' ' 1 haven't any, sir. I had a hundred in my aca-chesfc, bub thab was lost, pencillings of old archways, cathedral spirea, bits of frieze, and such odds and ends as took my fancy in the ports we touched at: I recollect ono bit. I think I could do it.for yon now. Shall I . Mr Slocum nodded assent, smiling at the young fellow's enthusiasm, and only partially suspecting lus necessity. Richard picked up a pen and began scratching on a lottor sheet which lay on tlie desk. He was live or six minutes at the work, during which the older man watched him with an amused expression. ' It's a section of cornlco on the fagade of tho Hindoo College at Calcutta,' said Richard, handing; him the paper,—' no.'it'the custom-house. I forget which ; but it doesn't matter. 5 The amused look gradually passed out of Mr Slocnm'a countenance aa he e_ai_i_od the sketch. It was roughly but clearly drawn and full of facility. ' Why, that ia very clever !' he said, holding it at arms' length, and then, with great gravity, 1 ' I hope you are not a genius, Richard • that would be too much of a fine thing. If you are not, you can bo of service to mo in ray plans.' Richard laughingly mado haste to declare thab to the beat of his knowledge and belief he was not a genius, and it was decided on the spot that Richard should assist Mr Simms, tho book-keeper, and presently try his hand ab designing ornamental patterns for tho carvers, Mr Slocum allowing him apprentice wages until the quality of his work should be ascertained. 'It Is very little,' said Mr Siocum, 'but st will pay your board, if you do not live at home.' 'I shall not remain at my cousin's, 3 Richard replied, ' if you call that home.' ■ I can imagine i& is not much of a home. Your cousin, not to put too tino a point on ib, is a wretch. 3 ' I am sorry to hear you say thab, sir ; he's my only living kinsman.' 'You aro fortunate in having bub one, then. However, I am wrong to abuse him to you; but I cannot speak of him with moderation, ho has jusb played me such a despicable trick. Look here.' Mr Slocum led Richard to the door, and pointing to a row of new workshops which extended tho entire length of one side of tho mar'olo yard, said— 'I built these last spring. After the shingles woro on wo discovered that the ro*u* partition, for a distance of seventy-five foot, overlapped two inches on Shackfora's meadow. 1 was ready to drop when I aavv ib, your cousin is such an unmanageable old fiend. Of courae I went to him immediately, and whab do you think ? He demanded five hundred dollars for that strip of laud 1 Pivo hundred dollars for a few inches of swamp meadow nob worth ten dollars the acre 1 ' Then take ,your disreputable old mill off my proporty !' says Shackford,—he called it a disreputable old mill! I was hasty, perhaps, and I told him to go to the devil. He said he would, and ho did ; for he went to Blandmann. When the 2awyers got hold of it, thoy bothered- the life oub of mo; so I just moved tho building forward two inches at an expense of seven hundred dollars! Then what; does tho domon do but board up all ray windows opening ou tiio meadow! jP.ichard, I make it a condition thab you jshall not lodge at Shackford',.' 'Nothing could induce ma to livo auothor day in the samo houso with him, eft-' answered Richard, suppressing an inclination to smile; and then seriously, • g- s bread is bitter.' Richard went back with a lighb hearb to "Welch's Court. Ac tbo gate of the marble yard he met William Durgin returning to work. The steam-whistle had sounded tho cull, and &ro was no time for exchange of word j * so Richard gavo his comrade a Lright nod 'and passed by. Durgki turned and stared after him. • Looks as if Slocum had taken him on * hut it never can bo aa apprentice; ho wouldn't dare tlo it.' Mr Shackford had nearly finished hia frugal dinner when Richard entered. 'If you can't hib ib to bo in ab your meals-' said Mr Shackford, helping himself __. gently to the remaining chop, - perhaps you had better stop away altogether.' 'I can do thab now, cousin,' replied Richard, sunnily. 'I have engaged with Slocum.' The old man laid down hia knife and fork, ' With Siocum » A Shackford a miserable marble-chipper !' ' . hero was so littlo hint of tho aristocn*sn Lemuel Shaekford's sordid life and p- eroon thab no ono suspected him of oven self fibeom. Ho wenti us meanly dressed as a tramp, and as careless of con temoorary criti <asm ; yet c j ear (lown ia his Uv *- 0 _ v

I£hL? hls . anatomy, ho nourished an odd He.iS_ i Pndfl '? fcbe famil y Shackford. f i T\ nl n *r s why !To b0 suro * dated wi oaclc; its women had alway been virtaouei, and itsl men, if nob always virtuous, „ , a .W? beon Bhip-captains. But beyond tins tho family had never amounted to Wh nW' a^ d n T ow thore waa so ver y little Ai * F ° r Richard aa Richard Lemuel cared notW ; f ol - Richard as a Shackford Zl 1 . acha ot«J feeling that defied analysis nncl had never before risen to the surface. ZAT* tha ™ foro wife *- a disgust entirely apa t from hatred of Slocum or regard for Richard that tho old man exolaimed, ' A bhactifprd a miserabla marble-chipper «' lhab 13 bettor than hanging around the I_n ? bV my handa In my P° ckots ' 'I don'b know thab anybody has de- ; raanded thab you should hang around the village. • i.' I ought to go away, you moan ? But I have found work here, and I mighb not elsewhere.' _ ' Stillwater is nob the place to begin life in. it s the placo to go away from, and como back to.' ' Well, I have como back.' 'And how? With one shirt and a lot of bad sailor habits.' .' My ou o shirb'is my only very bad habib,' said Richard, with a laugh,—he could laugh' n and Imean to K efc « d of that.' Mr Shackford snapped his fingers disdainfully. ta 'You ought fco havo stuck to fche soa ; that's respectablo. In ten years you mighb have risen to be master of "a barque ; that would have beon honourable. You might have gone down in a cale,—you probably would,—-and thab would have boen fortunate. Bub a sbone - cutter ! You can understand,' growled Mr Shackford, reaching oub for his straw hab, which he put on aud crushed over his brows, 'I don't keep a boardiug-house for Slocum's hands.' 'Oh, I'm far from asking ib!' cried Richard. •_ am thankful lor bhe two nights' shelter I havo had.' * That's some of our sarcasm, I suppose,' said Mr Shackford, half turning, with his hand on the door-knob.. ' No, ib is some of my sincerity. I am really obliged to you. You weren't very cordial, to bo suro, bub I did nob deserve cordiality.' ' You have figured that oub correcbly.' ' I want to begin over again, you soo, and start fair. 5 ' Then begin by dropping Slocum.' * You have nob givon me a chance fco tell you whab tha arrangement is. However, ibs irrevocable.' .'I don't want to hear. I don'b caro a curse, so long as it is an arrangement,' and Mr Sbacklord hurried out of tho room, slamming the door behind him. Then Richard, quite undisturbed by his cou&in's unreasonabloness, sat himself down to eat tho lasb meal ho was evor to eat under_ that roof—a feat which his cousin's appetite had rendered comparatively easy. While engaged in this, Richard rovolved in his mind several questions as to his future abode. Ho could not reconcile his thought to any of tho working men's boardinghouses, of which there wore five or six in fche slums of the village, where the doorways wore greasy, and women flitted about in the hottest weather wibh thick woollen shawls over their heads. Yeb his finances did nob permit him to a3pire to lodgings much more decent. If he could only secure a small room somowhero in a quiet neighbourhood. Possibly Mrs Durgin would let him have a chamber in her cottage. He was beginning life over again, and ib struck him as neai-ly as an ideal plan to begin ib on tbe identical spot where ho had, in a manner, mado his firsb start. Besides, there was William Durgin for company, whon the long nights of fche New England set in. This idea smiled so pleasantly in Richard's fancy that he pushed tho plate away from him impatiently, and picked up his hat, which lay on the floor beside the chair. That evening he moved from the Shackford Houso to Mrs Durgin's house in Crossstreet. It was nob an imposing ceremony. With a small brown paper parcel under his arm, ho walked from one threshold to tho other, and tho thing was done. [To be Continued.)