WHY PETER CHANGED HIS MIND

Auckland Star, Volume LIV, Issue 219, 13 September 1923, Page 14

WHY PETER CHANGED HIS MIND

(J'.y ELLIOT BAILKY.j

'"Xevor." said Peter M.Gully. bitterly: "iii-viT :ijrai m will I trust a woman!"" l-'rom the other side of the licdpp Founded si tinklinjj lunjrh. so pretty that ]V(or felt obliged to pcq> over and'see from whom it had emanated. lie found himself looking into n pair of demure blue eyes belonging to an undeniably pretty <;irl, who was engaged in making a very creditable skeU-h of tlie landscape before lirr. She gazed at him for a moment before speaking. "Was 1 very rude." she said at last. 'Mo laugh like that? But you sounded so mclancholv." "I am mclancholv.'"' replied Peter. "1 have reason to he melancholy." "Poor thing! lias she-refused to marry you!" "Worse than that—she"s married another fellow." A tiny smile played about the pirl's lips. "IJo you sketch?" she asked, changing the subject. ■A bit," he admitted. "That looks rather good: may I come and have n look /■' "If you like. It's just finished. This pond, and the reeds, nnd the sunset always fascinate mc. Tell mc what you think of it." Peter clambered through a gap in the hedge and stood by her side. '-Awfully good.'" he said again. "Wish I could paint like you. She laughed. "I'm not much pood, really, but T love painting.' , 1 nere was silence Tor a. moment. Then ' '"Are you likely to do another?" he asked. "Perhaps." "At the same time , —sunset?" "Yes; why?" But Peter burked the question. "It's— it's rather a jolly time of day," he answered, vaguely. Once more she glanced at him. ""What kind of girl was she?" she asked, softly. "Fair?" "So, dark. T like them better " He glanced down at the bent head before him. the colour of ripe, sunlit corn —and checked himself. "That is—l thought T liked them better." he concluded, a trifle lamely. And again, because she kept her head down, he failed to see the queer little smile upon her face. Then suddenly she looked up. "Did you mind mc asking that? Sometimes sympathy " He nodded. "I know-Somehow, I feel more cheerful already. I'm glad I met you." Slowly she began to gather her things together. "Time I was off." she said. '"The best of the sunset glow is over now, and. besides, my sketch is finished. It was good of you to criticise it." ' "Hay I come again—another evening, I mean?" '"If you like—that is, if you are as keen on art as all that." "Thank you," he said, and felt absurdly pleased at her permission. Then a sudden fact struck him. "Why, I don't even know your name. May I ask it?" She smiled, openly this time, and, picking up her brush, began to write something in the corner of her sketch. "Violet Manning," he read. "Thanks, Miss Manning," he said. "My name is " "Peter McGully," she interrupted. "I know," She laughed at his surprise. '•You see, you were pointed out to mc by a friend, who told mc all about you. I knew you as soon as you looked over the hedge. I'm staying here with my cousin, Mrs. Matthews, and you may carry my things back for mc, if you like." Peter did like. In fact, it seemed the one thing that was desirable at that moment. It was only the prospeit of "criticising"' further sketches that reconciled him to parting with her at her gate. It seemed to him that his former grief was much alleviated as he made his way home. Violet Manning gazed after him, and in her eyes lurked an expression she ■would not have let Peter see for the world. "You're rather a dear boy."' she murmured, "and one day I think —I think I'm ?oing to marry you." With which brazen assertion she disappeared into the house. They met next day, and the next, and the one after that. In fact, the time Peter spent giving his opinions on art would have qualified him to run the Kational Gallery. But. somehow, although it was obvious that he was desperately and hopelessly in love, things never got any farther." Finally, when the art criticisms had continued for nearly three weeks Violet grew desperate, and sought out another cousin. Jack Barnes, to whom she confided as much of the situation as she thought necessary, together with her plan for dealing with it. Jack surveyed her with a jaundiced eye. "And what about my own love for you. you little flirt?" he demanded. She regarded him judicially. "You know quite well that you are "head over cars in love with Cicely Foster," she remarked, calmly, "so you need not expect mc to swallow that. Xow, then, are you going to help mc?" Jack Barnes grinned feebly. "I suppose so," he admitted: "but how did you guess about Cicely?" She gazed at him pityingly. Jack Barnes, if he was better at expressing his feelings, was no more capable of concealing them than Peter. ""Forget Cicely for one moment," she commanded, "'and listen to mc." He endeavoured to do so. and when she had finished he was staring at her open-mouthed. "Now," she said, <; do you see what you've got to do?" Jack scratched his head. "As far as I can make out. it's something like this. You will be painting near the pond. 1 roll up and start making love to you. Then this silly chump—l beg your pardon—this chap McGully comes along, pokes his head over the hedge, and rushes to the help of his lady-love. I bolt, and you fall into the arms of your preserver. Have I got the pathetic story right?" "Having regard to your usual idiotic way of expressing yourself, you do seem fairly near it," was the grudging reply. "And don't forget—it's to be this evening. Don't let mc down."' "All right. I'll be there." That evening Violet was at work well lefore her usual time. To tell -the truth she was getting slightly tired of the subject of the pond, and the reeds, and the sunset, but she trusted to the associations of the place to assist her in bringing her diffident lover up to scratch. She wondered whether Jack Barnes would forget the arrangement she had made with him. Knowing him, sh*- felt it was quite possible. However, it seemed that he had turned up all right, for presently she leard a footfall on the grass.

'"Good boy." she remarked, without looking up. '" "We're in tons of time. Peter won't be here for ages yet." A husky laugh greeted her statement. "Olad to 'ear that," said an equally husky voice: "it'll mc time to get my little job done first." Startled, she raised 'her head, and lier first impression was that Jack was overdoing the role assigned to him, for the man at her side was a villainous-look-ing ruffian of the tramp class wlio was staring down at her offensively. Then she gave a little ga.sp of fear, for slie saw that this was not Jack Barnes, after all. lmt a real tramp, and one wlio seemed inclined to make himself unpleasant. "Xah. then, miss." said the man. abruptly, '"if yer wants to save trouble just ! and over that bng wiv any money you've got, and that there neeiclet and bracelet. That young chap of yours won't be up "ere yet for another 'arf hour or so. I've timed him lately, and I knows.'" The tramp seized her arm. But Violet was not made of the stuff that submits tamely. Attempting to drag her arm away, she nearly succeeded, but not quite, and the scoundrel, drawing back his fist, prepared to deliver her a brutal blow. Tt never fell. His wrist was grasped, and another fist struck him square between the eyes. ".Tack! Thank Heaven!" the girl gasped. But once more she was wrong. It wasn't Jack, but Peter McGully, who had arrived long before his time to rehoarse for the hundredth time the momentous words he had at last made up his mind to utter. Violet saw a new Peter MeGully. who amazed and thrilled her. Gone was his nervousness and diffidence, and lie gave tlie tramp a very sound hiding. Finally, he picked him up and threw him into the pond. Tt was a little before this point that •T;nk Barnes appeared upon the scene. "Bless my soul." lie murmured, helplessly, as he saw the battle that was being waged: "how many more people has she roped in to help her?" But gradually a truer appreciation of the situation dawned upon him. and his first impulse was to go to the assistance Of the man he rightly judged to be Peter MeOnlly. Then he drew back. The young man seems to 1, 0 <r C Uin<r along ,j U ite well by himself." ], c ra ,,ttcr"ed. "Better leave him to it." It was not until he had seen the tramp holt, that n wi,ked gieam came into his own eye, and he grinned mm i pious Iγ. "Hanged if Tm going to be done out a l m ,r f , un ' he ottered, "after putting on Licely to come up here." Emerging from 'his retirement, he walked up to Violet, and, clasping her in his arms, planted a resounding kiss upon her cheek. The happenings of tlis last fewminutes had caused the girl to forget I his existence, and his sudden advent i was now as unwelcome as a little while before it would have been welcome. She struggled away from him and real anger blazed in her eyes. "Let mc go,'" she said, fiiriouslv. "You —you fool." i

j Jack was e= joying iiimsolf. It seemed Jto him that si.? deserved this. He kissed her again. Then it was tlint Peter Slefiullv ]irepared for thp eaont\ tinie to do battle for lii.s lady-10 , ••. "You infern; i bounder." lie cried, and •lack caught a clip on %he side of the head that made him blink. He fought back, and Peter discovered that he was up against a very different proposition to tlu> tramp. Peters iu~tonisliinpnt was great when jllis opponent suddenly clapped his j hands to his face and rushed away. ; "Why. 1 never oven touched him."' lie said. "What made him run like I that?" J Then what ho road in Violcfa j lunipid paze made him forget everyjthinj: cl<e. and the next moment he found her in hi* arms. and himself pouring out all the tilings which for weeks he had tried in vain to say. She br".kc from him at last. ."You bad boy,' , she said. «T thought you liked dark people liest."' '•[ don't."" said Peter.

"And the girl who married another fellow and made you so miserable?" "Forgotten,"' whs the brief reply. She looked at him severely. ''Do you know." slip said, "you might have told mo this days ago. I thought you never would. . "So, did I." Peter confessed. "Anyway." he continued, "there's only one question to ho derided now. Who's to he best man?"' She looked at him roguishly, : What's wrong with Jack?" she asked, demurely. '•Jack? . Jack who?" ; "Jack Barnes— the l>ov yon drove ■ away for kissing mc." ' ' ■ rJT llat * J he S Ot t0 d ° With it? 1 - ,tn H l U,ld f rstanJ ." exclaimed the - startled and puzzled Peter But one day you may—that is if we I ever te 1 you." was the bland ££,£ She did not know that nt that very I moment Jack Barnes w.- ls h avilltT ,2 jwork cut out to explain matters satisfactorily to an indignant Cicely Foster, j who had seen him kissing Violet!