BROTHERS.

Auckland Star, Volume LXIV, Issue 17, 21 January 1933, Page 2 (Supplement)

BROTHERS.

(By Joan Skinner, Victoria Street, Wailii, ag-e 12 years.) In a small sheltered bay on the coast of Ireland nestled a fishing village consisting of some two dozen hamlets. Two young boys lived with their widowed mother in one of the neatest of these small cottages. The sea had claimed their father during one of the previous winter's gales, and, although they had been shown many kindnesses by their neighbours, their plight was becoming serious. I

Denis, the elder, was a gentle, peaceloving boy, with a dread of the sea, and therefore quite unfitted for the life of a sailor or fisher lad. Rory, who was just one year younger, was quite the opposite, and if there was any mischief or a daring act performed there was not much need to look for the culprit. At heart Eory was fond of Denis, but could not understand his timid ways, and was often scornful and unkind iii front of other lads. After such an encounter Denis would steal away to his own special place, a hollow high up on the cliff side, and there would write, when in the mood, some of the lines that were to make his name famous in years to come. Unknown to his people, he had the gift of composing beautiful verses, and his happiest hours were spent while so occupied. One beautiful July morning, while he sat gazing across the calm blue ocean, a sound made him look upwards, to see his brother and two other lads grinning at their discovery. With a quick movement Rory was beside him, and, making a grab at his writing block, commenced to read "Ha, ha, boys, listen to this: 'The pale moon rides o'er the ocean's depths.' Ha, ha, doesn't say what she rides. Here's some more, While the tempest—' " but with a hurt cry Denis made a grab to get his treasure back. Instantly all the bully in Eory's nature came to the surface, and he gave Denis a tremendous push, forgetting the cliff, with its sheer drop into the sea, or, i worse still, on to the rocks. With a despairing cry Denis fell backwards to disappear from view before the horrified gaze of the three boys. The two small boys set off with all speed to the village to get help, but Rory stood a- if chained to the spot. What should he do? Hide? No, that was no good; he had killed his brother, and they would soon find him. He must get right away. But where could he go? He was penniless, had very few clothes, and had never been away from the village. How ver, there was no time to be lost, so, with fear acting as a spur, he started off at the best speed he could summon in the opposite direction from home. Some days later a weary, ragged boy appeared at the docks of a large shipping port and considered himself very lucky to get a job on a boat about to sail for foreign ports. !

Many years liave passed, and we next meet Kory as a spruce young officer on a large liner carrying passengers between America aiul England. A war between many nations lias. been raging for a long time, and there is need for alertness in all officers on boats, as the enemy are giving no quarter, and torpedo any boat they come across. A feeling of relief it? felt by the captain and officers on this calm morning as they are off the Irish coast, and port is within a few hours' steam. A heavy passenger list had kept them more anxious than usual. The sight of the old familiar coast brought back poignant memories to the stern-faced officer who had gone up on to the bridge to scan once more those well-remembered cliffs. A great longing to again visit his native village came over him, but the fear of recognition was too strong, and with a. sigh he commenced to descend to deck.

A shout from the "look-out," followed •by a sudden jolt, a«i if the boat had received a, tremendous blow, told the.crew that the worst had happened, a dreaded torpedo had found its mark. Immediately word came front the engine-rooms that they were flooding, and "all hands on deck" was the order given. The work of filling the lifeboats with as many women and children as possible was started, but it was soon seen that the gallant vessel would go down long tofore there could be any hope of getting all off safely, or any other liner could heed the S.O.S. that had been sent out.

As soon as the captain saw. that everything possible had been done by his officers, he told them to try and save themselves. Within an incredibly short space of time the boat took her final plunge, leaving a struggling mass, of men, women and children fighting for their lives in the cold waters. Alas! That warfare should be carricd to such extremes; it was here in its ugliest form. Innocent babes and their mothers I doomed to make one more addition to the total of an enemy submarine.

News of the, disaster quickly spread through the length and breadth of the land, and vessels of all kinds put out to rescue. Among the few picked up was an officer who, although unconscious, waa still alive. The fishing smack that picked him up put back to shore, and he was carried into his own old home. With a return to consciousness he found himself in tho room he had shared as a

child, being tended by a young man in the regular fisherman's uniform. Making sure it was real, and not delirium following on his recent experience, he questioned the young man as to who owned the place and how he came to be there.

Judge his joy and surprise when he found it was indeed his own home and, better still, his long-mourned brother Denis. The years seemed to roll back as Denis told how he had fallen into deep water, and had been rescued by a pleasure boat the morning of the accident.

"But why are you in a fisherman's rig?" asked Rory, "and what of your cherished dreams of becoming a famous poet ?"

"Well," said Denis modestly, "I have had a few poems published, but I made a vow to overcome my dread of the sea on the morning it spared my life, and now I am thankful' I did, as it led me to my brother."

Some hours later, in a quiet little churchyard, two men stood beside the graves of their father and mother, and with clasped hands felt the ties of brotherhood strengthen round them.