APOLOGY

Auckland Star, Volume LXIX, Issue 67, 21 March 1938, Page 15

APOLOGY

Short Story - - - -

tiTJKV, (hat's not tile way to start fl to build a park," said the iitrnnprer in a peremptory tone. Mr. Joe (iul)bins, who was kneeling in the narrow gallery of the mine, turned Ilia Mack face towards the speaker. The yellow light from the lamps flung a grotesque shadow from his prominent jaw to the opposite wall. He looked slowly from the stranger's feet to his face. Their glances crossed with unspoken antagonism. Near the stranger, and a little to his rear, stood Mr. Jim Love, deputy for that district. He looked at the two -with apprehension. "(ioo ta hell!" grunted Mr. Gubbins Tvith contemptuous indifference as he turned to his task again. • * • • The "stronger opened his mouth to speak, thought hotter of it and turned on his hoo , . Jim Lowe followed him anxiously. "Hue dunna know as you're the now gaffer,'" he said pleadingly. 'Sack him/ , said the stranger decisively. "Jiiit hac's the best mon Ah'n got in til' pit," protested Mr. Lowe earnestly, "mf hue's 'bin here more'n thirty years." "Not another word, Lowe. Sack him," said the new manager of the mine. Mr. Lowe subsided into miserable silence. Joe Gubbins was his best friend. At the end of the shift Jim Lowe waited until Mr. dubbins came by. "Joe. lad, Ah want'n have a word wi' y n '-'' "What about, Jim?" "D'you know who that was yo' towd to goo t' hell?" "No," said Mr. Gubbins decisively, as he spat out tobacco juice, "an' what's moor. Ah dunna enre." "Well, hae's the new gaffer." announced Mr. Lowe, dramatically, as though he expected the news to make a great difference in Mr. Gubbins' uncompromising attitude. He was disappointed. "Ah dunna care who hae is. Hae wants goo an' learn 'is job." "Joe, lad. hae sez Ah'n got sack ya," said Mr. Lowe, miserably. "Sack mae," said Mr. Gubbins, incredulously. "A mon as was buildin' packs afore he wor born." Mr. Lowe nodded and sighed. "Ah asked 'im in th' pit to forgive ya, but hae wouldna' hear nowt. But Ah folloered 'im in th' office, an' at last Ah got 'im t' say as if you'd apologise when hae comes round to-morrer, hae'll gi'e ya' another chance." "Mae said Mr. Gu-bbins, scornfully. "Ah'll sae Ma neck as long as mah arm afore Ah dun." "But. Joe, Ah nearly 'ed to goo down on mi knees to get 'im ta look over it." "Mooer fool yo', then," answered Mr. Gubbins shortly. "But Ah didna want yo' t' leave. Wae'n bin pal-s. for a good many years, Joe. Apologise for mah sake." "Ah shanna'. Do yo' think as Ah'm pooin' bae towd how ta build a pack wi' a mon as dunna know a stone pack from a pack o' cards? Ah anna!" "Joe." said Mr. Lowe, laying a pleading hand on his .friend's arm. "Ah dunna like to say it, but who -lent yo' that five quid for your gel'e operation? An' who sat up wi' ya' when yo'd got pnewmonia, an' who dug the gardeu an , looked after things a bit when yo' were gettin' a bit better? Do it for mah sake, Joe." Mr. Gubbins looked on the ground for several seconds before replying, then he met Jim Lowe'e eyee. "Yo'n bin a good pal to mae, Jim, an' Ah shanna' forget it ... but Ah shanna' knuckle under to a bloke ae conna' see straight." "Alraight, then," said Mr. Lowe, accepting temporary defeat. "Think it ower when ya' get womm." Jim Lowe hurried home to consult his wife. "You'd beet goo down to Joe's missus," he eaid, after telling his news, "and' see if you con think o' eummat t' make Mm change 'is niiud. Hae's worse than forty donkeys when- hae eats 'is barrer down."

When Mrs. Lowe arrived at Mr. Cubbins' cottage «he found that Joe had gone out and thflt he had told his wife of the incident in the pit. "Hae's as ]>ig yedded as a mule," said Mrs. Gubbine, mixing her metaphor*. "Ah"n begged an' prayed on him t' apologise. Ah known what it'll bae if line frets out o' work at 'is time o' life. Hae'll niver get in agen." Mrs. Lowe sighed in sympathy. "Aγ' Jim could 'hardly eat 'i« dinner for thinkin' about it. Hae clunna want lose Joe. Can't you' think o' nowt to make Mm alter his mind?" "Ah could think o' summat if Ah was a mon," said Mrs. Gubbins clenching her fist. "Ah fihould knock it out on 'im. Hae makes mae that theer mad when hae wunne listen to reason."

- By MARTIN CLEOBVRY

"Have you tried baein' nice to 'im? ,, asked Mrs. Lowe. "What d' ya' mean, baein' nice to ini?' , asked Mrs. Gubbins, suspiciously. "Coaxiu' him a bit. Kissin' 'im," said Mre. Lowe with e simper. "Hae'd think Ah'd gone daft," answered Mrs. Gubbins derisively. "An' Ah should be daft afore Ah tried that." "Dun you niver get what yo' want?" asked Mrs. Lowe, her brow wrinkled witli the effort of concentration. "Sometimes Ah. do," said Mrs. Gubbins with a wink. "When Ah was bad last year Ah could everything Ah fancied. Ar' Joe was good ta mae. Hae fetched an' carried for three weeks, an'. nowt was too much for 'im ta buy." "That'e it," broke in Mrs. Lowe excitedly. "Pretend that you're bad, an' then when hoe's willin' to do owt for yau, ask; 'im to apologise." "All dunna like doin' that," said Mrs. Gubbins, shaking her head. "Why not? It's f'r 'is own good, ain't if!" "Ar , , p'raps it is," agreed Mrs. Gubbiiw, "but Ah dunna like th' idee. It 'oil 14 bae deceivin' ar' Joe." ''Well, if yo'd sooner 'im get out o' work, an' both on ya' goo in th' Big House, dunna do it," eaid Mrs. Lowe barely. "Think it over. Ah. shall 'ave to bae gooin'." • • • • Left alone, Mre. Gubbins set pensively by the fire. A tear rolled slowly down her cheek and splashed upon her- workworn hand. She nodded slowly at last, as though she had come to eome decision. Mr. Gubbins arrived home a few minutes later and asked for his eupper. She began to lay the cloth, when suddenly she was taken with a fit of coughing. Leaving the table ehe eat down and clasped a hand to her side. "What's up, owd gel?" asked Mr. Gubbine solicitously. "Mah side does hurt mae when Ah coughen," ehe said. "Ah'll rub it for ya' when wae goo f bed." "Happen it'll bae better after a bit," she replied. But, etrangely enough, the hope did not materialise, and by morning the pain had grown considerably worse. Joe, who wae fond of hie wife, was almost at his wits' end. His distress almost broke down her resolution, but a native etubbornees steeled her against capitulation. He began to be mystified. "Tell mae wheer the pain is exactly," he said anxiously. Mrs. Gubbins was not a good actress. "Sometimes it's 'ere an' sometimes it's 'ere," she eaid ae she pointed to various parts of her body. She noted hie keen look. "It sorta moves about," she finished lamely. Mr. Gubbins stared at her fixedly as though he wae loathe to believe a growing suspicion. ♦ • • • She broke a silence which tended to be embarrassing for her. "What d' you think it is, Joe?" She failed to meet hie eye. He nodded sTbwly ae he reluctantly concluded that she was deceiving him. "Joe," she whispered, "apologise for mah sake, will ya?" "So that'e it," he said. "Well, ah'll apologise like that pain yo'n got in your innards. An' when ah come womm let's 'ave th' dinner on th' table. An' no waitin'." He turned abruptly and left the room. He was met by Mr. Luwe ae he etepped from the cage to the pit bottom. "Are yo' apologiein', Joe ?" he asked anxiously. "Ar," said Mr. Gubbins shortly. "Ah'm apologisin'." "Ah knowed you'd 'ave sense," said Mr. Lowe delightedly. "Ah'll bring th' gaffer round about 11 o'clock." Eleven o'clock found the manager in company with Mr. Lowe standing behind the kneeling figure of Mr. Joe Gubbins. Jim Lowe coughed loudly, but Joe appeared to be deaf. Surreptitiously he sty-red Mr. Gubbins with hie foot, but he took no notice. Three minutes paesed by and no sign was made by Mr. Gubbins that he was aware of the presence of the other two. Mr. Lowe watched the manager's growing wrath with apprehension. "Come on, Lowe," said the manager curtly. Jim followed miserably, but with a growing anger againet the perfidious Mr. Oubbin«. They had not gone more than 20 paces «" mi a shout stopped them. "Hey. gaffer," shouted Mr. Gubbine. "Well," eaid the manager icily. "That place Ah towd yo' to goo too yesterday. Ah'd altered mi mind. Yo' needna' bother gooin'."