JOHN.

Press, Volume LVIII, Issue 10883, 6 February 1901, Page 3

JOHN.

"John was a mystery. A regler howlin* dime-fiction mystery," said Mr Budgett. with emphasis.* "And when I say John.' he continued, "don't think that I mean Jolm Chinaman who is a chronic mystery to ah time, but a periikler John that served with mc once ut my house at 'Frisco, as groom, bntler, and general handy man. "He was good-looking —John. Rather! Dark, with grey eyes, soft as any beauty's, yet with 'dare devil' written in 'em plain as print. Features bold, and his head set on his shoulders just perfection, with a general air about, him .sort o' haughty-like. AH tie gals about were naturally mad on him, but hs took no sorter notice of 'em, and one 'help' Mrs Budsett had 'most broke her heart about him. One thing she broke for sartin was the chancy; every time she heard John's footstep smash would go a piece of chancy right out of her hands. It was due to her heart, she said. Would go pit-a-pat. So we cleared her out. We'd no use for a 'help' with a pit-a-pat heart.

"What John had been afore be kern to us I didn't know for sartin. The yam he spun was that he'd tried his luck mmm', and done no good at it, and done a bit of bullwhackin', and got sick of it. Any way, I waa sorter dubious of him. 'Speshially as all the name he gave us was 'John'; said the rest of it was no account. But Eliza— that's Mrs Budgett, she liked his face, and said we'd # try him. And Eliza's wish is law to me—you bet.

"What the mystery was about John we couidn't just size up. We reckoned there wuz a mystery, that's all. There was a hightonedness about John, a sort of an air as of a Spanish grandee that seemed to us to want kind of accounting for; we guessed that sort o' thing didn't lie about to be picked up permiskus in mining-camps and ranches.

"Afore John kern our home was just an ornary villa, but arter he kern, b'gosh, it riz to be an 'establishment,' and Eliza got to talking about the 'presteeg'e' he gave to it. Dunno about presteege myself; I knowhe made mc pow'ful oncomfortable by the wav he'd just look when I reckoned to be a bit free and easy in my own house. Same time, he was always mighty respectful in a grand wayTTf his own, but his 'Yes, madam, , and his 'No, madam,' got on Eliza's nerves at last, and she allowed he was too grand for us, and that I'd better tell him to go. " 'Mc fire John out of this establishment, , said I. 'Aiy dear little woman, I couldn't do it. Tell him yourself, and welkim, but don't ask 'me.'"

"The end of it wa-s John stopped on. And we got so fash'nable we didn't know ourselves.

"It was about this time that Evelyn Van Halden kern to stay a spell with us. She was still then unmarried; and, her being alone in the world, it seemed to mc a sort of duty that I owed to her dead father to see that she got hitched to some decent feller. And so I got Eliza to ask a few of the best lines in the matrimonial market— sucli as they were—up to dinner in turns. "l?or a start I trotted out Mr Rube Poppmacher, a young fren' o' mine in the flockbed line: —

" 'Say, Miss Van Holden, he's dying to know you. One of the coming men of this great country. (Hold y'head up, Rube, she can't see you.) Is working his way up +o aff-lu-ence. Ain't you, Rube? He's sand in him, Rube has, and he'll get thar, sure.'

"But it warn'fc a bit o' use making the running for Rube or any of 'em. She smiled, and laffed, and -was mightily pleasant with 'em, but she took no stock in 'em. And thar -was John all the time glancing at her, his soft eyes going softer every time they rested on her. And she got to answering his glances. And arter a time they got to cEirping in corners together, and, though I coughed, and frowned, and sort o' hinted that I didn't like it, it didn't seem to make no difference to "em.

"One day my Chinee cook, Wang Ho, came up to mc, sorter cat-like and mysteriously, and, perducin' a book, said: " 'Booky for Missa Budgett, see. Him Jolm book. Mc bollow him. John no sabee.'

"He pointed out to mc tlie fly-leaf of this book of John's, and Jiis "yellow face wrinkled Tip in a malicious grin. "On the fly-leaf was written the name, 'John Derrington.'

"I caught on to what the rascal was trying to insinuate. Derrington was the name of a notorious road-agent, who'd been 'holding up' coaches and generally playing Cain in the mountains some months previous, and was now supposed to be lying low for a time. Of course I laffed and told the Chinee to go somewhere for a blamed fool; but when I got to thinking it over next day, denied if I didn't begin to reckon there was suthin' in it arter all. John had come to us about the time this yer Derrington disappeared; that was funny. As to his being so high-toned, road agents are often gentle-men-born, broken-down gamblers, and suchlike. And, when I considered that he'd kep his surname back from us, thet seemed to clinch the matter altogether, and I guessed he was the man sure.

"That day I got home extry early from business. I let myself in through the garden, and, entering the house, opened the droring-room door. By Gosh, Mr! thar was John with his arm round Evelyn's wavst, and her head was resting on his shoulder tender-like. My! but they started when they saw mc! I was just curling my tongue round for a few suitable adjectives to sling at 'em, when Evelyn took my breath away by saying: —

" \i>±-r Budgett. we're just engaged.' "'Oh, air you?' said I, sarcastic-like. 'I congratulate you on your choice, Miss Van Halden. As John does the waiting here, p'raps you'd like to stop on and to the cooking; it 'ud be a mighty comfortable arrangement.' "She looked at mc serious. 'Mr Budgett,' she said, 'John doesn't really belong to the servant class. .

" 'No,' said I, my wrath rising, 'he'd be a darned sight honester if he did.' I turned to him. 'I know you, ye scoundrel.' I said, 'for what you are. You're Cap'n Derrington, the road agent!'

"To my surprise they just burst out laff ing at. this. And thar was Eliza come in, she laffed too.

" "Seems like I'm outer this joke. , said I. "'Mr Budgett/ said John quietly, Tm a younger son of Phillip B. Berrington, the pork-king of Chicago.' "'Oh, air you?' said I, plumping down on the pianny stool. 'If thar's anybody here 'ud like to pass a remark 'bout mc bsjng a blamed fool I should take it as a kindness."

" 'Unhappily my father and I quarrelled, John continued. *'I told him I would no longer be a burden to him, but earn my own living. Unfortunately, never being brought tip to do anything I made but a poor hand at it, and I was forced to take this situation. You must forgive mc making love to Evelyn. I—l really couldn't help it. , " 'Poor"dear boy,' muttered Evelyn. And aoded, 'John's written to his father, Mr Budgett, in the most forgiving spirit.' "'But is the old man likewise forgivin'?' I asked. 'That's the pint- , " 'In a sort of way,' said John, looking a bit rueful at a letter he held. 'He tells mc as I am the failure of the family I mustn't expect- my share of his fortune tvHen he dies. In "short-, he cuts mc off with a million, but as he sends mc a cheque on now for the amount ' " 'John,' I interrupted, jumping up, Taring Evelyn in to dinner. And, say, what's your favourite pizen? Give it a name.'" F. W. MATCHETT.