THE FAITHFUL MATE.

Daily Telegraph (Napier), Issue 5334, 26 September 1888, Page 4

THE FAITHFUL MATE.

CHATTER V. A VOLCANO. Arthur would have ..voided Jasper Leighton hud the thii.ir 1« possible. He was not in the mood to meet him. Jlf ffared to trust the spirit that h.-id b*s-_> .-.» long stirring within him. and now Mirri.ig more iiercely than ever. Hut the son of Mrs Dod worth sto"d in tin; avenue, and stood purposely in his way. 'Hey! Master Arthur.' You've had <i nice little meeting with tho beauty, haven't you T Arthur stopped and looked into the (speaker's fare, but. made no reply. ' How many more of them m< etings do you think you're going to have":" demanded Jasper, coarsely. And then, with :i laugh, he added : ' Not many, J reckon.' Pale as death, with th.- blood all Fettled back upon hi.- heart, Arthur waved.lis hand and attempted to pa-s on. But Jasper stood again iv his way.

Two" men—Chadwick and Chase—were at work just b'-yuiid the wall above the avenue, only a few yards distant, ami they rested upon their hoes to watch and listen. ' Hush !' said Chadwick. in response Oil remark of his companion. ' J'<-ti't you be alarmed. If Jasper goes to., far, the worse for him. He'd better tickle his stepfather than lay his hand on Arthur—aye, or lay his tongue on too hard, if 1 can judge from present looks.' 'Will you allow me te pass:-' asked Arthur, in a hoarse, hushed tone. ' Who are you te talk übotU paftirng me ';' cried Jasper, derisively. ' Do you know who you are: Arthur felt the cold lr n enter his heart. The mystic signs, the secret looks, and the distant whisperings of the past few days wero to have a solution, and Jasper hid been furnished with a key. And now, from out the tangled web, our hero drew tho truthjust the bare aud naked truth—nothing more.

< Jasper, you had better stand out of my way.' ' Oho !' retorted the burly tormentor. ' You don't tell me who you are. Let me tell you. You are it nobody— a e-.i_.ta way. It has all come out, my fine fellow, mid you won't lord it anymore with your algebra, and your Latin, and your French, and your soft looks. You are worse than a nobody— you are shame-faced. Oho ! "Who'll have the little beauty of the parsonage nowr Not you, I reckon.' Arthur could hear no more. His heart Shad come well nigh to bursting in bearing thus far. In an instant his face, temples, and brow flashed aud Hushed, and tho full veins stood lividly out. His eyes burned ■with a consuming fire, and his whole look was awful.

'Coward! Dastard! Dog!'he .exclaimed. * You have tak<n the last step towards mo I will permit. Now look to yourself.' And, with righteous indignation and wrath—with the memory of many wrongs —coiici-ntrated in the blow, In. smote the craven upon the fare with his clenched list, and knocked him from his fret, flat upon his l»a«..k.

Maddein-d and furious with rugo arid chagrin, Jasper (scrambled up, mid. with an oath, rushed at Arthur, but only to receive it second blow, which knocked hliu staggering back against the wall. With a fearful imprecation, the mad

youth made one more attack. Arthur knocked him down again, and then, with a .strength that was gigantic, lifted him bodily from "tho sward and threw him over the wall among the hedge-brambles of the lower .field. , , .Somehow, Arthur felt more like himself •when this had been done. He had cooled his botHed blood, and he had paid a just, debt. He did not feel himself at all to

blame. It may have been an evil, wi._k.-d sahsiaction, but it wii* :i .satisfaction to him, nevertheless, that he bid fair opportunity to chastise his iiisoh-n., overgrown, and overbearing enemy. And <+.. feeling, he moved t>n towards the louse.

.Meantime Jasper bad crept bitch over the yra.ll, with v large stone in his hand, and was gliding forward on the soft grass, when John Chadwick sprang into the lane and intercepted him. ' Look you, Master Jasper, if you want to he killed, just you tackle that lad again. I. should think you hui had enough. Now you go home and get your mother to wash your" face. Give me that stowe. Thero now remember that Chase and 1 hi; vo seen and heard all, so you won't, tell any lies.'

By this time Ai'thu.' had. reached tho house, and Jasper, when 0...' hired man Jet liim go, followed <»n blubbering like a calf. As luck would have it, Arthur mot Mr Dod worth upon the door-Htone. 'MrDodworth.'he said, solemnly, *I wish Xa speak with you.*' The farmer sbtited, and wa». troubled. The boy had never t-o addressed hint ikdore. "My dear boy," with v touch of the old love which ho could not put away, ' what is it I i J think you .•1.0u1.1 know what it.is, sir. * Come ,aw..:y from the house, Arthur. Lot ns go out to the i'.'-il-n.' The fiiniK r led the why to the binil, and of the two he certainly suit'civd more ill tho-e minutes th m did the boy. When they V-ere aVnic, and free fr....ii.-..oiercai,-, Arthur spoke ji'j-.-iin ' 'Mr "JWv.'.i-fb, I h.'ive ilr.-. «. ceniessi.m to make. 1 have just whipped .la„p.-.r.' 'Just, what r* 'lid tl.o man, in surprise. < I have just whipped Jasper, sir.' Mr Dodw.>rtl> looked incredulous. J-herc was not a m.iiK <ji" conflict, upon Arthur ..ny_.i)P,. e _ I v.' l even :. !-;,et of dirt upon his clones- 'v»t hold : There was blood upon the back of his'light hand. The fanner saw this, ar.'J the Jwl_#.f incredulity ftmkhe.d.

' I could not help it, sir. He pushed me further than I could bear. He has pushed and insulted me for a very long timo, and I havo tried to bear it patiently ; but to-day —just now—ho wont further than ever before. I will not trouble you with all ho said: but I think Mr Chadwick must have heard it, and you can ask him. I make tho confession, sir, but I cannot say that I am sorry.' * ' Nor am I sorry!' burst forth the fanner. ' I hope it will do him good. Don'tborrow any trouble about that, Arthur. And was this what you wanted to say'?' ' No, sir. This is as nothing.' Arthur sat down upon a plough-beam, and the farmer seated himself upon a toolcheat close by. 'Mr Dodworth,' tho lad continued, « a thunderclap has burst upon mo to-day. It came first this afternoon from Mr Jacobs; and Jasper gave it a horrible echo. Mr Jacobs struck mo a heavy blow—'

' Struck you ?' ' Not with his hand, but with his tonguo. Ah ! I could havo recovered from a blow of his hand more easily ! And when I asked him why ho did it, ho referred me to you. He said you would tell me. And now,' added the boy, looking fixedly into the farmor's face, and speaking slowly nnd distinctly, ' I ask you, Mr Dodworth, in one brief sentence —Are you my father ?' The farmer started, and gasped for breath. He turned first pale, and then red, aud shook from head to foot. ' You should not fear to answer me,' pursued Arthur, with more of the old loving tone and look. ' You have been very kind to me —you have been all that a father could have been ; will yon not still be kind, and tell me tho truth ?' A great sob burst from the man's bosom, and tho tears started to his eyes. ' Arthur,' he said, with deep feeling, ' I have meant always to do right by you. As Heaven is my witness, I havo only hold you in love and esteem. You arc not my child. You are not of my blood in any way. You came to mo when you wero an infant but two years old. My wifo—my—my own— my first wife—was then living, and we adopted you ns our own; and a peculiar combination of circumstances enabled us to conceal from our neighbors that you wero not what we claimed. And I had always thought that you would be my child and my heir until recently. Of course you could not blame me for feeling lonesome after so many years, and marrying again. And, Arthur, I need not explain to you how I found it impossible to hide from the prosent Mrs Dod worth tho secret of your birth. She is sharp and penetrating. She got the secret from me. and she has given it to Jasper and to Mr Jacobs. Of course all tho town will know it now. You don't know what I have suffered. If I could go back— go back—but there is no going back.' ' Dear father, if I may call you so once more,' cried Arthur, going over and winding his arm about the farmer's neck, ' forgive me if I have said anything to hurt your feelings. I have been deeply moved— most painfully and cruelly so—but I have no hard thought towards you, aud I cannot blame you in the least for what has happened. I understand it all—all from tho coining in of Jasper and his mother. Before that my home was happiuess, and you were in deed and in truth my father. Siuce that time I know that your love has not waned, and that you have done what you could for me. So let that pass.' The man strained the generous boy to his bosom and kissed him upon the cheek, and his tears fell fast.

• Alas "' ho murmured, ns Arthur resumed his seat, ' would to Heaven that I had-' 1 Hush !' interposed the lad, putting out his hand. 'Do not let a word escapes your iips for which you might be sorry. Tell me now how I came to you. Do you know who my parents wero ?' [to he continued, j