CYGNETS

Evening Post, Issue 149, 20 December 1935, Page 17

CYGNETS

roots >of; -his ; beard. He ' began exercise - and practise furiously; even slept; in'the tjn bath with the paddles in • his;: hands' and made the children cry at night' when he' arid the paddles turned over and writhed in terrible dreams. .; His morale was undermined; his,-courage; was as full of holes as New Zealand furniture. Unhappy man!',' It was Christmas morning. I.sat on a pile of nets watching the sailing boats-being lightened for the races. Grandfather" Perseus^ paced the verandah " on' panicky; squeaky boots with the 'split-tails' of his cream drill suit flapping behind him like a vulture and his 'black-edged beard hanging like a big mourning handkerchief on his 'chest.* ':.-]•' :■' ■■'■.;••■'■■■ ■'■ .-' ■■■ , '.'The reptile! The reptile!" he muttered. •; ', ':'■'■ •.-■■/ ■■/''■. ... At. 12 o'clock we heard a .shout at ~the" front; gate, and saw Eddar, ; the eldest son.; walking through the shrubs, -and beside him. a tail; .man who looked as though he'had just been struck by lightning.' .';■■". ■ ' ■•■•''■ ;. .;,;,.It^yfas the repftle. , ~.' "Here's -Uncle Bill, father," shouted Eddar heartily.- ■ r ■ Father nodded frigidly, but the squeak' went out of his boots and the blood left his face. Uncle Bill Veldt strode.up to (grandfather Perseus as though; the; gong had gone for the second round,'and did a conjuring trick with his hand, i causing it to disappearfor a.while. .-.,.. ' . ''Pleased ter meet. yer. It's youse I'm pulling against in the race, ain't it?" '•■ ■ , ..-.-. •, ■ ;'-,. Grandfather's boots squeaked and his coat'tails flapped as. he said "Yes." "Ah!" said Uncle Bill Veldt, and I have never heard any. man invest such an ordinary word with* such extraordinary significance. Nor have I ever seen a man glare with such meaning into the eyes of his victim. "Ah!" he said again, and the flowers began to wilt. he^passed on to me and put my hand through the mangle of his good will,,while his bulging, eyes -bored into mine with' a,terrible intensity! touched with' deep; melancholy, edged by a solemn vgrandeur ; and tinted , with a deep consciousness; of his own recent sorrow. "Pleased"termeet"yer,"- he said, shaking my hand up and down to every word.-I said haltingly that I regretted tot hear; of his >sady bereavement, and he caught my hand whichhad- escaped and*shook-it'again hvtime to the mute syllables of his Then he'passed oh >ahd! Grandfather Perseus followed insist1 wake with the-look of a man unstarched-in'a sh6wer.: ;■• '• ' ■OVer the.Christmas, dinner^he intonectrthe usual grace, biit in a tremb-lirig;y6ic6,.•for-Uncle Bill Veldt's glance . almost -scorched the table linen. ■ I felt a fearful 'sense of Sppression overcome*

himself ■on the; chest with': an ominous forefinger. ' ■ ■• . ', , '-'You don't look it. Uncle Bill," cried Eddar uncautibusly. ' • ; "Noer feel it,: neither,- Eddar," cried Uncle Bill in a slow, terrible voice. "Strong, as a lion. This generation, Mr. Knutsen,- will never be like us. Never reach our age. Never have our stigma." ■ ; . We were all assembled at the waterfront at half-past-two to seethe start of the Old Buffers' Rowing Race. There were seven entries beside'- those of Grandfather Perseus and Uncle Bill Veldt's,-but their chances were known to be so'slight, that by common consent, the ; attention of the crowd was focused on our two. ■ ■' Uncle Bill, an particular, commanded a > lot of notice from . the - young fellows, who after one glance from those terrible; eyes, nicknamed him "the Borer." They called Grandfather Perseus "Fluff," because his beard blew, about' in the wind, like wool: Uncle Bill kept his hand over his and sternly subdued its antics, but I could see that poor , "Fluff" was half demented by the glare of his'opponent's eyes, and Uncle -Bill took an unfair-advantage of his terror and seemed to be seeking to lock glances with, him at every turn and reduce him to a gibbering mass by. the power; of. those glittering orbs.-.- ■;. -.-' -,-;■ ■. ;,...-■ ■ - ■■■■'-.- "Here.-lWr. Knutsen," he would say in his deep, ominous voice, "justthrow-jne that rowlock, will' you?" and his glance would play over grandfather's- lace like .sheet lightning across a tree. "Ever seen paddles like these before, Mr. Knutsen? . Made of Australian ash. I brought them down-with me." And again that fearful glance would b» brought into play and . grandfather would, shrink .trembling from it.'. ; ' The oarsmen were now in their crafts waiting, YWthr fifteen ; minutes .to . go. The old contemptibles were far ahead with good starts while Uncle Bill Veldt and Grandfather- Perseus hung together in the rear, startihg-scratch'from under a;heavy'handicap. •-It.was easily seen- that..ihe;race^was to ( be- between them, and a bit of mild punting went on amorig^the-: young" fellows ashore. The^ someohe t had ; an,idea.thatrtheir boats should.be provided with' mascots, and Uncle' Bill, who had made himself popular,' had - his craft - trimmed; with a red-nosed monkey sitting up fore, but Grandfather Perseus had-to 6e content with a bright-tin' which: they threw in front1 of him, "in' case" he" shipped any water. It \ was -a• child's sand bucket with the paint scraped oft »dne side. ,•. ..- v■: f ..-..:-. .- . Seeing it,' I remembered V the fable of (i Perseus and the Medusa. •' "Grandfather," I said,'-'leaning '.over the edge of the jetty,, f'keep' your eye on the tin; and.you'll,win."- ■:: .. "Dammit," said Grandfather: . "Clear out. .:I've got; enough; to i keep my ■; eye oh.". :^\. ; •;■..-..:, ... -i ,'■': •"■ •-. ,-.. ■