THE OLD STOCK-WHIP.

Hawke's Bay Herald, Volume XXIV, Issue 8331, 6 April 1889, Page 6

THE OLD STOCK-WHIP.

" f wonder which she will take— that is, it she takes .either? What do you think, Will f" Bigb.ed Mrs Lumlcy. " Evou Dotting, l should say : wouldn't lay the odds oi> pjthci 1 myself,'"' answered lier huoband. And for once onlookers were pretty near the man. Ethel Tliorndiko was so accustomed to homago that sho had never really thought seriously about any in 9.51, aud ocaycely knew heraolE which sho lite i best, handsome little Mr Massey, the spoilt "dayling ci society, or big, quiet Dick Towuepud, wijo wrote V.C. after his name. It was pleasaut to have ti.e show man of her little ' world at her feet ; it was equally ploaaant to have won ihe regard of the soldier, phoee heart was supposed to have been harionoii oy^inst all womanly fascinations, " Marriage ig an awful thing," said Miss Thorndike to her sister half an Jjpue after the above remark of that sister's' h'usfrajid. "I am mortally afraid of it, and tints lh? truth, Mr Masaey, very neatly proposed to, me last night, but I wouldn't let him. Somehow I don't fancy beiDg tied to a rsan who is so fearfully in request; it would "soeiS rather like marrying Peshawur society en nia;§e j a Bomowhat unequal bargain." " But ho ia deservedly popular, Ethel ; so cheery and genial, besides being all that yo£ would appreciate— a good rider, good shpi, go^d sportsman all round." " According to hi 3 own HCiioun/;," smiled Ethel. "Then there's Major Townsond, dew." " ¥es, tii^rj; js Maior Townsend. He danoes— Oh, Milly. nesac dance !We had aome perfect waltzes to^'ethdr last night." " I don't think Will quite likes your ftirf-ing with him, Ethel. You know, Will is deyote^. to him, and thinks you are carrying too' t'ai', Unless, of course " | " Tell Will he Knows nothing about it. Imagine going too far with Buch a fflsn ( He is too quiet, Milly. 1 woudo? how he gyoy got the V.0. ; and if anything would ever shake h^n out of that lazy manner " Further conversation was put a stop fo by the arrival of Major Towneeud, aud b^foi'p long a gay quartet rode away from the liousp, popsisting of BtDel aud her friend Mrs Stanley, and the two men who had just been bo freely discussed. At first the girl divided her attention pretty equally, but Boon discovered that obe Js\as scarcely in the mojd for Mr Maesey's opisy go.ssip. He', was out of temper, and E.iiel eared far £o.q little for him to smooth down his ruffled plumes. With a vague sense of rolief she turned 10 his rival, who, whatever )iia jnward feelings, remained outwardly always tha same, and seumed quite ! untroubled by tifafc abiectionable infirmity of temper which makep & mag " moody,' 1 and gives a woman" nerves." Little by little Ethel succeeded for the first time in drawing him on to Epea(c of his past life, and truly it was not an UQovpntf.nl one. i "I was shipped off to Australia when ! quite a youngster, siud told to cavve cjy way to fortuuo. Beyond a pretty keen eye for animals of all sorts, a tough constitution which nothing cuuld tire, njjil a habit of going pretty straight ahead without much regard lor consequences, I had little to boaßt of. But I fell in with a real good chap who took a fancy to me, gave me a helping hand, and wo worked together aftt-r that like brothers, made a heap of money, and thought: thpn that we might loosen the

reins a bit. Never do that, Miss Thorndiko ; it's the greatest mistako in the world." Ethel's mare gave a plunge in answer to a sudden tightening of the curb, and both tho girl and her companion laughed at the unconscious compliment to bis p'o iuenee. " That's a fine mare of jours ; should have speed. Havo you raced her 1" "No; but she really is fast; thoroughbred, with a pedigree which even you would approveof. Let us try her on the coi'rse now. Is yours a racer?" " He's done very little in that line, and he'd getting a bit old now. I brought him from Auatra'ia, where he did me some good service, and then took him through the Afghan business, so hs's an old friend." " Was that when you got the V.C. ?" asked Ethel, eagerly. She delighted in tales of adventure, and sympathised with every deed of daring. Pluck was her special characteristic. Born jmd bred in one of England's stiffdst hunting countries, she had learnt to ridu as aoon almost as to walk, and was absolutely without f;ar. Those who knew her beat said she carried this fearlessness into every thought, word and aation ; that she had never been known to shirk anything which she considered her duty ; and combined a charming womanly gentleness with a wonderful amount of detei ruination. "Tell me about it," she continued, as Major Townsend answered her question in tbe affirmative. " Nothing to tell, I assure you ; the horse did the lion'n share, didn't you, old Bushman ? Ca'l the others, and we'll have a spin round the course." Nothing loth, Ethel started in great spirit. Her mare, Mirage, Bhowed a little temper at first, while Bushman forged ahead, going with a long even stride, which betokened a valuable amount of staying power. Ethel soon managed by a little clevur handling to Bteady her favourite, and found that she settled down to her work in good earnest. With a little sigh oF content, Miss Thorndike left two of her companions behiud her, and the flush of excitement mounted to her cheek as the distance between the mare and Bushman perceptibly lessened. Mirage- had no intention of being beaten ; aud, though the pace was hot, she drew up nobly till they were running abreast. Townsend smiled approval. " Now for a finish !" he cried, but game as he was old Bushman was forced to let the mare diatanee him, and she had it all her own way to the end. " What a ripper, Miss Thorndike ! If she were miue I'd put her into training, and she'd win half the big things to a certainty. I knew by the look of her that she could gallop, and she can last, too. Can she jump as well?" "Try her," retorted Ethel paily; adding, " By the way, why shouldn't you ? Change saddles; I'd like you to give her a trjil. After a little demur Townsend complied ; and the exchange was rapidly effected. A couple of fences more than satisfied Dick of the marc's capabilities, and then they rode in their old order, Mr Massey and Mrs Stanley leading the way. Ethel beoama momentarily more interested in 7ier companion, ai he in his turn was b,ei>ui!ed into a greatir unreseryo and talked freely of the wild Australian life, the awful allgpstroying fires, tbe soul-stirring gallops in chase of bushrangers, the mad days and madder nights. " We l«t tin Jems go too loose, got run away with, and when at last we came to a halt f<nind ouvqclves just where I started, minus tho confidence of ignorant youth. It was a downright amash, nothing saved. We'd eaten our cake, and now had to pay ; that was all, but it was a pretty stiff reckoning, Miss Thorndike, too still for my poor old pal. I dareaay you've wondered why I'm a bit quiet at times. Well, when I Btood alone with the stars over my head and not a sound for miles around to break the awful stillness, and (bat at my feet which, had once been brave Ned Harloy, and now was— who could tell what ?— whan I took the revolver from the stiffening hand which an hour before had grasped mine so warmly, I felt then I'd had enough tj quiet me for a lifetime. I tamed my back upon civilisation and foreswore all that had brou«uc us to such bitter grief. It was a woman ruined poor Nsd. I harp never made fiiends with a woman stuoo, till Fate threw me in your way at Lutnley's house, and Hoaven knows why I'm bothering you with all this, or why you from the first seemed different from tho rest. Talking of myself is not much in my li^b, bij^t you may g.s well have the rest now. I rou^Uei} jt'jn the Bush for two jears, went homo, got my commission in time ta knock over a few Afghans, and here I am riding peacefully ulong the tVshawur roads. Such is life, 'mrl'y froth and bubble,' as Liudsuy G r ; '.:i puts it." " But wii'n the addition tjj.it ' two things stand like stone : kindness in another's trouble, courage in your own,' und I am sure you have both," siid Ethel, softly. Then, in a lighter tone, as though a'fr^kt o£ Lei' Own emotion, she continued. "}t aU sogudg 'Vather }ike the • Wild West,' with you f j'r Buffalo Bill. Used you really to go in for cattle driving, and can you craok those I wonderful whipß ?" " My stock-Tf.hip is not quite like his, but I'll show yoii soWia day that T. can certainly crack it." ' ' "Oh ! have you got 000 ? Dj get it j now. Isn't that your hju.se P Do fetch it now.' '■' AIJ F'ght ; you ride oil slowly : and I'll bring it directly.'' ' They wero riding along the oiroularroid, and when Townsend rejoined Ethel he found her gazing across the vast plain towards Jumrood. "It i's a <|esokto tcene," she said, "and the people bey&'nd' ttyero (Jo not love the white man, do they P ' " ! " There are quite enough malcontents in the city without going beyond. Sj»ssoy yus talking about them only yesterday. ' " I "Is he popular?" " Not very. Ha hasn't tacl enough with them, and he saya more than one owes him a grudge, for which he is prepared to pay dearly some day." Ethel was consci us of foal^'jg but slight interest now in Mr M'aßsey, who roJo ju t ahead of thtm, blissfully ignorant that his clianca was so lapidly diminishing, "Now, 1 ' eaid (Jji) g'f', '.'crack your whip " But it was not the craving of the whip they heard, nor was it that which made Mr Masaey's horse rear with a snort of terror, and fall heavily with his rider. Ethel grew very wjiite tm ahe saw a wild-'oooking mnn eaHop 'a^ay acio^s the [lain to the hills on a horse wh"o seemed shod with lightning, and as he went the man reloaded a smill rifle. Mrs Stanley had gone to her companion's asaistancp^ and finding him comparatively unhurt, turned to speak to Ethel, but the gill did not hear, tor in swift pursuit of the flying man waa Dick Townsend, with face stjrn sot and right hand closing firmly over hia only weapon, the great stock-whip. Ethei had giyen a mechanical assent to iiis one quodtion, '.' 3£*y Mirage go ?" and now with straining eyes she watched, a deadly fear assailing her for the first time in her happy life. Dashing forward at headlong speoj, tho blood of her ancastors running through her veins and rousing her to a noble effort, the mare swept along, slowly but suroly gaining upon the ( Afghan. This Ethel saw with bearing

heart; and then a low stifled cry of agony broke from her, for across the plain came a sharp report, and for an instant Dick reeled in the saddle. That instant taught Ethtl that she loved at last, she who had scoffed at snob, an idea, Still Mirage pressed forward, answering gamely to touch of knee and sound of voice, though her ridot's bridle-arm hung hdpleaa, shattered by the wellaimed shot. How she watched and prayed! the girl sittiug so motionless on the old Bushman. She saw the distance between the two Bguwa grow less and less ; she saw the Afghan turn once again to lift the deadly weapm. Vaeuely Bhe felt that Massey might surely have done more than send a man to tho lines to give the alarm, and, overpowered by a passionate instinct, Bhe forbore no longer, and let Bushman bear her rapidly onwards, conscious only of a great d'-sira to share her lover's peril. In vain had the Afghan taken aim. Mirage swerved suddenly aside at the very moment that ho fired ; and Townsend, measuring the distance with a practised eye, smiled grimly. Then, rising, in his stirrupe, he lifted the enormous whip. Down it came, full in the assassin's face, with such force that it bronght him to the ground, and, winding mercilessly round his body, rendered him powerless ; while his horse, freeing itself from his rider, galloped wildly away. With a spring Townsend was upon hiß enemy, snatchod a knife from his belt, and stood over him, passing the mare'a reins over his arm. " Stir hand or foot, and I kill you !" he cried ; but the threat was unnecessary, for the Afghan waa stunned by the blow. Then Townsend gradually felt aa though earth and sky were receding from him ; he was dimly conscious of the clamour of men's voices, of being lifted into a dhoolie and borne slowly homewards ; and surely before the many voicea there was one very soft and low, Bpeaking his name ; before the rougher touch which lifted him from the ground, had he not felt a light, tender pressure and seen a sweet tender face bent over him 1 At any rate, he always declares that he did ; and Mrs Dick Townsend does not contradict him. But when Ethel, catching sijht of the old stock whip in its place of honour, repeats proudly, "I always say, Dick, that your one arm more than equals another man's two," Dick laughs, and tells her to j.ay honour where honour is due. " For it was all the black mare's doing, yon know." And Mirage accepts her mistress* 'affection, and enjoys life as such a heroine Bhould. — The World.