"DAD FORGETS THE PAST."

Marlborough Express, Volume XXXIX, Issue 35, 10 February 1906, Page 1

"DAD FORGETS THE PAST."

(Copyright reserved to tho Author.)

"I think you're a good deal to llanio, y'selves,' Mrs White said, when Lily and Dave told her of Dad's generosity; "I do ,indeed, and 1 really believe you'd have had a good house from the very beginning if you had only had the courage to stick out for it."

"It takes you to talk to him, Mother," Dave drawled, in cheerful admiration of his Mother-in-law.

" And so could you talk to him— so could anyone if they had a bit of go in them," Mrs White snapped. " After all, I believe your father's the best man of the lot of you. He's only what you've ■ &!Lmsjle him."

Dave grinned a hard, seirsßiOss sort of grin, and mumbled— -■-—-.

" Well, I dunno." "But I do know," his Mother-in-law retorted, " anyone witli half an eye would know."

" Well, it doesn't matter now," Lily put in pleasantly, " we're to get a good house and an allowance, and that's everything, Mother?" " Yairs, that's th' main thing," Dave said, and went off for a bucket of water.

Sarah was the only one who disapproved of Dad building another house for Dave and Lily. " I don't know what they want with a place like that for," she said, when Dad at dinner one day was boasting of having let the contract for three hundred pounds ; " th' one they're living in ought to be quite good enough for them.

Mother made an effort to console Sarah, but Sarah was a hard girl to silence when she felt she had a grievance.

"I don't know," she sneered, tossing the spoons recklessly into the cups, and making a lot of unnecessary noise with them, "some people seem to be able to get anything they want, while others can't get anything at all, no matter what they do for it." " What's up with you—what th' deuce do you want now?" Dad said savagely. "There's a great many things I want, but I don't seem to be able to get any of them." And Sarah flashed her eyes on Dad.

" Well, what 'n th' devil are they?" "P—plenty (here Sarah broke into tears); I've not had a d—de—(sobbing)—decent dress that I could go out in f—f—for I don't know w—w — when."

"God bless my soul." Dad roared, " what the deuce do "1 know about jour dress?"

'•Don't be silly, girl," Mother said soothingly to Sarah.

'' And the sah—sah—saddle I've got to ruh—ruh—ride in, guh—guh—go and look at it "

" Go and get yourself a better one then,"' Dad bellowed; "confound it, do you think I carry everything about in my pocket with me." Again Mother pleaded with Sarah. "Others can guh — guh — get houses," Sarah blubbered, " and—" '•To .th' mischief with you," Dad yelled desperately, and jumped up and bdted from the table.

* * « * In less than a week the carpenters had the timber on the ground, and once more a new house was going up for Dave. Dad used to leave the yard or the paddock, or wherever he happened to be .about twenty times a day, and stroll up to see hew the building way getting along. And he'd yarn and stare about and examine nails ancl putty, and things lying about, and get in the "way of the men and keep them back.

"I used to do a bit of carpenting myself once," Dad said hoastingly to the contractor one evening, and the contractor, a quiet man with hard, immovable features, said— "Yes, I saw you putting up that place there," and pointed with a chisel to Dave's little gunyah. "Yes—yes—quite so—quite so," Tad answered, colouring a little, " but I only meant that to stand till this went up."

'■ Well, I think it'll do that," the contractor said quietly, " unless the wind happens to rise within the next few weeks."

Then Dad cleared his throat, and went away to attend to the cows. Dave's humpy was a subject Dad didn't care to discuss much with strangers. * * * r

"Well, how y' enjoyin' y'self?" Dad Isaicl cheerfully, saluting Mrs White, who was standing in Dave's doorway one afternoon.

Mrs White nearly fell down with surprise, alid before she could recover control of her feelings Dad had invited her to look at the new building. '■'Come on," he said, "come on, I want to show it to you." Mrs White, in her haste to secure a hat, fouled Lily ajid knocked a dish of cream out of her hand, and forgot to apologise or. pick any.of.it up. "I think you'll ]ike it," Dad said proudly, as they stepped across the grass. -.

Tears came into Mrs White's eyes, and her breath seemed to leave her. Dad's magnanimity was too'much for her.

'•'There y' are," Dad said, indicating the frame-work with a sweep of his hand, "there's th' bedroom, and this here is where they'll eat," "It'll be lovely," Mrs White said, gazing round, "and I'm sure they should be grateful to j tou, Mr Rudd." " S' long as they're satisfied," Dad said in an offhanded sort of way, " I am; it don't matter a straw to me."

Then, taking up the plans, he explained the architecture of the building in detail, and, in the interests of convenience, Mrs White suggested several alterations, all of which Dad, though; he didn't exactly see the sense of them, readily accepted, and instructed the contractor to carry them out, and raised consultations and angry discussions amongst the men. " When are y' going away?" Dad enquired, on taking leave of Mrs White.

Mrs White thought she wouldn't be going home for a few days—" not till Saturday."

"Well," Dad said, " coaie with us to the races to-morrow, and on Saturday morning I'll drive you to the railway station in the buggy." And that night, while Mrs White at tea eulogised Dad to Dave and Lily, and said he was "a fine old man," Dad, at our table, spoke of no one but Mis White. " A splendid woman," ho said, "a. woman of the world—a woman with a business head, believe me."