"SARAH TULDON."

New Zealand Herald, Volume XL, Issue 12241, 9 April 1903, Page 3

"SARAH TULDON."

BY OEME AGNUS, Author of " Jan Osber," " Love in Our Village," " Zike Mouldom." etc. . CHAPTER IX. ' Hanger was so wretched from thwarted love, and his mind so busily engaged in considering what he could do to make Sally fond of him. that he could think little aboutthe befooling of the "young master." But the next day ho was to learn that the affair was not done with. He was on his way to the Hall in. the afternoon , when, he met Pennydill. He was going on with a mere salutation, but Pennydill stopped him. "Where hist gwain, JiirgcV" " i want, to zee maister. Hairy. Be his gout anv better?" " Pennydill laughed. " No, that it hain't, and if it hain't partickler business I shouldn' ask vor en. look zee. He do zet most of Ins time in his own room with his leg on a chair, and Billy Sandhill do zay he never heard such brimstone converse out of his mouth avore, and there be vew that could ekal en thik way, as thee dost know, Jarge. Billv did zay just now down to the kitchen that if we be liven in the days when such things happened he shouldn' be surprised to smell brimstone when he went into the room, and never zee maister no more.'' " How do he mean':'' asked Hanger. "Why." laughed Pennydill, "he do mean Wold Nick should come to carry en off." Hanger laughed a little condescendingly, and Pennydill thereupon became serious"lt be' all very veil vor we to make game of such things. Jarge, zno, but they have happened and may happen again, only the Wold 'Un don't gwo about now like a roareu lion, zame as ho used, or, if he do. the doctors do come and make out a man ha' died a Christian death. I mind my vather did tell about a man he knowed when he was a bwoy upalong. Vather was born in the New Votes do 'ee zee Cadnain, if you do know the place.' Hanger shook his head. I've never bin beyond Poole thik way," he said. "Well, it don't matter, but vather was born there, and graudfer had a nice varm, but he lost all he had through gwain to law. They lawyers up to Lunnon took it all, zno. ' But vather do mind when he was a bwoy zeen a, wold gentleman zo rich as any then, and had a gurt, vine house. His wife died when they'd been married a year or two, and 'tis said he was zo tipzet he sold his zotd to the devil straightaway. on condition he should have what he wanted, "lis certain, anyhow, he got zo rich —as anythen, and nobody could tell where he got the money if it wasn' what I've told 'ee. He had a gurt lot of books, and his man —as it might ho Billy Sandhill with maister—swore he'd got the Black Books and read they every" ■ "The Black Books—what be they';" interrupted Hanger, who was much interested. " Don't 'ee know, Jarge?" asked Pennydill, solemnly. " 'Tiu the devvle's books, the zaine as 'the Bible and Prayer-book be to Christians. If you learn they prapper von can do all zort of wickedness, iou can send the devvle's imps to torment volks you have a spite against and—and all manner of wickedness. Thease gentleman was a reel bad mi, zo 'tis zaid. He never did no good to anv pore creetur. and the volks 'ould gwo round a mile rather than meet en. But at last when the time appointed 'twixt he and the Wold Un be up— thease did come vrom his own man, look zee, Jarge; who wa.su' mueh better than his maister, only what happened made him a fearen Christian, and he died reel pious with his Bible beside en. One night this wold gent was alone among his books, and he gie a gurt screech, and thease man of his jumped out of bed and went to zee. He was nearly choked with the smell of burnen brimstone when he opened the door. His maister wasn' in bed, but he found en at last lyen dead among his books as I ha' said. Thease chap did "swear to his dyen day he did zee blue flames all about his maister's body when he opened the door, and the black mark of a" cloven hoof in the dust on the window-sill where the Wold Un had gone out. He was so slwert he did run out of the house, and ever afterwards turned into a good Christian, as I did tell 'ee." • "Do 'ee believe it?" asked Hanger after a pause, with a slight smile that was noncommittal.

"Look zee, Jarge," said Pennydill impressively, "me vather was a man that wouldn't believe nothen out of the common if he didu' zee it with his own. eyes. He used to make I mad many a time when'l did tell en zomethen and he laughed at it, but he believed with all his heart thik wold_man had his soul carried off by the devvle at the 'printed time. He did say you couldn' zee thik man of his turned vrom a hard drinker, and swearer, and woman-given into a prapper pious Christian and ha' any doubt. Vather did zay the Bible do tell there be witches and wizards, and that the Wold Un do go about to devour." " Zo it do," assented Hanger. " I did alius laugh at they tales, look zee, not knowen anybody as could swear to 'em. Do 'ee think," in a lower tone, " maister have they Black Books?" " I couldn' zay, Jarge. They that have en gen'rally kips 'em locked up." "I think I'll turn back, Harry." "If it bain't presses, bizness I would, Jarge ; he bain't decent vor a Christian to gwo near. He did throw his stick at Lizzie Belden when she went to lay the fire thease marnen, and the langwidge he did use quite knocked she over. He hain't a vit man vor no female to live with when the gout be troublen en, and that be a faefc." " Well, I'll not gwo up now," remarked Hanger. "I'll be get-ten along, Harry." " I'll gwo along with' 'ee, Jarge. I be gwain to Smeddalf s vor maister's gun. By the way, Jarge, have 'ee zeen en lately?" Hanger felt his face growing warm, and he would have been glad to escape. " Your maister, do 'ee mean, Harry?" "Ees." " Let I zee now ! —I don't think I've zeen en, Harry, these dree or vower days past. Wwhy?" "'Cos he be zo hard to get on with just now as the Wold Un. Zomethen have upzat en ter'ble. Not that he do use devvle's talk zo much, look zee; in fack, he don't use lit at all, hardly, and that be a sure sign it be zomethen out of the common, zno. He do walk about like a man as have lost a vortin and he do look murder when he do look at 'ee. Gie I the times when he do swear, Jarge! That I be used to, but truth, I don't feel safe with en as he be now. I be afraid of en, look zee." "P'raps he have lost a small vortin at cyards, zno, Harry," suggested Hanger, who was making great efforts to hide his discomposure^. Pennydill shook his head. " No, it bain't that, I'd 'low zeed en when he lost dree hundred one night, and you and me, Jarge, 'ould look worse if we'd lost a penny. Look zee here, Jarge," lowering his voice; "hast thee been past the shooten-lnit by Hare Corner thease last wik?" Hanger lied with difficulty. " Let I zee ! N—no, Harry." " I'll tell 'ee zomethen then, Jarge, but 'twixt you and me and the wall, mind." The keeper managed to loek in Pennydill's face as he pledged himself with a nod. Well, last Toosday the young maister sent I to clean thik hut out and take chairs and a table and rugs there, and then in the afternoon I had to carry a gurt lot of things, vowels and puddens and wine, do 'ee zee, vor a cold dinner or supper. ' What's on?' I did zay to meself, vor I know maister pretty well, do 'ee zee. I zet the table, and then when I was all ready maister sent I to Suckton, though it be a pouren wet night, and any time last wik would ha' done. He wanted I out of the way, do'ee zee. I didn' dare stop, vor nex' time he do gwo to Suckton he'll ask wold Johnson what time I got there, I'd 'low—he be a cunnen young genelman. Now what do'ee make of that, Jarge'" Hanger's face was burning so fiercely that he could not imagine how Pennydill failed to notice it. " Queer, bain't it?" he stammered. " I'd 'low it be a gamblen party, zo as not to come to maister's ears." Pennydill shook his head with a 'cunning smile. t • " There be zomethen he be vender of than cyards, look zee, Jarge." "Oh, be there?" asked the keeper, who had a little more command of himself. " Ees, women, my bwoy. I suspicioned all along he ha' got some pore maid agen at the end of a string. There was fine

j times in tbik but. I'd 'low, while I was getten wet through gwain to Sudrton. Thee bist alius about, Jarge,' haven' thee zeen en wi' any young maid lately?" Hanger shook his head. " Thee bist wrong, I'd 'low, Harry ; it be eyards, zno. Couldn' thee guess how many , there'd bin?" I Drops of sweat stood on his forehead, | and Pennydill was looking him in the face. j and still the accusation did not come. It ] did not strike him that Pennydill was too j absorbed in his own story to notice the keeper's discomposure. ".Well." said Pennydill, slowly, "there be one thing agensfc what I do think, to be sure. When m'aister sent I next marnea to clear up tilings I did zee by the plates and things there had bin dree volks al< togeder." "Zo, then," interposed Hanger, quickly, " it couldn' ha' bin what you did think. Maister wtmldiv* ha' two vemales to oncet," and lie laughed. " The pore young genelman hain't to blame thease time!" " Ees," said Pennydill, more slowly, "but I hain't altogeder a vooil, Jarge. * I—did pick—a bonnet-striug—— the hut—thik niaruen." "Did 'ee. now." remarked the keeper, flushing again, but feigning intense interest. "I ha bin asken in a careful zort of way, zno. if anybody ha" zeen the maister about with a maid, but I couldn' hear. If thee do hear, Jarge, let I know, will 'ee? 1 should like to find out what have upzets en zo." " Right," said Hanger. " But lill be gefc« ten along, Harry. I'll put oil' zeen maister' for a day or two. I think." The keeper breathed deeply as;ain and again as he walked on. That Pennydill had been too absorbed to raw! his traitor face, and did not know anything definite. was a great relief, though there was still a danger he might find out who the girl was. Hanger swore aloud as he thought! how intolerable it would have been to hear" Pennydill laugh and remark as he spoka with gusto of the frailty of another female. He swore again and again as he heard in imagination the story being related to others,| till the tit-bit had been discussed in all the alehouses round, and then carried home to regale the wives. His mind was made up ; if he heard Sally's name coupled with Lewis' he would tell the whole story. Squires in their mrisb.es were as kings to be feared and reverenced by those who could be re- ! duced to beggary by their nod, but Hanger,. j although he knew what he might have to i face, was resolved that Drexlev should be a laughing-stock rather than Sally should jbe an object of scorn and contempt. Hang- | er, who in common svith his fellow-peasants I the exceptions were so rare that they were marked out as dangerous enemies to ' the peace of a villatrewas brought up in \ the belief that to order oneself lowly and* reverently to one's betters was for workaday purposes the most important article in the Christian creed, was a. Radical that afternoon. (To be continued daily.) On Saturday, April 11, the first install I ment of a new serial will appear in thesa J columns, entitled " THE IRON HAND," by, J. MacLarkn Cobban. It is one of the most fascinating stories ever written. Do not | miss the opening chapters in the New ZeaI LAND Herald of Saturday, April 11.