BONDS OF CIRCUMSTANCE.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLI, Issue 12609, 25 June 1904, Page 5 (Supplement)

BONDS OF CIRCUMSTANCE.

ITHE NEW CHUM. [BY HltDi. KE.UCE.]

It was the kind of day;, when one lights *-{*£ 11««*hig » fire as possible, shuts the door, »R|fjK|selects "a book and,; the .very; cosiest- chair, !||||;|;fsjtid settles down for a homely" after- ;/;>.. ■ coon. The rain tore down on the iron ] ' 100 f, onlj ceasing to give way to fierce --is of wind, which swayed the trees till the swish of their branches became a monotone. To look out of the window meant seeing the young fruit whirl to the soaked j::vund, and to see broad yellow clay channels carrying little torrents over the care-fully-cultivated soil. Ugh! it made one ' shudder at the hopelessness of it! But the Inoon. burning low; and the stock of iron roof, only ceasing to give way to fierce gusts of wind, which swayed the trees till the swish of their branches became'a monotone. To look out of the window meant teeing the young fruit whirl to the soaked ground, and to see broad yellow clay channels carrying little, torrents over the care-fully-cultivated soil. Ugh! it made one shudder at the hopelessness of it! But the fire was burning low, and the stock of wood jwas done. - ' The woman opened the door, thought of '.• ■ going out, looked at the water running over j I the track which led to the -heap, ! looked down at her skirts, stepped on to the verandah, stepped back again. " Smith 1" sho called, and Smith, from I bis room in the lean-to, answered the call with a "yes" that in spite of the wind in ttr trees? might, have parried to the gate, scarcely seen- through the driving squalls. ""' ' • "I want, some wood for the fire, please," and, feeling somewhat ashamed of asking ; the man to go out, she refrained from sit'ting again until Smith bad made "up the fire, and kid left a likely pile at the door. Then she made things" comfortable once more, and prepared for two or three hours of it. The floor was shut now, and she had the pleasure of feeling warm and dry while the mm and wind were beating ♦gainst the house in angry squalls. '~.■: ■ "At all events, I am Secure from visitors, to-day," she ; mused, and ■ when the kettle boiled, she made tea in the little <\ til'ver pot, drank it from her prettiest cup, and was (is happy as a woman generally ; is under uhose circumstances.'. Knock knock!" *' j "Branches against the house!" she explained to herself. * * " Knock! knock )" and a cough that was not Smith's. ..',.-. She wondered who was foolish enough 'to pay visits in such weather, and reluctantly roise again from the easy chair. A man stood on the* step of the .verandali. "His coat, tightly buttoned, looked soaked. . : rivulets ran from the cheap straw hat, and from the end of his nose. His eyes seemed to have absorbed as much water, as they {ould hold, and stood prominently.outfrom o. heavy-jowled face. She felt* glad that old Smith was at hand as she said a stiff I " Good afternoon t" He had no bag or " Knock! knock *" and a cough that was awt Smith's. She wondered who was foolish enough ■ r fo pay visits in such weather, and reluctantly roue again from the easy chair. A man stood on the step of the verandah. "His coat, tightly buttoned, looked soaked. rivulets ran from the cheap straw hat, and from the end of his nose. His eyes seemed to have absorbed as much water as they could hold, and stood prominently.out, from a heavy-jowled face. She felt "glad that I old Smith was at hand as she said a stiff "Good afternoon I" He had no bag or bundle, therefore was not a pedlar. "Is this Mr.rJamwon'sr*' he asked. "Yes.", . . "Is he at home':" \; • "No," reluctantly, for tramps in the country when the man ot the house is from home are scary to ia woman. " Where can I find him?" _ "He's in town.":. .'" .-,' - ~ : . * ... His face did not fall. He began to talk as if he had a personal grievance against Jameson for being in town when he called. The ton*; was blustering, but the woman was . thinking. of: the rain, "I've ' walked all the way from Auckland to see him." |jV-V "Well, if you had asked anyone who • knew him, yon would have found him easily," she*replied, urged to pity.. - ' |"f want Mm to give me some work," he continued. "I called. at -—, on the hill yonder"— mentioned a place a full five miles nearer town—"and he said I wasn't to go back without seeing Mr. Jameson." "I'm rery sorry,! know he has no work to-give yon. bnt you had better "come in f" I'm very sorry, 1 know he has no work to giv« you, bnt you had better come in out of the rain, any way." "No,"' he replied, doggedly, "I must see Mr. Jameson." % . ;*" But he" won't be home for some hours; not until nightiall—unless the weather, |§ ■brings" him ■''sooner.?'"" *' .-■ •;*,■ '■' ■•; .-.': " Weil, if he doesn't give me work,. I'll'l Bar* 1 - to T gt» on *to -~j"»>,• a settlement seven; miles further. -" *** •" " ' ' •"•'/ . She did not like 'the man, but it was raining, and he was wet,i and she was of a hospitable turn. d'V :■>.• I "On. nonsense, you ,had better come in 'and!; wait for him! We'll put you ;up for the night, and you can go on in the morning. ' He accepted without iartbor.parlev. and stopped at the door to take off his wet f boots,' 1 which looked, a size too small. "Better takeoff your, cost and dry it!" > remarked j the woman, and < she ' noticed" how fofrgeriy:|was,, bis 7 tread , over her ■ fur '.■ rug. phi had become humble, and ; held' hist coat '] to .the'. fire rather than let her. put it across a chair. When she. had made him tea, and' i cut , bread; she "observed, that he must be hungry. • I''..'"i»;d you say you walked from town toiy: day ■■ ■• "Yes," he replied, emptying his mouth />; at one swallow. »* She did not." like his eyes, :I) she reflected, but .what right had she to' - ' jod/jb people by their appearances! V; j' "It must •be a ' very ; long walk, and in ; .-=;'-^this weather, too." ;■ ■ i i "About twelve miles." =:-,-' r ,J Yon said you called at— Whose llNlf • did"yon : say':" I " Mr. said you called at— Whose pW* did you say':" ~ "I don't know him, bnt I suppose my husband does, since he told you to come on here. What, kind of work do you want" "I've served my time at farming. I've only been out : from Home eleven weeks, and I couldn't get any work in town, and--we'i. 1 had to leave town." The tone implied that he had come to the end of his .■resources, ' **,•■ •' ':■■ When he had finished tea, the woman . asked if he were fund of reading. There j were plenty of books, and he might take j any he wished. To her surprise, he chose ; Adam Bede, and said he could read George .Eliot over and over. She left,him to his , * book and the fire. WL=n'. Mi. Jameson came home that night, his wife met him on.the verandah, and prepared him for the youug man inside. * : 7 ' ■;V , : Or:-.,; v ! "I.can't give him work," he said, cross- • ly; "and who's Jones? I don't know! Mm." ' ' ,''■;. • - ■ > -: "Oh, wall, let) him;have hi« dinner and I Adam for the night. he could read all the Eliot ovsr and over. She left him to his hook and the fire. Wh;n Mi. Jameson came home that night, his wife met him on the verandah, and prepared him for the young man in"l can't give him work," he said, crossly; "and who's Jones? I don't know "Oh, well, let him have hi« dinner and ■ bed for the night. He walked all the way from Auckland, and was going on to '-•' -if I .had! not insisted on his coming lt|||||m. ; He- was soaked through." ■' So the master greeted the young man rather shortly,, end asked a few q*6Stions. f ' " I nerved my time on Captain Markham's place in shire," said the man. The woman was afraid his manner, an assertive one, would rile her husband, so she did her ,best to keep the conversation even. < "Mr. Wilson says that he knows all about fruit trees/' she remarked. _ She was pretty sure of her husband on this point, and she was somewhat touched by the gratitude in the man's tone when he spoke to her. She was revolving plans for giving him employment: However, he wa,j guest tor the night. Next morning, Jameson, going off to II*"' town again, called breakfasting Viih the other man. "I can't jjive you any work," hs said ; St, "I can only afford to keep one man." Wilson looked just as a woman, looks ( 1 when she is about to cry. |, "I'll work for my food," he said, "to get j .-I start. Nobody here will take me without mine local references, and if you'd let me ;*/''■ stay on I'd do anything at all for my keep." |p> No; I don't want any man to work ;■/••• without, Pages. You mav'stay for a day or two v/nile you look round the district. Some of the neighbours may want help. But, any way, we've no room for another man to sleep. You had better have a look ; i •'. round to-day" Wilson did not look round. He went V-, ; down the orchard ami found some vines to i-'-. . attend to, and it was with considerable •'. , trouble that he was made to hear the signal for lunch. , ' "That young man seems to know a lot for a new chum," sneered old Smith, to the mistress. " How lons did he say he'd been out?"

" Eleven weeks.'' "Humph! He's got. to know about all fPfswW different timbers and posts, and things, wnart. He knows more about thin North Island than I do, by the way he talks." "Smith's jealous,'' she thought; "thinks the young awn's to take bis place." "Perhaps he is an intelligent man, and picks up things easily," she said. "J .Wotidei why he can't hear that whistle? I lupine the wind's the wrong way."

"Perhaps he's **"?' , W * a warm day," annoyedsat', suspicion«; left him, and 22*3$ SW *5 e new ch «™ ift the fartM>; orchard, bending over a tree as if his life depended on staging it. As he accompanied her up to the house, h *.?%£. eye lound % view l seen Mr. ,B T the P ,ace *>* *™ Men, airs. Jameson." «,'ls it?" she asked, astonished: "but you i* r . fmerorehards at Home?' o rso ive never seen a better. I'm not ?hr?£." aw ' but l wou!d like t0 ™ lh< J U 8 h a thlv <loubfc «>' "'s once! me * W y t0 b ° dismisscd at ' To *• continued.