SHORT STORY.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLVIII, Issue 14707, 15 June 1911, Page 4

SHORT STORY.

MISS HOUSELEY'S DISAPPEARANCE. lir LTTCIEM BUTTON. The air of the officers' moss verandah was heavy with smoke. .Major Woathcrby had just, stopped talking. "I can't understand it at all," said Captain Nevill, in continuation of tho major's last remark. Tho new man recently arrived in India from a home battalion leaned forward in his long dock-chair, and listened to what was being said with a vicious interest. Captain Nevill's tone was puzzled and reflective.

"Two years ago, when Summers joined us ho was the merest boy ; 1 used to hear the older fellows call him baekboneless, though it always seemed to me that, there was more in him than most people imagined. Then that affair of old llouseley's murder by a fanatical Hindoo cropped up, and a. week later .Miss lfouseley disappeared off the earth without leaving a tract) behind. Goodness only knows " "Wasn't, there some talk of a very curious will?" asked the new man, in a ton© which he scarcely concealed from being insinuating. " Yes, an old uncle of them both died some time ago, leaving his money to Miss Houscloy and Summers, on condition that they married. It was to give his daughter a chance of meeting Summers again that old Honpcley came out to India. They met a good deal all through tho cool season, and some women's gossip got about that the girl was head over heels in love with him, though Summers didn't seem to altogether return her affection. Then the whole tiling was brought to an unexpected end by poor old Houseley's brutal murder, and a week later Miss Houseley's disappearance. To all intents and purposes tho girl simply evaporated in tho height of a Bombay season, and with the eyes of the whole of India full 011 her. The mystery hasn't been cleared tip in any way whatever. Summers came back off leave looking ten years older than when ho went away, but though there was an uncanny air of reserve about him, tho boy persisted 011 his honour that he couldn't tell us a thing." " And you believed him, I suppose?" The sneer was so pointed that Nevill turned sharply in the new man's direction. "Summers is a gentleman all through,", lie said in a still' void 1 . "We didn't doubt his word. All tho same," ho went. 011 slowly, " tho fellows don't chum with him as they used to do, so ho takes it out in pampering his company, and going off on long shooting expeditions by himself in the jungle. Every now and then an old native strangelooking old chap—comes in, and when lie appears Summers goes off on one of his long shikars. It's been going on like this for four months now. I wish— _ A troubled expression crossed Captain Nevill s faco as lie got up and sat on the rail of tho verandah. " I wish the boy would confido in someone," he finished mentally Ho thrust the uneasiness from him and added, " I wish tho lad would take a few months' leavo and go home for a bit. By George, I'll try and persuado him to."

As the swift Indian summer start, to draw in the officers' mess verandah slowly emptied. Two or three of the fellows departed to their bungalows to get into tennis flannels, and later they might have been seen going across the cantonment in the red sunset, towards the little gymkhana. But the central attraction seemed to be the big polo field behind the mess, where the soldiers' annual sports were in full swing. The new man, Smith, who had been left to himself, rose and threw his, cigar end over the verandah rail with an unpleasant laugh. "Life is a queer affair, and no mistake," ho said, addressing space with his habitual sneer. He laughed again, but this time the laugh was a bitter one. Two years ago little Jessie Houseley had refused the oiler of his hand and debts because, she playfully informed him. she was going to marry a " boy in India," and live in the jungle all her life. And evidently Summers had been in no hurry to claim her for his wife, after all. But how Smith had hated that. "boy in India " —the rival for whom Miss Houseley had coolly thrown him over, just when he had let the whole mess see that ho was quite confident of winning her! Also, there was this mystery of Jessie's disappearance. As Smith stood there the weird little figure of an old man suddenly flitted past the mess compound in the fading daylight, and disappeared in the direction of Summer's bungalow. It was a native, and Smith decided that it was the individual Captain Nevill had mentioned as the "strange-looking old native" who always appeared . the cantonment to give Summers warning that, it was time to go off 011 one of his jungle expeditions.

There was a curious, malicious, sort of gleam in Smith's eyes as ho left the mess with the impulse to follow that figure and find out its mission. The shadows had gathered so quickly that before ho reached the compound gate it was almost out of sight. Behind, on the. polo field, a race was evidently just beginning, for a hum of excitement sounded across the Having seen that Summers was not m his bungalow, the old native swerved off in the direction of the polo field, and Smith followed "Three times round! Go it, K company! Go it, V—By George, what on earth is Summers up to now?" Ihe last exclamation camo from Captain Nevill, who stood near the winning-post, anxiously watching the work of getting tlio horses off. A subaltern was riding for the honour of each companv, and Summers had l>ecn pressed into tho race quite. against his will, "though lie. was quite unaware of any desire to win, his horse was well in front., and going at a mad pace. For tho first round ho had to exert all his strength to hold tho brute in. Then a queer limpness crept down his arms, and the animal took what head ho wanted. "Hold up. Summers!" Captain Nevill shouted sharply as the post was paused for the first time. "You're riding for your company, lad!" Tho boy straightened in his saddle, but it was only for a moment, '("tie next moment, a weird little native rushed out on to tho ,polo field, and before anyone could stop him, was in the middle of the course waving his arms to attract Summers's attention. No one noticed the battled look on Smith's face, but it was not good to see. The. red sunset was over, and it was almost dark; someone had playfully lighted a candle near tho winning-post. Tho little old native, flying excitedly down the course, looked like a grotesque shadow in the quickening dusk.

Before there was time to do anything more than shout out a warning the horses rushed round again—swerved, and two of them camo down in a heap. 11l "Stand back for heaven's sake keep back, you fellows," shouted Novill, who was one of tho first to arrive on the spot. " Burton, I don't think you're much worse., (let up and feel yourself. I'm afraid Summers is done for. What on earth possessed that crazy old native to rush on the scene like that- "

"Ho evidently had something important to say to Hummers. Perhaps—" Smith's lips drew together in a thin ugly lino. " Perhaps it had something to do with Miss Houselev. Who knows? Jessie! Good God!" No one had seen her approach; no one knew where she came from hut. the lost Miss Houseley suddenly stood there like a white wraith, and knelt in their midst at, t.he side of Reginald Summers. The men who had l>een pressing round drew back unconsciously; the scene on the darkening polo field had got. tragic and uncomfortable. The girl, kneeling on the ground, seemed to have no knowledge of the presence of anyone. " Reggie, Jess's own l»oy," she, was murmuring, childishly, as she swayed to and fro on her kin*os. " I've been waiting for you ever so long, dearie, for weeks and weeks. I wanted to tell you that my head is much better now, ever so much better. Only sometimes it, aches and aches still," she pressed her little hands to her forehead, " but I never have nasty dreams now about you getting tired of me, boy. I am always happy, like the day we got. married down in Bombay."

She laughed hysterically. "Always happy, dearie. Do you remember the first time wo found out that my head was going queer? And 1. made you promise on your sacred honour never, never to tell anyone? I thought that people would laugh because I had holes in my brain, so we made it up ulxmt hiding me in the. sleepy old jungle village with the old ayah and t lio native doc:tor. And you had to think it all out by yourself, you know, because if ] tried to think the thoughts kept dropping through the holes, and the pain got so jolly bad, didn't it? Awfully jolly bad, boy. Sometimes it goes altogether now, and I am never frightened that you will let, people see me. Only it is very awkward to have a funny head." Sho looked up from the unconscious face of Summers to that of Lieut. Smith without a gleam of recognition. "You know, the thoughts keep slipping out. of t.lvo portholes every minute, and .von can't stop them at. all. When the pain's not so very Ixul it's comiconly Reggie never

had any sense of humour." She stopped talking. For two endless seconds no oik; in the polo field spoko; then (ho regimental doctor coughed. " Wo mush get, the boy to the hospital," ho said shortly. " I say. doctor," a man began. Ho looked in tho "direction of iho frail figure beside the hoy.

" Mad, my dear fellow, and I should say hopelessly so. We've tumbled across a story. A fellow meet--! dozens of 'em if he stays this sido Suez long enough. Poor little girl J"

" Doing splendidly, Nevill. Bless you, he's doing splendidly. The littlo wife's looking after him like a trained nurse. She thinks they're out in the little bungalow in tho jungle; it's tho sweetest tiling to see them together." The doctor once again coughed as ho pretended to hurry away. " [ say, doctor, wait a minute. Has bo told you anything?" "Not much. There wasn't, much to tell; it's the sort, of thing that gets lived, and puts years on a man's back, as it, has done on this youngster's, but it doesn't go far in mere words. It. was the shock of the father's deal it. seems. The next day she started to go queer. It wasn't much at first, but Summers saw the trouble was coining, and •well, y'seo, he'd loved her from the first. Tho marriage was a secret affair, liefore the ■worst came on. The old native was a doctor he'd picked up in Bombay as something of a brain specialist. 110 used to come down and warn Summers when she was worse, and then he'd go off to her. Jhe day of tho sports lie had como to tell him she had got away from the bungalow. Heaven only knows how she'd found her way into tho station."

Two months later half the men in the regiment, went down to Bombay to see Summers embark for homo on sick-leave with his littlo wife. No one spoke a great deal, for the shadow of a new hope had touched Summers, and it looked feverishly out, of his eyes every time they travelled over his wife's sweet face. Tho men shared in that hope, too, and expressed it in a hundred dumb little ways. "Take her straight to London," said the doctor as a Inst, reminder. " Don't, be too hopeful, but thing's may come all right yet." "And let us know, y'lcnow," gulped Captain Nevill, wringing his hand nearly off. Summers let, them know in duo course. The message contained simply:

"Successful operation performed yesterday. My wife's reason ouite restored. J am the happiest man in the world.— Reginald Summers."