THE WEAVERS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLIX, Issue 15056, 27 July 1912, Page 3 (Supplement)

THE WEAVERS.

PUBLISHED BY SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT.

BY ALICE. AND CLAUDE ASKEW,

Authors of "The Shulamite," "The Etonian."! ' Tho Bod of Justice," etc. In oro seise we . are all weave:?*.** —Andrew Oarncgle,

COPYRIGHT.

CHAPTER XXV.—(Continued.) ." It was a most terrible end — poor wretch!" Andrew muttered. "Why, 1,, could almost find it in my heart to pity Conrad do Lille, for the fear that proved his undoing at the time of the wreck of the ; Blue Star caused his death last night. If:' ' he had been a braver fellow, if he had'A'i turned on Thor and shown fight, instead of i). tearing along like a craven across the lawn, I 'don't believe that the great hound would . have ventured to attack him. I wonder now, though,, if I ought to have made . some search after the ■ poor fellow when Thor came back to the house. Bub I was too worried and anxious about you to care much what had come to do Lille. Be-' sides, there was nothing to indicate that • there had been a struggle between the dog and the man. TliorV fur was quite, unruffled, and I imagined that de Lille had , ■ got off in safety. I never thought for one instant, Heaven help me, that .he was lyinjr drowned in our lake. It seems too incredible, doesn't it, to be saved from *■■;"• wild sea to drown in t£ lake?"-

"Ah, bub he wasn't drunk on the other ■ occasion," Jabez muttered, "except drunk ' with fear, perhaps. Besides, I shouldn't be a bit surprised if ho hadn't hit hiss head badly as he dashed through the trees, and that he was half unconscious when ho finally fell into the water. But their©, no one will over know ell that happened, though, thank God, the marks of Conrad de Lille's footprints and Thor's paws go down right to the edge of the water. And . so it's easy to see how the poor wretch , ; came to his end, and no suspicion can attach to anyone. It's a clear case, as I said before, of death through misadven-.. ture, or, what I j should say would be a better verdict," and as the old man. spoke he lowered his voice to an impressive '- whisper, "Death by the act of God." * Ho paused a moment, a quiver passed v'W over his face, he stirred uneasily in his chair. '.-7 • "We're all sinners," he- muttered, - "we're all offenders, and I suppose that some day or other we shall be punished according to our deserts, just as this' poor ■ beggar has got punished. And I wonder what the Lord will have to say to old Jabez Gilman on Judgment Day? For, just because I lost the lass I wanted, I've made life, hard and bitter for a good many > people—l've trodden down the poor,' for I've shown little pity or kindness to toy mill hands— all because I wanted to ruin poor old Peter Rawson, poor old Peter, who never did me any harm really. It wasn't his 'fault, I suppose, that she ' v loved him better than she loved me-^-for it was Peter's wife, as you may have guessed by now, .whom I wanted for my wife. But the lass was of a. different ' opinion herself." .

He drew a deep breath and sank back somewhat heavily into his chair. | "Two weavers," ho muttered, "and each trying to undersell the other. And it war, my fault that the rivalry began between us in the first instance. I'm to blame for the long struggle between Peter Bawson and myself that has brought so • much misery upon hundreds and hundreds of innocent people, and I don't doubt thai! the Lord will punish me one day.'' '' - His head dropped on his breast, ho , ! looked strangely old for the moment, the?* he suddenly gave an odd chuckle.' " Let's, .. see," he grunted, " old Peter's shutting up ! In's mills, and I'm going to Buy. them and ■'■. j take them over. But it seems to me that' I'd better punish myself a bn, thin maybe ■'. ' K. ':': j the Lord will lighten things for mo, hereafter. Look ye here, " Andrew, •» all ray " - [life, lad, I've wanted to be the one great . | nullovrner in Yardley, and -now it Been, I that my wish is gratified. ' But I'll just be a second Moses. Poor old Mtsvti, Mho gazed into the Land of Promise Aid never ! dwelt there. I'll hand the, whole affair over to you, Andrew, though it will' fairly * ' break my heart to* do so, for you'll never be, the shrewd man of business that I * have been, though I won't say that you're not the better man of the two, and you'll lighten the yoke of those who serve you, and be a friend to the mill hands. So : ; I'll abdicate, my lad. Old Jabez Gilman, ' ':[ just when he's come into bis kingdom, will give it up to his son., As for the old man"he laughed rather huskily" djdon't suppose he'll be troubling you too , long, Andrew, and anyway you won't • grudge me bed and hoard."

[ "Oh, father, father," Andrew threw Ibis -.' ' arms about Jabez's heaving shoulders.. "Don't think of giving up the mills!" he entreated. " Why, you'd be miserable if ' you did anything of the —you'd be ;■ most unhappy." "Lord, I tell you, Tvo got to punish myself somehow," Jabez answered s solemnly. "Heaven help us, don't you want me to make peace with God? For when my soul goes out in the* dark, as ■ Conrad de Lille's soul rushsd out bust night, I—I—" ho paused and did iiot finish, his sentence, but a second later Andrew heard him muttering the lines of the prayer i that Jabez had learnt years ago at his mother's knee-—learnt and half forgotten— " Forgive us our trespasses." The door opened at that moment and • Fancy appeared on the 'threshold. She i-^f j looked pale and a little frightened.

"Oh, isn't it terrible!" she exclaimed, coming into the room. Then, of her own accord, she ran up to .Andrew and clung to his arm.

"Oh, Andrew, you're bo big, so strong,!* , : she muttered. "It's good to have you to coma to—for T feel shaky to-day and nervous—Conrad do Lille's dreadful end J,\ has quit© upset me." Andrew put one arm around the girl lie ,:"f----loved, and the other about his father's » bowed shoulders, and there lie- stood, tall ' and strong and honest—not a clever man —not a brilliant man— one who well ? deserved the praise that would be spoken of him in future years, for, he was a good, man whose word was his bond, a kind ' master, a generous friend. Jabez turned his head and looked hard , at Fancy. "Eh, lass," he exclaimed, "I've news for you. I'm handing over the mills to Andrew. I've a kind of idea that,he'll prove '■ himself a better weaver than I have been; : And God prosper his web, I say, and send good thread for the spinning." -" Fancy caught her breath, then she clung still closer to Andrew, as she would cling to him in all loyal affection for tha rest of her life. - ' And strangely enough, it was Fancy who was destined to faring more happiness into old Jabez Oilman's life than anyone filsc. For it was to his daughter-in-law-that tho old man turned for companionship j ~, in the future, it was to Ferny'a JtUfo* hand be clung as the sands of life ran oat, and it. to Fancy who dosed In* eyes at .' . the last and gave him one of her *'«*. ', kisses when he finally f.-ll asleep. - > * - '(■ . (To be concluded on aroocta.? next*} ' ■-.■;.