FENCES

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXIX, Issue 21371, 21 December 1932, Page 20

FENCES

By PRENTICE PLAYER

Tuppy dashed the wet and steaming silver from the washing-up bowl Avith such a clatter that it brought a petulant, "Is that necessary ?" from her cousin, Marion Harper, who was reading on the back porch. Tuppy responded pertly, and danced as she picked up the hot spoons and forks. She dare not contemplate the pile of things to be washed, nor dare she contemplate Marion sitting at ease. The two circumstances were enough to make anyone see red when a hot summer's afternoon that one had " off " was bitten into by these chores. And one might have had help if the other had not been such a " lady " and above drying a few dishes. Washing-up done, then the tea-waggon must be set for afternoon tea. Tuppy moved like a typhoon, and in half an hour was out on Maori's back, lazing along a winding road, and breathing leisurely, 'io her left was a line of broken fence, mended in places, but for the insist part sadly in need of repair. What a contrast it was to sleek Marion, who that afternoon was to entertain the rich new owner of the immaculate fence on Tuppy's right, which looked as though it must have complied with all the regulations under the Fencing Act. The idea was for the broken fence to make a match with the immaculate fence, and then things would be all right for the broken one. Tuppy, who was fenceless, but who sat her horse well, grimaced at both fences, and encouraged Maori to gallop. She responded with great energy, only to be brought up suddenly at the Marahau deviation. " Now darling, do we go on, or shall we try the deviation and trespass on Marahau ?" Maori inclined her head towards the deviation, so off they galloped once more. The deviation led to the Marahau homestead, so to avoid the house, Tuppy turned in to a wide paddock full of tree stumps and steers, shutting the gate very carefully after her. Half-way across, her heart flopped at the sight of an ugly beast pawing angrily at a fallen treo trunk. He had not yet noticed the horse and rider, and Tuppy was fearful of his doing so. She urged Maori on toward the gate, and bent over her graceful neck, as the mare noiselessly cantered over the long grass. When she was through the Tuppy looked back and saw the beast still venting its anger on the fallen tree. This little incident so engrossed Tuppy, that it was only after she had reached safetv, that she became conscious of the hollow, springy sound of an axe chopping green wood. Instantly a chip flew back and caught poor unsuspecting Maori above the eye, so that she began to curvet; in turn taking Tuppy unawares, so that she lost a stirrup and was in danger of being bucked off. "Stop chopping,' you fool," she cried at her loudest, meanwhile trying to keep, her seat on the horse. The chopper heard only the last word, "fool," and turned in great surprise to see a girl giving a rodeo turn quite near to him. Before his astonished eyes she did a graceful curve from the horse s back, and landed ignominiously on the ground, where she sat, head in hands and shoulders heaving. He walked over and stood, a tall figure, towering over her squat one. " Are you hurt?" lie asked. " No. thank you," she replied. " Don't thank me," he said, then, " he who calleth his brother a fool, is in danger of Hell fire!" "I don't care!" returned a smothered voice. " Don't. Care was made to care. The hands parted, and a mirth creased face looked at him. "At last I've found it," she said. " The original walking dictionary of quotations!" "But are you sure you're not hurt, he asked.

"Does it matter?" she asked in return, " you're not really concerned, are you?" She stood up. "No doubt there'll be a bruise or two, »and a certain amount of stiffness. I'm awfully sorry I called you a fool. It was unpardonable." " Forgiven, and forgotten. What really intrigues me, is the reason for your laughter," he said, twinkling at, her with amused blue eyes, which lit up his goodlooking sunburned face. Tuppy pointed to the still pawing animal in the next paddock. " I was dreadfully afraid of that bull," she said, " and just when I thought I was in safety, this happens. You're not very good at chopping are you? I suppose you're the new cadet; but you don't look as unfledged as most new cadets do!" M " Thank you, that's a pretty speech, he said. "Am I allowed to know who you are ?" " I'm Tuppy Harper, and I live with iiiy uncle and aunt at the Harper Station." "-llow do you do," he-said in his best party manner. " There's a daughter too, isn't there ? " "Yes," replied Tuppy. "Your boss is calling this afternoon with Guy Addis. She sat down on a near by stump. " Between the lady-help and the hired man, I bet you ninepence there'll be a match there. Our , fences need mending. Oh, aren't I a cat! " He kicked a clump of grass. " Yes, you arc, rather," he agreed. " Well, I have reason for it, I guess. Aunt away, a huge pile of washing-up before me, and Marion doing the ' lady ' out on the porch. She's lucky, that one, and poor old uncle is in trouble over his fencing. I made up a romance about the Marahau fence and ours, when I was on the main road. Oh, well, I had better let you get on with your chopping. I say, don't tell on me for trespassing, will you ? " Her new friend laughed. " Your guilty secret is safe with me," he said. "That is, on condition! "

Tuppy screwed up her face at him. " Oh, there's a condition, is there; this smacks of blackmail! " The condition was that she should trespass again next Sunday. This she thought she might do, if first he told her his name, and then could assure her that she would not run into his boss. His name, he told her, was Jimmie, and he could assure her on the other point. Tuppy half promised, and went to catch her horse. He watched and waved to her before she disappeared on the bush track, then shouldered his axe and walked towards the homestead. '

"How nice lie is,", thought Tuppy. " Not a bit earthy like Bert. I hate earthy men! " She visited some friends, was invited to tea, and galloped home under a starry sky, with no sound but the echo of Maori's hoofs, and the distant cry of a morepork. The ride home was always a delightful rush through the night air. There was no stopping Maori until Harper's gate was reached, and the small boyish figure, crouching above the flying mane, enjoyed every minute of itj She found Marion bright-eyed and talkative, full of her guests, and of one in particular. " Oil, by the way " she called, as Tuppy wont off to bed. " Your Bert called, and seemed disappointed because you wore out. You should encourage him," she said. He's a,very t.olid, sound young mail." " Nice for me," murmured Tuppy, " solid and sound, and safe. He's not my Bert at all," she declared resentfully to her looking glass, as she ran a comb through her tangled hair. Before undressing, sho leaned out of the window and drank in the air, and the minute sounds which are in tho pregnant silence of a country night. They always made her feel as though there was something strange and wonderful and exciting m life. Something within her, as yet unexpressed. Tuppy's and Jimmie's friendship remained clandestine, and one day he asked her to marry him. Tuppy rather gaped at him, and then her heart suddenly raced in a very embarrassing manner. So dis-

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tressed was she, that she continued speechlessly to gape, until he took hold of her shoulders, And gently shook her, "Darling, don't look like a fish, I only want to marry, not to murder you," he said. Tuppy found licrself again, and laughed. " I'm sorry Jimmie, you gave me a shock," she replied. " I had no idea you were keen on me; why, we have never even kissed or held hands!" "Time we began then," he said; and the surrounding New Zealand bush witnessed their new found joy in each other. Much later, Tuppy raised her head. " Do you know, Jimmie dear, I don't know what my future name is to be," she said. " Isn't it funny, we never thought of it! " Jimmie stepped back. " Let me introduce you to the future Mrs. Cedric James Taunton!" Tuppy's face was suddenly livid. She stood very straight, and her usually laughing brown eyes blazed. " Oh, how dare you," she cried. " How despicable and two-faced!" And she struck him with her riding whip, and ran to her horse before lie" could stop her. On Maori's back, she turned and cried, " I never want to see you again ! " And was off down the bush track. It was a very angry and heartsore Tuppy who rode Maori furiously toward the Harper Station. For had not Marion told her how well she was progressing with Cedric Taunton, and that he really was very keen, only Marion, thought it a wise plan to hold him off and not to yield too easily ? Of course it was Marion, he cared for, Marion, who was clever and dressed well. " A priceless fool I am," she said bitterly. " Marion holds him off, so he consoles himself in the meantime, in a little byplay with me." And here poor Maori received an unusually severe cut with the whip that was seldom used. " Auntie, do you think I might go and see Aunt Belle for a while ?" Tuppy asked, that night. - Mrs. Harper looked over her spectacles at her niece. " Yes, I believe you need a change," she said, " you're looking pale and run down." Aunt Belle, who lived in a Wellington suburb, was really very trying. She was a spinster of uncertain years, who trusted no man. She kept a large cage of canaries, a loathsome overfat little dog who answered to "darling Cyril," and an old rusty black cat who was always sneezing. Cyril became the bane of Tuppy's existence. She must take him for a walk every day, and before starting out she was instructed what to do and what not to do for darling Cyril's enjoyment and welfare. Then Aunt Belle would tell Tuppy how to behave if a strange man accosted her, and to keep her eyes focussed straight ahead, so that no man might think she was ogling him. Walks with Cyril were varied with walks in the company of Aunt Belle and Cyril. She seemed to have entered a dull rut from which there was no lasting escape, unless she returned to Harper's Station, or could get a job somewhere. Jobs were hard to obtain, especially for one so inexperienced as Tuppy, and she could not return to the farm.

"I'm well fenced in," she thought one afternoon, and this reminded her of the romance of the two fences and made her very miserable. So miserable that she lost herself in a daydream and wakened suddenly to the fact that darling Cyril's lead was not in l , her hand.

She could see him trotting along the pavement ahead of her and she hurried, hoping to put her foot on the lead before he became aware that she was after him. It was not to be. He turned and showed a pink tongue at her, and with an excited little bark, found such speed in his short legs of which he had not before realised he was capable. This fact and the sound of the pursuing footsteps put zest in life, and his erstwhile sluggish body gathered speed. *At a corner Tuppy collided with a brown waistcoat.

"Oh, please," she gasped, "that dog! Could you catch him ?" And they both ran after Cyril, who had never before had such fun. the stranger quickly outpaced Tuppy, who stopped a moment for breath. He was gaining on the fat dog, which suddenly dived into a shop door. Tuppy arrived a few minutes later and found no one but a shop girl confronting her, who pointed to a door, which proved to lead into a tearoom. Several tables* were occupied and she espied the man in the brown suit tying Cyril to a table leg. He looked up as she approached him and her head swam as she saw Jimmie's face and heard Jimmie's voice say, "Sit down darling, I've ordered tea!" She turned to fly, but those other people baulked her, so she weakly sat dowm Jimmio followed suit and they sat looking at each other. "You've taken an unfair advantage of me," she said primly. "The advantage was fortuitous; I had to take it. I came to Wellington to look for you. Besides, you took an unfair advantage of me." "Oh, I didn't; you began it." "And you ran away without giving me a chance to explain." "What was there to explain ? I knew about Marion and Cedric Taunton!" "You little fool," he said, and just then the waitress brought their tea. When she had gone again Tuppy said, "He who calleth his brother a fool is in danger of !" "We've both transgressed now, let's stop quarrelling and endure it together, Tuppy dear," said. Jimmie in his best pleading manner. "I wanted you to love the poor cadet for himself alone and not the owner of Marahau. I know you've no fences in need of repair." Tuppy, who was really very pleased to see him and to know that he had come to Wellington to look for her, said, "There was one!" "Where ?"

Tuppy looked very demure sitting there behind the teapot. "In my heart," she said. "Do you have milk in your tea?" "Oh, hang tea,' let's go where we can talk," he replied, standing up So away they went, only to be sent back from the shop to retrieve darling heaven-guided Cyril, who was endeavouring to get a meal off the table leg to which he was attached.