John Harman's Death.

Otago Witness, Issue 1489, 29 May 1880, Page 24

John Harman's Death.

0 By Oka Hope. — — — f LLEN, I wish you would keep from Graham's. I hate to see you going there." " What ! Not go to Mra Graham's ! Do you know that we were schoolmates — that I have known her aa long as I can remember V "I do ; and I know also every incident connected with your brother's death, and there ia not a time I meet her that I cannot hear again the poor fellow's last words as plainly as when he uttered them eighteen years ago." " Explain yourself, Harry. Except that he dropped dead, in the street, I know nothing of his sad end. You never told me the particulars. Oh ! how could Mary Barrett bo associated with it 1 " "Did she never give you the particulars in all the evenings you have spent there ? " " No, though I have often broached the subject. ' Lot us speak of something more cheerful, and forget the gloomy past/ she always says." " Aye, she would like to forget it, for

it must be a bitter memory to her. Well, I'll tell you all I know of it, and you can use your own discretion about continuing the intimacy. " When John and I were taking contracts in 1863, he was a strong able man, and a remarkably shrewd man of business. We were in a fine way of making money, for he had the brain-power which I lacked, whilst I had tho necessary funds. "We had been boarding for some years at Mrs Power's, in Great Lonsdale street, and in an evil hour for John our landlady engaged Mary Barrett as housemaid. " ' Now, boys ! ' she said at breakfast one morning, ' you are not to fall in love with the new girl ; she is engaged. She will only be here for a short time ; she is to be married in six months to Alick Graham. lam giving you timely notice, as I don't want any broken hearts among my boarders.' " How heartily John laughed, and thanked her for her motherly advice : " ' Not that it's at all necessary, as far as lam concerned. I knew that girl at Home, and I never liked her. lam glad she will only be here for a short time. If Bhe was going to be a fixture, I would clear out.' " ' Did you ever hear, John, that the fiercest love is the love that begins with a little aversion 1 ' : " * Yes, Mrs Power ; but I never heard of love beginning with contempt.', " Well, Mary was duly installed, and for some weeks he treated her with the utmost indifference ; indeed, I wondered how he could be so cool with her, she was so pleaaant. She was always singing Borne droll song or telling funny stories — nothing seemed to ruffle her temper ; and it waß quite evident that ahe was trying to conciliate John. Mrs Power must have told her that he was not to be offended. Being her oldest boarders, she had long looked on him and me as members of the family. " At this time I took a trip to Adelaide, to visit the old people, and during my absence things changed materially. I wired to John when to expect me, and I cannot tell you how hurt I felt at not meeting him on the wharf at Sandridge. I thought he had surely missed the train, and that I would meet him on the platform j but no, poor moth ! he was already singeing his wings at the fatal candle. "Mrs Power received me with her usual kindly welcome. My first inquiry was for my mate. " « He said he was going to meet you;' said she ; ' but perhaps he is in the kitchen yet. lam afraid he is going to cut out the Scotchman.' So Mary's sweetheart was generally called. " I stared incredulously at her. " * Oh I go down, and see for yourself.' " I could hear Mary's song and John's * Bravo 1 ' before I opened the door. There were two or three of the boarders there, and my mate had a towel in his hand, and was drying dishes as Mary washed them. " He threw down the cloth in some confusion, and exclaimed : " ? Welcome back, old fellow ! I meant to meet you on the platform ; I had no idea it was so late. I am so sorry.' " * That'll do, Jack,' I said, shaking hands with him ; * you are not a bit sorry. You are enjoying yourself far better. Mary, I thought your killing days were past.' " f So they are, sir.' " ' I doubt whether the Scotchman would think so if he dropped in on you now. I know if I were in his shoes, though I might not be jealous, I certainly would not half like it.' " • Oh ! the de'il a hair I care, not making you a short answer. He can have me or no' — take me or so j I don't . care a jot whether he weds me or no. " * Well done, Mary ! ' said John. * Come, Hal, and have a nip after your journey.' " I need not prolong my story, Ellen. Suffice it to Bay I found him completely infatuated by her. She could do exactly 1 aa she liked with him. My influence was nought when she chose to oppose me, nor did she scruple showing her power over him. His every evening was now spent in the kitchen. She would sit down, sewing and singing, while he was doing the most menial offices for her — thus making himself the laughing-stock of the household. " At length Mrs Power, who had frequently remonstrated with her, gave her a very sharp reprimand : " 'They are both too good to be deceived, Mary, and you are playing falae to both of them. You are walking with John and giving him every encouragement, and you are writing to Alick and doing the same. Now, what are you going to do next month, when Alick comes down 1 ' f « * " Sufficient for the day is the evil thereof,'* ' she said, with a Jaugh. " But the laugh died away on her lips. She looked uneaßy. The words set her thinking, and the result of her cogitations was John must be out of the house before Alick Graham came into it ; but how to accomplish it was the difficulty, but a difficulty that she soon overcame. <f On the Friday evening following John said to me very abruptly : " ' Harry, I am going to leave here. I am going to Murdoch's for a while.' " Murdoch was our foreman, and his wife had asked me a year before to board there j but we had been shown ao muoh kindness by our host and hostess, that we refused to make a change, ■

" ' Why, what's up ? ' I exclaimed. 1 Have you any reason for thiß, or is it another mad freak ? 'Pon my soul, T think you are taking leave of your senses. Since I went to Adelaide you are not the same man. Once we had not a thought from each other — now you avoid me aB if I were an enemy ; and without a word of explanation you are leaving the house you have always looked on as a home.' " ' Oh ! Harry, don't say another word to me. I have not been myself lately. My mind haa been tortured, but everything is right now, or will be in a week or two.' " He stopped suddenly, aa if he had said too much. " ' I have no wish to force your confidence/ I said, leaving the room. " I felt sure from this that they were going to be married, but could not understand their being so secret about it. I had never said anything about the girl except that she had a right to be 'off with the old love before she was on with the new.' I did not feel any great surprise at a man like John cutting out an absent lover. " For the next day or two Mary was very quiet— fretting, I thought, for being parted from John even for a short time. 1 was soon undeceived. He had no i sooner taken possession of his new lodgings than she recovered her spirits. She Bang, and laughed, and chaffed — in fact, she seemed like one that had just shaken off some horrid incubus ; and when John came to see her on Wednesday evening (he left on the previous Monday), she said she was not well, and went to bed almost as soon aB he came in. I don't think Bhe gave him an opportunity to speak to her alone all the week, although he came every night. 11 On Sunday night she took one of the youngsters to church with her. John joined them on the way. She came out before the service waa over, thus evading him again. " John could no longer blind himself to the fact that he, and not Graham, was jilted ; but he seemed determined to hear it from her own lips. He strode on past me without looking at me. He tried the kitchen- door — it was locked ; on to the sitting-room, where Mrs Power and those of the family who were not at church were seated. " ' Mrs Power, I must see Mary before I go home to-night.' " Before she had time to answer the kitchen-door was opened, and Mary, as white now as himself, said : " ' If you want me, come in here.' " After about a quarter of an hour he came out, reeling like a drunken man, and a look of agony on his face I shall not forget to my dying day. " « Oh ! follow him, Harry, follow him,' said Mrs Power ; 'I am afraid he will injure himself.' " No, poor fellow ! he did not injure himself. His religious instincts wero too strong for suicide. "He turned down Elizabeth street, walking in an aimless sort of way, as if he were not quite awake, until he reached Collins street ; turned there again, and again at William street on towards the old Exhibition Building, where he threw himself on the grass, where he sobbed like a child. " Eleyen o'clock struck — twelve — one ; I was frightened he was dead, he had lain so still. After the first burst was over, and just as I was about to speak, he rose slowly from the grass, and walked towards his lodgings. I stopped opposite Murdoch's door until I saw the light in his window ; waited until he extinguished it, and went home with a heavy heart. " For the next few days I saw very little of him. We had two jobs then on hand — one at the tipper end of Elizabeth street, the other in Flinders lane—consequently our occupation lay in different directions ; and I did not intrude on him in the evenings— l fancied he would rather not see me. " The Government now called for tenders for excavating a reservoir sixty miles from Melbourne. It was a big job — bigger than anything we had yet attempted. It was about £12,000 worth. I resolved to go in for it — it would serve to divert John's thoughts ; for, as I told you before, he did all the head work. It had the desired effect. It roused him thoroughly ; he seemed to fling trouble behind him, and entered heartily into the scheme. " 'By Jove 1 Harry, if we get that, we will have the beßt job in the Colony. We'll go in for the bridges next.' " For the next fortnight he had not a moment to spare, measuring, calculating, up and down to the Surveyor-General's office, besides the journey to the site of the work, which journey he had to make twice owing to an error which Mr Christopherson had made in the specifications. " At length the day arrived on whioh the tenders were to be opened. We were successful. We had taken Murdoch in with us this time, and the three of us were going from his place to sign the conract. John was strangely , quiet, but Murdoch and I were in a highstate of ex* citement, the result was such a surprise. You see those large firms who had hitherto monopolised the best work seemed quite astounded at the small fry attempting a thing of such magnitude. " Coming down Swanson street, on our way to the office, we had to cross Great Lonsdale street. There John etood for a moment, irresolute, as if he meant to turn ; then, pushing Murdoch aside, he caught my wrist with a grasp like a vice— " ' Harry,' he said, speaking with an effort, ' Hawy, \i I d,ia suddenly, lay my

death at Mary Barrett's door ! ' "< D Mary Barrett ! ' cried Murdoch. " But John did not hear him. He was staring into vacancy. In another moment he had fallen forward, _ blopd gushing from his mouth. We laid him gently on the pavement, I sustaining his head, while Murdoch ran for a doctor. " He never spoke again. " ' Rupture of a blood-vessel ' was the coroner's verdict ; * murdered by Mary Barrett ' was mine.