Miss May.

Otago Witness, Issue 1795, 17 April 1886, Page 24

Miss May.

T was an afternoon in late February and Tom Kingsley ,~ was lounging in the bay-window of the little sittingroom, his Latin and Greek books all around him, and what "was worse, a broad snow-covered hill in front of him, down which sled after sled was gliding with the most tantalising rapidity. Tom was twenty, and

devoted to learning, but he was not

above a good coast when the chance presented itself. Occasionally he favoured his sister, who was the only other occupant of the room, with very audible growlings agajnst the reutrictions of study hours. The two were students in au academy whoso mathematically square buildings' rose almost opposite to the Kingsley house. They were nearly of an age ; but the one was preparing to enter college ; the education of the other was considered nearly completed. The two young people, with their father and mother, made up the whole family ; but Mr Kingsley, in tho simple, unpretending way of the village, received into his house as a boarder one of the academic professors, and also occasional students when they happened to bo friends of the children. It was the first-named individual who was exciting Tom's attention, in. lack of anything better to look at. . . " May," he said, jerking his head over hia shoulder with a quick, characteristic movement, " iust come here aud see Professor Rensel go by." His sister dropped her work and came to the window. On the other side of the street stood a tall, ungainly man, with a scholarly 6toop iv his shoulders, a head of bushy hair much threaded with grey, a pair of mild wise spectacles, and a general air of perplexed acquiescence in all mundane affairs whatever. In his hands he held a very tiny sled, looking at it; at arm's length, as if it was something of an explosive nature. One six-year-old little fellow was surveying his broken play thing with despairing eyes, while two other excited urchins danced up and down in front of the professor, endeavouring duly to set forth the nature of the accident that had happened to the runner. Two clogs wagged their tails hopefully in the background, and, to complete the procession, a disabled crow, the pet of the villagers, brought up the rear. It hopped gravely along, now on one foot, now on the other, setting his head on one side in oracular fashion, and looking ten times blacker and wickeder than ever against the whiteness of the snow. After considering the situation a few minutes the professor started off again, dragging the sled by the rope, and his procession, crow and all, trotted along behind him. " Now," said Tom, " he will go straight to tho carpenter's shop to get that thing mended ; and the carpenter after impressing upon him the arduous nature of the job, will charge_ just ten times what it is worth, and he will pay it without a word." " No doubt ho will." " And those little beggars will run off without even thanking him." " But they are fond of him, Tom." " I don't care. May, you can make that man believe anything."

" I know it." " Just fancy his going out with a telescope and watching the moon all night because we boy?

told him there wero changes on its surface indicating some great interior convulsion ! And when he couldn't find them, and came to us to point them out, we pretended to see them plainly enough, told him his eyes were getting weak, and he believed every word of it, and has taken to wearing spectacles from that day." " Well, they are becoming, at any rate, and he is short sighted," said his sister, laughing. 44 But, May, the best joke of all you never heard of. Promise me you won't tell anybody about it."

" Of course not, except Jem." " Oh, Jem knows all about it already ; he was iv it. Seems to me you're very dutiful, though, all at once. Getting engaged hai improved yoi ."

" We'll pray that ib may last," said his sister. "Which? — the improvement or the engagement? How many people have you been engaged to before this, May ?"

" About half a dozen, I think.''

'• I think so too. Don't treat Jem in i h.tt way. He's a friend of mine; and. after all, it\ rat her mortifying, you know, to a fellow.'' " It can't very well be mortifying in this e.\se, because nobody is to know of the engagement." 41 1 should like to know if they don'f. Why, May, it is known all over the town. Jem told of it himself. You see, you are rather pretty for a girl ; and then there's that bit of money grandmother left you. On the whole, Jem's rather proud of it, and no wonder." " Let's have the joko now, Tom ; never mind "the compliments." "Never complimented anybody m my life. What are you talking about ? Oh about that little affair ; you remember when we were experimenting with that nitrogen iodine in the laboratory, May?"

" You remember how explosive it was — safe so long as you kept it wet, but going off like nifcro-glycerine and dynamite put together when it got dry." " It didn't go off until some one touched it, Tom."

" I rather guess it did. If a fellow merely breathed a yard away from it, off it went. But that's of no consequence, for in this case somebody was expected to touch it." "And that somebody was the professor, of course ?"

"Of course. We made a lot of it and put some on the handle of his door, some in his slippers, and some among his books; the rest we scattered round promiscuously. And, as good luck would have it, there came up a heavy thunder-shower that very afternoon. The professor came hurrying in ; accidentally, Jem and I met him on the stairs. We asked him to explain a difficult Latin passage. ' Oh, come right in — come right in, boys,' he says, in that benevolent way of his, and laid his hand on the door-knob. Bang ! He jumped back as if he had been shot. ' Bless me, what's the matter ?' he exclaimed, rubbing his nose. We didn't say anything, but acted as if it was the most everyday occurrence. Well, he went in, and pulled off his boots, and started to get his slippers on. Bang ! bang ! Oh, May, you never saw the like of that jump! I believe he actually struck the ceiling. When he went to draw down the window-curtain, bang! again. When he took down the Latin book — it was a big a big and a heavy one — bang ! bang ! bang ! And so on with everything he touched in the room, till I began to think the poor man would lose his wits. But tbe best of it was he never even suspected the cause. You know his wisdom lies in Latin and Greek; he doesn't know anything about the sciences, though I believe he regards them with more awe than all the rest of the curriculum put together. Well, Jem just told him the thunder-shower had done it, that it had charged the room with electricity, and that he himself was a first-rate prime conductor. Jem expatiated learnedly for half an hour or more on the freaks of electricity ; talked, you know, as if it was a usual thing to see rooms behaving in that fashion. And, if you believe me, the professor actually took it all in ; is writing a papei now — if Jem's any authority on the subject — on these extraordinary natural phenomena."

Tom was in ecstacies of laughter by this time, and his sister was not slow in joining him.

" I was only afraid father would hear the noise, and stop the fun," gasped he at last, whon he was able to speak. " Luckily he didn't come in till it was all over. I suggested to the professor that it might frighten mother if he was to mention it at the table, and he hns been as mum about it as possible ever since. May, we can make him believe anything — anything whatever. If I told him there were gho.s' u .s in this house, he'd put out his light and sit watching for one the very next night."

" Why don't you show him a ghost, then ?" queried May. " You know we read how they did it at the spiritualistic seances. I'll help you, and — "

" May !" ci'ied Tom, jumping to his feet, and dancing the Fisher's Hornpipe, "you're a trump! Just wait till Jem comes, and we'll have it all fixed. The professor never locks his door."

The two pairs of brown eyes looked at each other, and the respective owners of them burst out laughing, with the delightful unanimity of sentiment that occurs whenever any specially delicate piece of mischief is on foot. Jem in no way dissented from the programme when he presented birnFelf at night, but, on the contrary, added some timely suggestions. Tom considered his friend the quickest-witted mortal in the world, and a handsome fellow besides, which last was true enough. The young people Boon found out that to copy the spirits successfully required more time and practice than they had counted upon, their ghostly advisers having failed to provide any short road to perfection. They were very patient, however, as people will he when engaged in something with which they have no manner of business, and in about a week had all their arrangements completed. Jem was to personate the ghost ; Tom and his sister, the audience. Tom having reluctantly yielded the post of distinction to Jem in consideration of his abilities. But when it came to the point, the would-be ghost had a new proposal to make. " Let's tell him to do something or other," he said — •' something that he would never think of himself— so that we shall know by that afterwards whether he believes it all or not."

This being hailed with acclamation, Tom suggested that the professor should be commanded to wear a cocked hat for a month ; May, that he should make a daily pilgrimage to the top of Meeting-house Hill for that length of time. But Jena rejected both of these proposals ; they would bo liable to bring about discovery, and were not solemn enough to be accredited to a ghost.

" No, it must be something that will affect his whole life," he said—" something of so much consequence that he would think it likely the spirits would be charged to deliver it. We'll tell him he must go as a missionary ; or, no, better Btul, lets tell him to marry somebody— May, here, for instance ; he was always fond of her, and she is right in the same house " "But, unluckily, May is not fond of him, but of observed Tom, wickedly.

" Well, ho doesn't know that. He will think it's his dui.y to ask her. And when .she. wiys no, bo will wait for soino new spiritual light. Ymi don't mind, do you, May ?"'

May did mind very much at first, but the two boys, aided by her own sense of fun, at last persuaded her iufco it. Perhaps the thought that it was sure to be discovered, and that the professor could not possibly carry his credulity io th.it poinb, helped to quiet her conscience. At any rate, she nob only yielded, but, after tho fashion of womankind, was the one to originate the boldest part of the scheme.

'• If I let you do that, boy&, you mu-.t let mo do what I want to.'

Of course they both askvd, " What is it 'f

May refused to tell them. You'll know soon enough," she said, with the mischievous sparjiles coming and going in her brown eyes '' Only, if I don't say anylnhi" to spoil your inn, you must promise not to spoil mine."

They both gave tbis proniist- very readily, finding a new interest in their project uo.v l.h.it something not laid down in the plan miuht possibly happen.

In about a week everything v.as lv.riy, ;n>d the night se*. for the ghostly visitation. The professor, after putting out his light, w.is just gettiny into bed, still absorbed in the true interpretation of 8 difficult aorihfc construction, when the door creaked gently, seemed to saving open of itself, and presently, to his astonished eyes, a tall white figure represented itself, with a faint blue light encircling it, and a geneial misty uncertainty of outline that might be attributed to the shifting of some thick vapour, but to an uninitiated person was highly suggestive of uncorporeal spirits. " Bless me ! bless me !"' said Professor Rensel, staring at the vision. " Who are you my friend ?"

" I am a disembodied spirit," replied a sepulchral voice.

" Dear, dear ! what a pity ! Can't — can't anything be done for you?"

" Nothing.

I am sent to you."

" Well, my friend, I am here " — after a pause, in which he seemed to imagine that tbe embarrassed spirit required some encouragement. His face shone with a mild benevolence. " I am here," he repeated. " What can Ido for you ?"

The blue; light was shaken for a moment, as if the spectral visitor was disturbed by this tantalising calmness, and even disposed to back out of the situation. Then the spectral voice, replied. " You are commanded to marry May Kingslcy."

"How? What? My good friend, you are talking like a — ghost !" exclaimed tha astonished professor. A slight flush rose to his benevolent face.

" You are commanded to do it," repeated the spirit, monotonously. " Bless me ! bless me ! It isn't possible."

" With us all things are possible.'

" Indeed ?" said the professor, inquiringly. " Indeed ?" he repeated with as much deliberation as if he were addressing his classes. " Well, well. Let us consider that settled, and — and pass on to something else," with a certain mild dignity, as if he objected lo discussing the lady they had named even with a ghost. He was evidently disposed to be hospitable, but somewhat at a loss bow to entertain his viaitor.

" You are not," said the professor, glancing hesitatingly at the suggestive blue light, "from the celestial regions, I am afraid ?''

44 Dear me ! dear me ! what a pity ! It must be very unpleasant. Yet, if you could— if you could be persuaded to give me a little information about the other place — the truth is, I have a young friend who is going that way, I very much fear, and "

Here something not laid down in the programme happened — the ghost incontinently bolted, blue light and all. Outside there was a suspicious scuffling and hurrying of feet that may have been produced spiritually, but w.is very like scampering humanity.

The professor deliberately got up and closed the door, murmuring to hhnseif : " Very singular — very singular, indeed."

The same embarrassed flush still lingered on his face, but he got into bed and went calmly to sleep, as if nothing unusual had happeued.

Meanwhile the ghost and the audience were holding a hurried consultation down-stun s. All three were considerably taken aback.

"He knew us," said Jem, disconsolately. " He must have known us the very first thing. His young friend ! That wa? cool, at any rate. Which of us does he mean, Tom — you or me ?" "Perhaps he didn't know himself which it was," said Tom.

As neither of them could settle this point, they at last adjourned to bed, each, perhaps, with a little sense of discomfiture under all iiis merriment.

The next morning, after watching Tom out of the house, May sat down to ;ome feminine work of her own, to pnudpr over their ill-fated schemes, when in walked Professor Rensel, who was supposed to be safe in bis class-room. May was aghast at the sight of him.

" Now for it," she thought. "It is too bad I should have to take the scolding alone.''

For it could not but be that even so mild a man would be angry at such an escapade. True, he could not know her share in ib, but then it was nearly as bad to have Tom made the scapegoat. Miss May -was an audacious young lady, but conscience made a coward of her, and she dared not look up or ask him why he was not at school.

" Why don't he begin ?" she mused, still keeping her eyes on her work, as the tall figure shuffled uneasily round the room.

Presently the professor stopped in front of her and cleared his throat. "My dear Miss May, do you think you could ever bring yourself to marry me?"

The work fell out of her hands, and May sat fairly dumb with astonishment. The professor picked it up again for her. "lam much older than yourself, Miss May," he went on, " and a very awkward man in action and speech, as you see. Not such a one as a young lady ever would be likely to fancy. Only — only I felt it my dnty to ask you." Then at last May found her tongue. " One would not like to marry anybody who asked her merely from a sense of duty," she said, gravely, bending still lower over her work. The same flush tinged the professor's face that had been there the night before.

" When I said duty, Miss May," he answered her, half reproachfully, " I only expressed tho motive that had led me to speak to you this morning. I said nothing of my own feelings Surely you must know what they are and have long been. You must know that a man like myself, who has neither youth nor attractions of any kind, would, under ordinary cirsumstances, feel debarred from the right to ask what a younger and happier man might ask. Such a one as myself can only stand aside, glad to be your humble friend, and to wish you all hnppiness to the end of your life."

There was something so pathetic in the sight of the gentle, learned professor addressing such words to the thoughtless girl whom others treated only as a companion in mischief, but

whom his love elevated to a pedestal abov^ common womanhood, thai May might well have been restrained by it. His groy hair and simpb kindliness of life might have turned aside the j >kes his credulity brought upon him. She wavvred visibly for a moment, thou tho old mibchiuoms sparkle came back to tho eyes that were so demurely dropped. " Yet you have .-dlerad your resolution this morning?" she said, inquiringly. "As 1 told you, Mi.-s May, because I beliovod that ib was ri;cht for me to do so." '• Well," said May, after a long pause, in which she was scarcely able to keep down tho rogjish quivering of her lips, "if it is your duty to marry me, it must bo mine to marry you." "Then you consent?"

The tall, ungainly man stopped, with no grace except that which love gave him, and lifted her hand to his lips. He seemed no more astonished at her answer than he had been at the spiritual visitation of the night before. When the boys came home that night, J hey found the professor radiant, Mr and Mrs Ki:igsley beaming approval upon their daughter, and May herself submitting to it with the mo.-t curious expression ever seen upon any dimpled face — a roniponml of laughter and doubt, oi fun jincl fear.

Whether .slit* was pricked by her conseu iiee, or only frightened by this boldness of tho gune she was carrying on, they could not tell. As soon as possible they got her alone by herself and fell upon her, metaphorically speaking, with an avalanche of questions. " May, did he really ask you to marry him ?" " Yes." " But he acts as if you had said yes." 44 Well, so I did." "By Jove !" ejaculated Tom, perfectly confounded.

" You know I told you, boj'S, that if I helped you in your fun, you must let me have mine.''

" But, May ! May ! do you know ho has already aslced father's consent ? How will you get out of it ? What a storm there will be !"

" She means," interrupted Jem, who had been studying her face attentively, " to let it go on till it comes to the finale, and then say no instead of yes when the minister puts the question. "'

Tom's face was a picture of mingled consternation and admiration. He had held a very low opinion of the courage of girls up to this poiiit, but here was one who was willing to go beyond him.

" Did you think of this last night when you wouldn't tell us what you were going to do?" he asked, humbly. " Of course I did."' " Only think, Tom, he believed every word of it, after all,"' put in Jem

They congratulated each other upon having perpetrated a successful joke, but still their countenances wore a very uneasy expression.

" After all, May, it's a little too bad," saitl Tom, hesitatingly. "The professor is a good sorb of man, though he is such a muff. We won't spoil your fun, of course, but just look at ir. heton; you go ahead. Have you thought what an •iwful row there'll be when it comes out?"

"It is too late to stop now," said hid sister, faintly, as if she were a little alarmed herself at the prospecb.

M Well, anyway, May can marry me, and ,so get out of the scrape," said Jem, taking her hand consolingly.

" She'd better marry you right after the other ceremony, then,' 1 answered Tom, ominoiibly. "You'd better take her out of father's reach as fast as possible. He thinks everj thing of the old professui'."'

"Well, why shouldn't we?" asked Jenr, with confidence. "It's just as well now as any time. May won't mind

And indeed May did look so relieved ab this proposal, after the fashion of a child who has unexpectedly grasped a torpedo, that Tom began to think it would be the best way out of the scrape after all.

To bo sure the pair would have nothing to live on after they were married except his sister's little legacy, which would nob go far, ,md which, besides, could not be claimed for a year, till the young lady was of agp. But Tom had a cheerful confidence in Jem's abilities, and as great a confidence in hir. sister.

They finally settlcl it among themselves that this was to bi> the (/eiwi'oiicnt, and afterwards fciied lo look a.s if everything was all right;.

One of them at least, failed iguotrriiriously. Tom was attacked with fits or wlf-repronch every time he chanced to meet the professor's eye, and whenever tho good, unconscious mitn showed him any trilling kindness-., would rush out of the lioupo as if he were a convicted criminal. This went <>n for a few month I*.1 *. T'.m growing more and more, con^ci' iiro-stnckon, May more and more silent and timid, till at last the powers that be were moved to set the wedding day.

They all felt a kind ot relief at this. The joke which had seemed so ludicrous at first had gro-.vn into a specie-, of nightmare, which bestrode them all mercilessly. M.iy submitted to the wedding preparations wilh a quietness veiy ■inliicp her. She avoided solit.iry interviews with the, profes.sor, but as lie had far tup jjrcwl a reverence for her to seek them, this conduct did not attract attention, There was much wondering and many comments among the gossips of the village over tlii--. Mnuular and apparently unsuitable engag.'ir."ut, i>ut May had always had a reputation for doing unexpected things, so at last the wondering settled down into acquiescence.

By the morning of the wedding-day both Jem and Tom were beginning to recognise the serious aspect of the drama to be enacted, and were not a little nervous on entering the church. In their trepidation they nearly forgot to provide themselves with white gloves, if there had not come a timely reminder from May. The service commenced—went on without interruption to the place where the decisive question was put. Jem and Tom listened in the utmost excitement to the professor's response, and then the question came to May — "Wilt thou have this man to be thy wedded husband."

Jem was just rising iv his seat in anticipation of the impending scene, when her answer came in a low, clear voice that could be heard distinctly in all parts of the church, " Yes."

The two boys were horrorstruek. Was it possible she knew what she was doing ? Was she overpowered by fright ?

Whether she did or not, they certainly were, for, in spite of a frantic impulse to cry out and proclaim the mistake, tho decorum of the place kept them <-ti!l 1 111 the reri'mony was over. I'hen tlu-y rushed to her side, heedless of order or conventionalities.

"May! May!" whispered Tom, catching her hand in his excitement., " are you crazy. Do you know that you are married to him ?"

The colour in her face deepened as in a late sunset sky.

" Yes I know it," she said, quietly, laying her other hand upon her husband's arm, and then, lifting her beautiful, flushed face to her brother, " and I love him."

Perhaps two more discomfited young men never stole out of church than were Jem and Tom as they slipped away unnoticed among the

crowd of people. Tho former, imku!, w.is savage, and declared that he would n<»ver fm\juv her.

But Torn, when he saw his sist ;r's {'.v->') 1 \t,iing out of the carriage for the tost ti.nj ln-S-iini they drove away, was moved to ki->s hi.-.- I.i » grim uncompromising sort of way, and, v «iiijj the penitent tears gathering in her bi-ow.i cm*;, t j mutter to himself. "It was our f.-m't. ni'vi- .dl. We acted as if we were sure sL<3 h.i l-i'l ij i h any hoart, and no wonder she was as/iamo i vj show ib."

As for Jem, he finally retracted his heroic resolves, and commented to a most amicable truce between himself and Mrs Professor Kensel after her return, but oho two young men were n v/l-v quite sure whether tho professor beliovod in that ghost or not — Harper's Magazine.

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