Chapter XXI.

Otago Witness, Issue 1942, 7 February 1889, Page 29

Chapter XXI.

Jim. Makes his Father half believe Amos Robinson to bo an Impostor. IM BALLINGER by no means contented himself with muttering and swearing, for he wanted a sympathiser, if possible an active ally •, so, hoping to gain both in one, he went straight away to his father, who he knew had always been pleased with the idea of his marrying Winny, and, now that she was worth £50,000, he shrewdly opined that the match would be regarded just 50,000 times more favourably by the old man. When he at last came across him he had no thought of sparing his feelings by breaking the news to him gently — indeed, a single glance at his son told Farmer George not only that he had had a severe thrashing, but that he had received a blow or blows of another kind which gave him far more pain and annoyance. He, however, greeted Jim cheerily and heartily with : " Hullo, lad, so you've had it out with the Australian, and I wouldn't mind wagering, from the look of you, that you've got more than you've given. Well, I hope that you shook hands over it at the close, and that you owe the young fellow no spite, for he's a downright proper one to my notion, and I

must add that you richly deserved all that ] you've received at his hands." $ This was not at all the kind of sympathy < , that Jim was in quest of, and so he rejoined 1 j very grumpily : "That walking fraud seems to go down with everybedy except me. There's Winny — my Winny as I thought her to be up to half an hour ago — has just flung herself and her £50,000 at his head, and I shouldn't wonder a "bit, you yourself are so taken up with him, if you were to give 'em your blessing, and a wedding breakfast to back it up." By the time that his son has growled this out, however, old George Ballinger didn't look much like giving anyone a blessing, for his red cheeks had turned purple, and the veins of his temples swollen out like whipcord. " Where have you picked up this mare's nest, Jim ? " he exclaimed, with an oddsounding laugh. "I heard this d d unpleasant truth from Winny herself, who when I told her what I am sure of— that the fellow is an impostor — ordered me angrily to ' spsak for the future in a more respectful way of her affianced husband.' Yes, dad, those were her very words, and I don't see how they could have had more than one meaning," "No, lad, nor do I — nor do I," rejoined the burly farmer, evidently considerably crestfallen. ''By George, he's a chap who don't seem to lose much time over matters, for he's given you a sound drubbing, and won your girl away from you, all between breakfast and lunch, and on the first morning that he's ever clapped eyes on her." " No, he hasn't, father, he hasn't won my cousin away from me. Don't you believe it, or that ho ever will either, for I'd kill him first — aye, I'd kill him just as I'd kill a fox that I'd caught amongst the poultry, and I'd do it with just as clear a conscience, perhaps," hissed Jim between his tightly-set teeth. Thereat his father retorted, in a furious passion : " Don't talk of committing murder in that way, or by I'll give you a thrashing that you won't forget in a month of Sundays. Never let me hear you speak of killing a fellow creature again, or " But here the old farmer pulled suddenly up, on observing that one of his labourers had approached them unperceived, and from the expression of bis countenance that he must have heard every word which ho had just uttered, and perhaps what his son had last said also. As soon, therefore, as he had given the farm hand his instructions, and sent Mm of£ to execute them, he turned to the still irate Jim, and said to him very gravely, and in a lower tone than either of them had yet spoken in : "There goes a man, my lad, who could, and doubtless would — because 'twould be his simple duty, don't you see — help to hang you were you to put your present ferocious desires into execution. Anger and revenge are very dangerous feelings to encourage, Jim, and if you don't try hard to get rid of them your own self, I must endeavour to thrash 'em out of you, whether I like the task or no. Are you attending to what I'm sayjng ? " " No, I'm not, dad, and that's flat, for I'm not in the humour to be preached to or lectured. If you really want to do any good you'll lecture Winny, and not me. You've housed, fed, and clothed her for the whole nine years that she's been little better than an orphan and a pauper, and now that she's come into £50,000 it's a pretty go that she should immediately and at once give it and herself away to a perfect stranger, instead of marrying her benefactor's son, who has worshipped the very ground she walks on for I don't know how long, and spending some of her fortune in doubling the size of the farm, as there's now a splendid opportunity of doing, thus making it one of the very finest, if not absolutely the finest in the county, all for the benefit of themselves and their children after you." Jim knew rery well that he was attacking his father on his weakest side, and stirring up ardent wishes which he had for long entertained, and which even a fourth of Winny's fortune would now enable him to gratify, a fine farm having just become vacant that bordered or "marched" with their own, as the local expression has it. " Well, she certainly is a most ungrateful girl to throw you over so coolly, my poor boy," old Ballinger therefore said with a sudden change of tone and manner, " and, what's more, I'll tell her so to her face. I doubt not her father expressed a wish in his letter that she should marry his mate, perhaps even laid a command upon her to do so. 'Twould be just like him if he did, meddling and muddling where it would have been far better had he left things alone. But it's beyond reason that the wench should jield to such whims and cranks. She should think more of wha-t she owes to me, who have stood in the place of a parent to her for half her life ; aye, and of what she owes to you as well, who were ready to marry her, though she wasn't possessed of a penny, and with my full approval into the bargain. By George, she shan't break thy heart, lad, if nay appealing to her bettor feelings will prevent it ; and if my words have no effect on her, d— — it, she's my own Winsome Winny no longer, and I shan't scruple to tell her so pretty plainly." " Try the treacle by itself before you add the brimstone, dad ; and be sure and do all you can to convince her that this fellow really is an impostor," said Jim, almost restored to good temper by his father's last speech. "Aye, lad, but I can't do so, because I don't belisve that he is an impostor ; in fact, I'm sure he's not, for he certainly knew your Uncle John thoroughly ; there can be no doubt about that. He convinced me, he did, before he was in the house an hour." "Well, and hadn't he plenty of time to make his acquaintance on board ship? Weren't he and the real Amos most probably always talking together, and this fellow listening to them 1 He says he. was the last survivor on the -raft, and that I'm ready to believe, because his being so gave him the opportunity of plundering the dead, which doubtless he availed himself of by robbing Uncle John's corpse of the belt that contained this precious letter, Winny's portrait, and Heaven alone knows what besides ; and perhaps also of all that showy jewellery that

he wears. It's certainly odd that any man should buy a diamond ring to fit the forefinger of his hand, rather than the third or fourth, but not nearly so strange that he should wear one on it that came into his possession haphazard and was too large to fit either of the other fingers that rings are usually worn on. Now can't you see a great deal in that kind of argument, dad ? " Disappointment and rage had certainly sharpened Jim Ballinger's faculties amaz1 iflgly, yet, nevertheless, he was far from suspecting how very nearly he had hit upon the truth in the clever and plausible fiction that he imagined he had concocted. His father, on the other hand, was more impressed by his son's line of reasoning than he cared to acknowledge, for he at once saw the feasibility of it. He, however, contented himself with Baying ; " You should have been a tale writer, or a detective, Jim, instead of a farmer, I'm blest if you don't seem to have mistaken your vocation. Now I'm off to have a chat with Winny ; " and off he accordingly went, leaving his son in some wonderment as to whether the commencement and middle of his last speech were really meant or only uttered sarcastically. Old Ballinger kept his promise by going straight away to " Winsome Winny," and by giving her a downright rating on his son's account into the bargain. Indeed, never before had he spoken so harshly to her, and plenty of tears and sobbings were the result. Nevertheless, he found himself quite powerless to break the resolution that she had formed with regard to marrying Amos Robinson. " I will obey my poor father's last wishes, and I know that Mr Robinson is no impostor;" that was all she could say, and thereon she made a firm stand. She gratefully acknowledged her uncle's long and almost parental 'kindness to her, which she declared she should never forget, expressed her sorrow for Jim's disappointment, but stated her conviction that he would. " soon get over it ;" said she had discovered that she had never really loved him, except as a cousin ; averred, with many blushes, that it already seemed to her that ahe had known Amos Robinson for years ; and finally she sent her doting old undo away no longer angry with her in the least, but very crestfallen and sorrowful notwithstanding.