A MAD MAIDEN.

Otago Witness, Issue 2130, 20 December 1894, Page 12

A MAD MAIDEN.

(SfcdiiUg Written for the Witness Chricimat

tfutitber of 1894)

I.— LILLY BOTD. IS, everybody raid Polly Harper vm as mad as a batter, and tbafc she vr onld bo picked up with a broken nsok some fine day throngh her reckless ridiog. No doubt she did gire oause for euoh conjectures. W« often read, "Pot a beggar on b*reebcick sod b« will ride to the devil." Well, if yoa put Polly on a horse it etrlkeo me his SaUoic Maitistv's regions wouldn't b« her fssoppif-g place— >he'd still keep going. No fence, ho^evc-r rtrong, and capped with barb wore at that, oould i»&ke bar a- bw trusty Bushirtan, as her faTcurit« steed was called, L . . _ PolJy was goYorneES on a station in Central Otago, owned by * squatter named Mr BoyT bad had the misfortune to lose his Sr.<t T«ife on board obip oo»inj? to tho colodt, and after atop* of 10 yroi* be bad married again, for Ow rceeoc, ht* -yd, that bia only daagMer LiUy, cgtd 12 y^ans might Lave the benefit of a mother'o watchful oyp. One would Impgino that after suoh a lapse ci time Liil^ who bad safely negotiated kat t«ftthicp and whooT>i»tf-oong>i troubles utj^er fbc cweof Naree G:ies, conld have craOrraed to grow big *nd good under th« old nur-«'6 eye ; oat 1 6urpoee Mr Boyd cn&i<ierc-cl that .wider the ciiowußteEcoe a b^d exensfe tor re-entering tho matrimonial e'dt* was better than none. Tha laßTrfeg* ceremony was ctlftbratsd in Dunfdin with great ccZa*, and ibe bappy j;air trero ere long settled down on the s ; *tior. it was not loDg before Mies LUly kicked oy^t the tracw. H^ing beesn used to the Uiild remoufitraiiow ci Nur»« Giles, her *pMt TtTolted when hec ct&pmother assauied the rtififl of gorer traefc t. The r»snit vru that tha wilful yt;«ng rs&id«i irafl packed eff to school in Dun»:3ia, and afterward* eenfc to the Home couui.y to fi .ish b«r muaioal education.

It is quite unnecessary to follow the Ec^ds tbrdugti a porlOT of 10 ytars from tbe optßirg of tbi* usrraMT©, saffioe it to f»y tint du'ric s that, tlias threo little Boyds had *pps^r?<J on rfce »ccae — the first a girl, and thc-n t«voboy.°. Mic« Lilly has ju»t returned from her Home Irip, arid ac the ag<? cf 22 1b a fine gj^cicoen .01 L wcajunhoo-d— Mill, darkj 6np<-rb oocirp! jxk-n and figare r.re quahriea, when ccmi>iaed, that spvll ax.tr-.ctiVß. Mis* Lilly h.-dret'&rßedtoß^mTiey statlan with a hc«vy heart— that Is, if eh? posscppeO such ?» j> r -rtion of hnmin aa&toiDy. for I am ufraid that Srr&at Dale, » rit-ing yoiiTig artist In the mother conntrj, w^« in somo XiAj rt-f|ic-tßibk! for the whereabouts of that or^AR. Yos, Lilly h&d fallen deeply in love with the h&ridsorae yoatg artist, wbo^e pictures airea^y adornec iho walls of tbe Academy, asd wnen h« biida hir farewtll, ere tha .Br«3>n)er left, it was arranged that he Gbould come out to the colony tbe following yoar, snd sock her fatlifcr'* consent to vheir arficr.

Aa I have already paid, Lilly's heart was i»avT, nod her father, who expected to find ter The fiarac 1 5 gbt- hearted girl as of yore, •was fiomewbat Jn a qawrdtiry at t'^-e change. The Huleßojds wtic pretty children, and takii'g in tbclr wsp, but Lilly gave them but little encouragement, and the hopea that Mr Boyd had formed— that his daughlerwould be able to employ hn tpara hoars in educating the yotmg one-i — vrexe exploded. Mris 2oy<3, vho was in somewhat delicate teal'-h, niroiaged to get on very well with I/lly, despite th* way in which the latter treated the children .

A ytar coon pawed aw»y, and one dej a ytnavg man redo up to the homestead and Inquired for 2£Jp9 Lilly. To fay thai the yonng lady was taken by surprise would be an error, Jor a previous road! b»d notified her of Ernest's iatsaition of leaving by the follo-firing steamrr, and hia '*' Here I am at last., Lil," vras sufficient proof Jtt at h« bad kept hi* promise. Of course we do not want to peer behind the enrtain to catch a glimpse of the happy pair, or turn eavesdroppers to tho little ■"sweet nothings" that passed between them.

Now that Ernest had actually arrived a feolb gof cowardice crspt over LHl3'. She began to question herself regarding ihs kind <bt rectrplion her father would give her lover, of whom he had not yofc heard a word, although the regular arrival of a letter 'addressed to Lilly In a masculine hard muat have struck him as peculiar, and although he had often chaflcd her on the subject, be, being an indulgent man, never pressed her for an explanation. What a lot of trouble it plight bave saved had a thorough understanding beiog arrived at earlier by father and daughter. Shearing was in full swing at the station, tmd Mr Buyd was busy in the Bbed ; therefore after pr.rtaking of some refreshment iMlj tcok her lover round the orchard, through the paddocks, and finally to the This was the first Wme Dale had bad the ■pleasure of peeirf? a Ehod la fall awing. Tno boev appcaiT.pce of the shearers, tha click, click, eltck of 1 he f*wrs rs the heavy fleeces 'tollrd oft tho «>ieep's backß on to the ibor, 'and the ru«h^^ sV-'Ut of the picfccTS-up cocceiitra'.c-d hjs ihfM^its co much that he idii L-ot observe fr« ?-pprouch of Mr Boyd vuitU Lilly said, "Let rao introduce you to my father."

On turning round he beheld Mr Boyd attired in blue dnrgaree overalls, he having tscn cropped as&ietirjp: t.t tbe rolling tables. Lily, vrho ifeH EOiaewh'jt embarrassed, mii educed Ernest ge a gentleman fche had met ia the old country, f,nd who was a great

friend of her aunt Gertrude— Mr Boyd'e bister. Mr Boyd received Ernest In an affibta colonial-like mannef, and assured him that ■i.i was welcome at Rom»ey D^na Btntion. He would, however, b&ve to excu?« biro, ac bf was somewhat short-handed and thsie w.as a let to do. " Lilly will show you round until tea tlow," and with another appeal to bo excused he returned to bis labours. Lilly fuldllsd her dotie* aa ho»tees to her own an 4 her guest's £atl*faotJoi\ and at G o'c'icck they ftl.l Bat dovrn. to tea, and ©wing to tbe genial manner of Mr and Mrs Bojd, Brneat scon feit quit* at horae. H« kajw many of Mr Boyd's old frioudo, and the time coon slipptd away. Ernest and Lilly both rccogmswd thai it wag only right that her Jfattier should be apprised of ttieir rtUflons to ons ftjiotacr, and it was arraaged that Ertnat should broach the subject ov*r the finfvi pipa v&d gla^sthat night, after th« Uul)eis i-a J teuied.