Untitled

Otago Witness, Issue 2426, 12 September 1900, Page 58

SHORI STORY.

THE BOY AND THE MAN. By J. M. Jones. The Boy came at 7.30 p.m., and str.yed. I did not flant him. I kneAv that the mr merit might come when his presence would be positively obnoxious, yet I could not get rid of him. He was ■« ell-meaning (n &o far as he could be said to have ameaning), light-haired, long-legged. He sdt on the .sofa, and put lmn&eli into 32 distinct attitudes, not one of which was giv.jeful. I could not exactly tell him to go, and anything short of that he disregarded. He wore a pink-striped waistcoat and a bhic tie. He did not admire me ; his idol was in s-hort frocks and fuzzy hair. Other boys worship the seasoned belle, but his taste in enslavers Mas the only peculiar thing about him. I never eveed for the very young attached to me; and the very young derailing for another is even woi&e. He did not even talk of Hci. 1 wished he had. I would have sympathised to the be-so, of my power. Presumably, 1 was too antique in his estimation (I was 27) to take an interest in .such thing?. He talked of love, to make up for his silence on the nearer subject. 1 listened, ?/.id wearied, an 1 took out the fancy work 1 kept for the boy, and never finished. He *poke with the superior air of one instructing the ignorant. Iv. as, lam afraid, absent-minded, and he languished after a while.

I offered him sweets, and insulted him into a ruby blush. -After chat he stared sadly at me, as if ho had come for no other purpose than to feast hi* eyes for one lass, time on my adored feataics.

He « as very much like the immortal Toot«.

At last -the conversation got upon its legs, and, in a rickety fashion, managed to kec-p moving. The nvirrnige question (not the improper marriage question) seemed to interest him gicatly. Ho did not aak for advice, but merely soliloquised at some length. He mentioned the desh ability of early marridoes 'die impoi-ssibility of asking a gnl to lO.s a week; the expense of bringing up a young family ; there was the education of the f-ons and the poition for the daughtei •. " You would not educate them? "' I inquned, smothering an incipient lr.ugh. He thought he would ltL them choose between an education and an income. '' Besides?, they might marry. "' "To bs* sure," I assented. '"And there might be grandchildren."

A piizzlccl look crossed the Boy's face : he had not thought of the giandchildien. "_"0, that would be all right," he said, after a short silence.

"A man is only responsible for his own family. Directly responsible, of course."' Here' I thieaded a needle. "But there is no harm in looking at things from all sides. " ;

However, we had plunged too far into futurity even fo"*the Boy ; he took another bypath from the same thoroughfare. "1 think it very wrong fcr people to throw obstacles in the way of marriage,"' he remarked solenmlv.

''But, on the ether side," then said I, "it would never do to encourage the thing too much ; if the couple quarrelled, they would lay the blame of the position on you." This was evidently a new idea ; he pondered on it some time. The Man came in, sat down, and waited.

"People might sometimes interfere unintentionally,'' the Boy said reflectively. "They might," I agreed — 1 hope not grimly. The man looked at the clock and fidgeted. "Is that the right time: he asked. "Two minutes slow,'' .said the Boy. "Thanks," said the Man. "I have to catch the 8.35 train." My needle would not thread. Then I said : "So soon!" and "When do you return V" '"I don't know," he answered. "It depends." "Don't get fever at the Rock," said the Boy, paternally. "I have known such lots oi fellows go oft" like you, and they never come back." "I hope this will be an exception,"' I said. (0 v. ould no one take the Boy away and bury him?) "Thank you," said the Man. The Boy got vp — was he going? He merely looked at a photograph over the mantelpiece and sat clown again. "That is a nice-looking girl," he remarked. "Some people think appearance everything. Now I notice carefully how a girl acts to everybody, and learn her all round, then make up my mind." "Does it take long?" 1 inquired (with polite interest, I hope ; how I longed to stick my crewel-needle into him). "I & " (the Bofy's mind had wandered). "To learn her all round V" "Not very long. Of course, it depends "' The Man, who had been staring at the ceiHng, began to hunt savagely through a six-months-old magazine. (Ting — ting — ting — ting— ting — ting — ting— ting.) I wished he would go — the Boy, 1 mean ; 0! 1 wished. Could one be diplomatic? "I wonder," I said — "I wonder could you post a letter for me?" "With the greatest pleasure," said the Boy. "For the country V "Yes, lor the country." (0! my evil star!) "0 ! that's all right," he said. "I need not run with it." Then, in an explanatory tone, "You see the next po&t out is to-morrow morning. Any time till 10 will do." My heart sank. The Man, who had looked up hopefully, turned to the frontispiece once more. If he would — would but absorb the conversation, -there might be a chance. Yet if the Boy found himself too well eiiter-

tained he might stay for ever. But the Mun Ava& by this time in such a state of nervous irritability as to be incapable of conversation.

His very boots expressed his desire to summarily eject the Boy. Hoav I wish he had !

"Our friend is suffering already from home sickness," said that Arretched superfluity. I laughed the tears into mine eyes, and pricked myself badly. '"HaA 7 e you seen that sketch?" said the Man at length, handing me the paper. Something on the page, Avritten in pencil, interested me considerably.

"What is that?" asked the Boy condescendingly. "Harper's," said the Man. "Have they changed their cover, then?" he inquired ; "it Avill get mixed with Pearson's."

"It is Peaison's," said the Man; "I made a mistake. What do you think of it ? ' He turned to me. "It seems a bit startling?" said the Boy. I looked up, and my eyes met the Man's.

"Have a;ou a pencil." I asked courageously. "1 should like tc mark this."

There was one in his hand. I Avrote a tiny note in the margin ; only one Avord, in fact.

"I always annotate books," approved the Boy.

'ihe Man took the magazine and looked at the page ; he looked happier than he had done since his entrance. "Thank you," he fa : d, *o fervently that he aroused the Boy's curiosity. "May I look?'' he a^ked. " "Unless it is poetry.' 1 "It is poetry," said the ilan ; "the nice&t verse I haA r e evev seen." He looked regretfully at the clock and at the Boy and me. "1 am afraid I mubt "' "Must you?" said the Boy cheerfully ; that's the best of living on the spot, Aye need never hurry away." "Have you oiled your door lock?" asked the Man. "It Avas very stiff when I last tried it."' 1 put down my work. "I must see what I can do,'' I said ; I felt happy enough to laugh. Li the Boy would only stay on the sofa he miyhu conic again and stay ten hours. tie jumped up. "I'll help him to lever the door open," he fia.d. "It wants stronger Innds than yours ; I can post chat letter besides." "It is on the hall lable," I told him. ''0, that's all right, _f can get it when Igo out," he spiel. "Good-bye." He politely Avaited till hi? senior had had his inning.-. "Till I return, then," said ihe Man. "I thought you did not knoAV if you were reluming, *' said the Boy. ''I have- made up my mind," he replied. "Good-bye." They were in the hall. The door opened agdin, . and .there was the Man. "I had to," he said breathlessly, after the first two .seconds. "Confound that fellovr. Don't mind, dear; they are to last me a long time." "Mind !" "Look here, you'll lose that train," said the Boy, opening the door. The Man had managed to get a good deal out of four seconds, but all die fame he swore, and it is odd how it relieved my feelings. When their steps sounded clown the path, I Avent to the window and raised it ; as they passed, the Man tried to look round the Boy, Avho was between as, but dodged him unsuccessfully. I watched them growing smaller and smaller with the lamps until they were out of sight, then I tore out the page of a magazine, and, carrying it xipptairs, locked it, into the trinket-box, where it is scill. The Boy Avas a nice boy. and I could not find it pnsr-ible to hate him, even though he spoiled the Evening of my life. 1 think of it now that he is stout and fatherly, and in my heait is amusement, exasperation, and something fai more bitter. Becatise the Man never came bask. Rock fever killed him. — Black and White.