CHAPTER IV.

Otago Witness, Issue 2437, 28 November 1900, Page 59

CHAPTER IV.

"The prospecting has turned out so well that the Syndicate is going to get dredges put on at once,'' Mr. Calders informed his wife one 'night at dinner. "But it is all a failure as far as Charlie and Mollie are concerned, -so "he may as well come home "at once. ■ I did think of getting Archie to let us prospect his land, b\it somebody else must look after it now, for Charlie may as well be here. We're old fools, my dear, to think we^could arrange marriages to suit, ourselves," and he sighed. "Don't be "too sure." We may be suited after all," rejjlied Mrs Calders. "What," cried Mr Calders eagerly, "do you know something you have not told me?" "Oh, no, only Charlie sai&in his last letter to me that Mollie seemed to positively dislike him. From the doleful way m which he writes it is clear that he does not dislike iher." "Bless the woman ! that's a hopeless lookout." "I'm none so Eure of that," iaid Mrs Calders, nodding her head sagely. "Hei- mother scorned Archie at first. The first description of him that she wrote to me would astonish you. Mollie may change too. A little aversion at first is not always a bad sign; indifference is far worse. When a woman dislikes a man enough to think about him there's hope for him.* ''Well, women are queer creatures, take them how you will. I'll send Charlie word to stay there till I arrange with Archie. If he has nothing to do he can help them harvest; they're busy ait it before now." Harvest was in full swing, and the golden corn was being levelled, the i capers and binders working merrily. Seme of the farmers had all the crop cut and stooked, others, had begun to stack, and some were finished, and the monotonous hum of the threshing mill ■was being heard from early morn to dewy eve. - - Colin had worked the binder, and all bands, including Charlie and the 'boys, assisted in stooking the yellow sheaves in their straight rows. There was a good crop of oats. "Eighty bushels to the acre, they'll go," Mr Campbell informed Charlie, as he stood up a minute to wipe - the perspiration that was running down his ruddy face, which was fiery •with his exertions. "It's the best harvest we've had for years, thank the Lord," he said devoutly. "And just look at the turnips. Man, they're grand," and lie gazed across the 40-acre paddock of, green, healthy turnips with admiring eyes.' "I'm truly thankful, for we've sore need of something to replenish an empty purse. 'It's hard, man, hard, to see your labour all destroyed before your very een, but there are always compensations." And he thought with a thankful heart of how his family had worked and assisted him in all his endeavours to regain his independence. Charlie had never heard him say so % much before, but ilianlofulness had made hini less reticent than usual, for, like most Scotchmen, he did show his feelings easily. The men being so busy, the girls had to feed calves and pigs and do more milking also. No one needs to be idle on a farm for want of work. Of 'course there are some silly people among farmers, as there are everywhere, who think that they or their families should not work, believing that it makes them too common. Poor things ! Do they really imagine that not working will make them any better? In most cases it makes them a deal worse, for,#as" the proverb says, "Satan finds Borne mischief still for idle hands to do." Not working won't make them any tlie more the gentlemen and ladies they would Jik©. to £p,-fehough_they live in the de-. fusion* that it does." ~ . - " Bella was busy cutting bread and spreading it with butter and jam, in the pleasant home-like kitchen, for the harvesters' "3 o'clock," her mother having made the tea -and set it on the boiler of the range to draw. "Where's Mctiie?" she aabed. "In the orchard, picking up the fallen apples to make pies," Bella replied. "I'm 8© glad that Charlie won't go away for some

busy pouring the tea. into a big billy, as her mother sat in, a, reverie. • "Charlie will be very thirsty when he returns. He says its drquthy work paddling your own canoe ! on a bicycle." , "Gof many, Mollie?" as Mollie entered, looking fresh and copl in her blue print dress and white snow bonnet, her apron full of rosy apples. "Ta-ta," cried Bella gaily. "Give Charlie plenty, of tea when he comes," and she tripped off airily with her billy of tea and her basket, .to return in a, few minutes, white-faced and gasping with horror. "Charlie" was all she could utter for a few* seconds, as Mrs Cfijapbell and Mollie gazed at her in litter, bewilderment. "He's lying dead at the gate," and she shivered and shook lilos one in mortal terror. | "Run for father," cried Mrs Campbell, and M lollie, dropping the cup of tea she had in her hand, rushed away for him, while Mrs Campbell and Bella ran to Charlie. i Charlie was lying, an inert mass, close to ' the open gate, his 'bicycle broken beside, him. Not 50yds away Florrie was contentedly'grazing, When Mr Campbell and the other members of the family arrived, they lifted him gently, and carried him in and laid him on a 'bed. j "He's not dead, God be thanked. He's only unconscious," said Mr Campbell. MolHe was nearly half way to" Gore on Florrie when she met the genial old doctor, Dr M'Gill, on his way to one of his patients. When she explained, they hastened along together, for Charlie had made himself a favourite with all he met. _ > ' "That was quick work, Mollie," said Colin, ' as he lifted her, trembling, aft the hoi'Fe*. "He's not dead," he said, in answer to the queston he saw she was afraid to ask. "He's quite unconscious, and I know his loft aim is* broken, but all depends en how much j his head is hurt; it's bleeding from a big i Mollie looked so white that Colin thought she was going to faint, and he put his arms ' round her and carried her in and laid . her on the sofa. Bella was there, with _ a terror-stricken face, dry-eyed and wild-looking. "Bella," cried Mollie, the sight of her sis- j ter banishing all faintness. Bella tottered to the" sofa, threw herself on the floor, and put her arms round Mollie as she had done when, a frightened child.

me into the orchard, and I put hex* out and threw an apple at 'her, and it hit her, and she did fly like a mad thing." Mollie looked ill. She had received a fright too, and the thought that it was she who- had caused the accident made her worse. It preyed on her mind, and when she began to examine into the causes of hei dislike to Charlie she saw what chimeras of the imagination they had been. She was shocked at ■her causeless jealousy, and bitterly lamented her failings to her mother, to whom she freely confessed. Mrs Campbell was glad to have the mystery explained, and comforted her with loving words. "It was not through you that he got hurt, and you could easily make it up to him by being nicer when he gets about again, poor fellow !'■' ■=- Charlie, lying on the sofa in the pleasant parlour, with the door open so that he could see them working alb out, felt happy in spite of sundry aches and pains, for Mollie was kind to him. She had paid no attention to Bella's wild words, so there was no constraint between them. The girls brought their sewing and sat beside him when their work was done. Mollie sang and played to him, and showed him her paintings, and now the harvest was past she settled down to finish one lhat Charlie look a great interest in. Tho subject was a beautiful bunch of creamy white and yellow roses. "Call it 'A Lover's Gathering,' " he proposed. Next day he got Bella to find him a few lato roses, which he offered to Mollie with a beating heart. Would she understand, he wondered, as she took them quietly, then raised her lovely eyes to his face with a startled glance, as she recollected the name he had given her picture. He gave no sign—.patience was to be his motto — and he was made happy by seeing her put them carefully in water, only reserving one bud, which she plnced at he- throat. l Charlie was soon able to loolc after the 1 prospecting again, and got a rich prospect, and Mr Campbell found his barren land was 1 of more value than his most fertile acres. He was almost incredulous when the syndicate offered him £20 an acre, the use of it till needed for dredging, and 5 per cent, of I the gold. Mr Calders put him up to asking f for the 5 per cent. "It will be agood income every year when we get to work," he said. Mr and Mrs Campbell were amazed at their good fortune, and truly thankful, for now they could let the boys have a choice o£

months yet. Even Mollie seemed a little pleased, but that was the money, for she's as cold in her manner as ever, and actually freezes the poor fellow. How she does snub him when he offers to help her. He'd fare better, I believe," and she nodded her curly brown head wisely, astonishing her mother, "if he let on he did not care for her one bit. I've no patience with her." Mrs Campbell was astonished. "Do you think he cares?" she began; but Bella impolightly interrupted her, "Cares, indeed! He adores her. I know it ; knew it long ago. You mu3t be getting blind, mother mine, not to have seen it too," for Mrs Campbell was amazed. "How could he and Mollie always so standoffish with him?" she said. "That's the very thing that did it," cried Bella triumphantly. "He's been so used to girls running after him that he never would have noticed Mollie much if she'd been that kind." "Well, I never!" ejaculated Mrs Camubell. "Gracious, child, wherever did you leaiTi all i that?" (J ' i "' 'B'observation, ma'am,' as the little nig- J ger said when asked how he knew where the chickens wont to roost." j Mrs Campbell felt queer to think she had ] never noticed what a "chit of 16" — as she j mentally dubbed Bella — knew for a long time, j What a match for Mollie if she'd only take j him — such a nice fellow, and well off too. ' I She diJ not want to lose her daughter, but ! it was only natural that she should be pleased when she thought of her gaining such a man's love. To give Mrs Campbell her due, the man came before the money in her estima- ' lion.- Mollie would be farther away than jf she married Alick Gordon or Mr Barton, | but Mrs Campbell felt that she could' trust j Charlie, and Mollie would be beside her old j friends, Mr and Mrs Caldere. The more she I thought of the possibility the better she was pleased. "I'm off now," cried Bella, for she had been

f "Oh, Mollie," she wailed, "he'll die, he'll ' 1 die!" "No, no," cried Mollie. "Oh, Bella, and I was so horrid to him." "You were, and he loved you so ; he'd sooner die than live without you." At that thought Bella's, tears came in a passionate storm, and she wept till fairly exhausted. Mollie, soothing and petting her as best she could, kept a watchful eye on the bedroom door through which the doctor would come \ when his examination was over. i After what seemed an awful time to the waiting girls — though in reality only half an hour — he entered with a smile on his face. "Tuts, tuts!" he said, "What's all this? How many patients do you want me to have? Charlie's fine," as they looked imploringly at him. "A broken arm and a broken head. He may consider himself lucky that he is possessed of a thick skull. He'll be about before you, young lady, if you don't go to bed and sleep for the next 12 hours," he said, kindly, to Bella. For his keen, professional eye had noticed her when he came in, and seen she had got a terrible shock. "Who'll milk- the cows?" and she smiled wanly up at him. "Cows be bothered ! You obey orders. Take her straight away." And Bella, in spite of some remonstrances, was put to bed, where her mother^ watched beside her till she slept. She^never wakened till 10 o'clock next day, her old winsome self. "Saved you a serious illness, young lady," said Dr M'Gill, menacing- her playfully with his riding whip. "T'other patient's all right too." - "How did it happen?" he asked Charlie after he had examined him. "Just as I was turning into the gate Florrie flew out like a mad thing, and in trying to avoid her I must have been spilled." "And I frightened her," said Mollie with an aching heart when she heard. "She followed

occupations. Colin could learn to be an engineer, as he wished. "I'm going to be a dredgemastefr," he informed them. "It will be the best-paying billet out soon." "I told you the broken arm would do it," cried Mrs Calders, triumphantly flourishing a letter before Mr Calders's face. "Lucky dog," growled Mr Calders, who had a slight touch of rheumatism, and felt a severe twinge as he spoke. "jVlolhe's worth breaking every bone in his body for." "So lie seems to think," replied Mrs Calders gleefully.