CHAPTER 11.

Otago Witness, 5 December 1900, Page 35

CHAPTER 11.

Old Man's Terrace had a good number of stores, butchers' shops, and hotels scattered along its rough, winding street. A rough-looking collection they were in these early times. Opposite the Rose of Erin was the most respectable looking, store on the terrace, kept by Donald M'Lusky, a shrewd, canny, long-headed Scotchman of forty-five, who was doing abrisk trade, and raking in the " bawbees "in fine style. He kept four packers constantly at work bringing up goods from the foot of the creek and distributing them up the gullies and creeks again. He also had young, red-headed, funloving Jerry Doolan to help in the store, cook, and do oddjobs. Jerry was the eldest son of Widow Doolan, who had lost her husband by an accident caused by a fall of gravel in his claim two years before. She was left with nothing and a family of six little ones to provide for. Miners are proverbial for their open-handed generosity to widows and orphans, and Mrs Doolan had been well assisted. A subscription had been raised for her, and after all expenses had been paid, there was £150 left for her. She was a strong, hardy woman, and took in washing, which was paid for at the rate of a shilling an article. Some washerwomen counted a pair of socks as two articles. " Mac," as. Donald M'Lusky was familiarly called, was very good to> nor, and assisted her in many ways, and she " thought a. i power of him," as she informed her neighbours. Bendigoj Bill and his crowd called him a " mean old skunk " because he did not patronise the Rose of Erin and the dance roomsmuch. Bill's exchequer was not enriched to any extentby him. Norah's ready wit amused him, and he admired^ her good looks, but he was too wary a fly to be caughtcaught. Now Norah was housekeeper as well as barmaid,

since Miss Nelson, who was housekeeper, had married a thriving digger, Mat Conway. So she often went across to buy stores. She would not have objected to being mistress altogether, but since Bendigo Bill had treated her advances with such ridicule, that was hopeless, and she felt she would like to pay him out in some way. The other hotels had mistresses, so Norah looked round and decided Mac was the man for her. Perhaps she could persuade him to take out a license as well as keep the store going ; then she would make Bendigo Bill sit up. Mac was considerably astonished and somewhat nattered next day by Norah taking him into her confidence regarding her love affairs. " What would yez advise me to do — marry Harry Nolan, Jim Delany, or Ted Ross? Yez see," she said, plaintively, " it's hard lines on a poor girl behind the bar to have to smile and be nice to everyone who chooses to enter, and I hate it, indade I do, Mr M'Lusky. If I could only earn as much money any other way, don't yez be thinking it's the bar I'd be in." And she raised tearful grey eyes to his face. Mac felt flattered at beauty in distress appealing to him. " I dunno what to be after doing. Shure I'm afraid none of them, 'ud make a good husband. What do yez think, Mr M'Lusky?" " Well, I don't think they would, Norah "" — the name slipped out unawares ; he had always called her " Miss Finnigan " before. " The young fools spend every farthing as fast as they make it. Look out for one who takes care of the siller — he'll make a far better husband, believe me." " Shure an' he would. But where'll I find him? There's not many has the sinse of yez, Mr M'Lusky," and eh-* Ip- 1 up admiringly in Mac's reddish, sunburned face, and he actually blushed. " Oh, there's plenty of sensible fellows knocking about," he said; but in his inmost heart he thought Norah right, and that she had great discrimination. Like most Scotchmen, he had a " gudc conceit o' hirnsel'." "It's not in the bar I'll find them then," said Norah mournfully, as she turned to go with her purchases. " Cheer up, Norah," said Mac cordially ; " some day the right man'll turn up." "I wish he would, for I hate the way I'm living," and Norah gave a pathetic little smile, and went, leaving Mac looking after her more interested than he ever thought he could be in Norah Finnigan. A little flattery goes a long way, as artful Norah well knew, and she saw he was pleased, and that was a point gained already. Three months went past, and Norah was still unmarried, and the Kose of Erin did a roaring trade. But Norah had hopes, for Mac and she were the best of friends by this time. Mac was further gone than he had any idea of before he knew where he was. Like a wily general, Norah studied her tactics, and as Mac grew warmer, she drew back a little,

which had the effect which it was meant to have, of drawing him further on. He came across to see her every day, and Bendigo Bill began to cherish hopes of Norah being able to entice some of his cash out of his pockets. He had no suspicion of Norah's designs ; he thought Mac the last man that would suit her for a husband. It was Harry Nolan and his kind he was afraid of, but Norah had more sense than he gave her credit for, and she took good care none of them got an inkling of what she was after, and the men never noticed anything at all unusual. Women are quicker at noticing, and it was Mrs Doolan who spied her

little game, and told her particular friend, who told her friend next day, and so it went. j " Shure Norah manes to marry Mac ; he's a goner. Och, | the hussy does be making fools of the men ! I'll be sorry | for him if he marries her, the nasty cat !" ! And Mrs Dolan's particular friend quite agreed with her. " She was a sneaking, designing baggage." Norah's admirers, were in consternation, and Bendigo Bill was ferocious, and would have liked nothing better than to have Mac catch it hot from the admirers. They growled and talked big, but none of them when face to face with Mac dared to be less than civil, and they lived in hopes that Norah was only " playing wid him, as she did with others." "Don't yez belave it; she manes it!" cried Mrs Doolan, with a triumphant nod of her head. She felt proud of having detected Norah's little game. The" fever of love is certainly a strange disease, and it plays many pranks with even the wisest and shrewdest of men. Mac was no exception to the general rule, and he found himself at the age of forty-five infatuated with a girl that in his inmost heart he could not respect. Love is blind indeed in many cases, and so thought Mac's old schoolmate and chum for many a year, Dugald Grahame. Mac was crazy, as he called it, and would not listen to anything he could say. Even when he held up his own unfortunate marriage as a warning, it took no effect. He had not seen his wife and daughter for twenty years. They had disagreed so much and quarelled so bitterly, they were glad to live apart, she in Scotland and he in New Zealand. He always managed to send them enough money to keep them from want. He was a kindly man, and he felt it very hard, and many a time wished he could see his daughter. Opposition often acts like a pair of bellows, and blows the fever fire of love till it burns more fiercely than ever. Dugald found it so, and he gave up in despair. " A wilfu' man must tak' his am gait, and we needn't quarrel, Mac, old man — we're too old friends for that."