SHORT STORIES A DESPERATE DEED.

Otago Witness, Issue 2661, 15 March 1905, Page 86

SHORT STORIES A DESPERATE DEED.

By F. DA. C. De L'lsle.

(For the Witness.) There was a large house party at a mansion in Wellington during the winter of LB99 — the largest for many years. Mrs Jim Lennox was an accomplished matchmaker. Married twice herself, she had passed a notable apprenticeship, and was most accomplished; in the art of finding husbands for marriageable young ladies. "Look here, Jim," she said to her adoring husband as they dressed for dinner on the fourth evening at Te Nui Nui, where the house party were holding high revel, "I asked 'Dorothy here on purpose to find her a husband. Sb/3 is only seventeen, but, as a penniless orphan, she should be married. It is absurd for her to talk of earning her own living ; she cannot dto ; It. So I asked her here, and I have just- i the man for her!" i "Ah !" said Jim Lennox reflectively. "I believe you found a husband for Jean, and ■one for Mab, and one for Nita, and " "Oh ! for goodness' sake, don't chaff !" - interrupted Mrs Jim. "I am really serious. If Dorothy is properly chaperoned, Auriol Probyne is just the man for her !" "Or?" asked Jim Lennox, fighting with his collar stud. "Or ? Or what ?" queried Mrs Jim, wiht a pout. "My dtear Jessie, you are getting old, tnd losing all your diplomatic caution. In - the early days you always kept a &eccnd husband in prospective lest the first should prove refcactory. Who's your second string this time? — Parker?" Jim Lennox chuckled. "'No !" cried Mrs Lennox indignantly. "Though he is rich, I would rather Dorothy Temained single than that she should sell lierself to him " "Hum! /There is a special providence in the fall of a sparrow ! Dorothy will ■come out all right under your matronly -wing," saidt Lennox, patting the square, muscular shoulders of his fox-hunting wife /with loving tenderness. "Jessie, you urn a. born matrimonial agency I" 1 "Don't tease, Jim! Ar.? you going to help?" said Mrs Jim, clasping his hand. "Rather ! Dorothy's fortune lies upon Ibis "jump. Ride her at it carefully, and Til bring the' hound — I mean pup — along!" answered Lennox. - "You are a .good boy!" said Mrs Jim, And she kissed him. affectionately. Miss Dorothy Dranfield and Mr Koyston "Parker were in the billiard loom that night, playing a hundired up. In her vlrte satin evening dress Dorothy Dranfield was surprisingly beautiful. She was a blondeif one may coin the term. Her lair was a golden russet-brown, her coni--plezion claret, cream, and lilies, her eyes fike twin stars of sapphire blue, and her figure the budding of magnificent womanibood. She had been an orphan for two years, and now that sihe had) come to a marriageable age; her bosom friend and mentor had determined to marry her to come eligible bachelor, and s.ettle"a definite future for her. Mr Boyston Parker watched her playing '» simple hazard, in off the red, with intense admiration. He was a connoisseur in female beauty points. From Searboro bo Deauville, from. Narragansett to the banks of the Ganges, from ihe ivera Marbles to Sydney Harbour, he had trarelled, and had seen women of all classes Iknd all nationalities ; and he 3iacT learned) to know- and appreciate a beautiful girl .with epicurean gusto. He had even once owned a Circassian slave, whom he was jwont to describe, when in his cups, as the 'daughter of Jupiter Olympus. Parker was a wealthy Englishman, passably cultured, and good-looking. He was ■"doing" Hew Zealand, and had come out. in 'his 100-ton yacht Sprite from England some four months ago. He was his -r\vn sailing master, and navigated his vessel friinself. He dressed scrupulously well, and always looked smart. His only accomplishment was a supreme faculty for Milliards, which he played like an angol ."with his wings folded. This was his one 'great accomplishment, and' he was right ■at the very top of front-rankers. Dorothy Dranfield knew all about the theory of •billiards ; her father had been a sportsman, and Dorothy followed! in his footsteps. Therefore, when she first saw Royston Parker play billiards she was instantly -attracted, and they were always playing "together. Parker watched the russet-gold head bending over the table, the starry eyes fixed on the object ball were twin magnetic j)oles, and her snow-white bosom ros.3 and fell rhythmically with her breathing. "Verona's summer hath not such a flower!" muttered Parker. "She is the Dnly woman in all the worl«s for me !" Miss Dranfield missed her shot, and, |ooking up, met his eyea For one moment ihe fell under the spell; the next she Saying : "I am becoming a bigger duffer than iver ! I should have run through the red j £on't you think so'!" , "'No. Try check side. Let me show you." His strong hand closed firmly over 'her tiny fist, and, directing the cue, he jplayed the shot, lingering over the ecsta^v »f neighbourhood to her. "There ! High 'jiip on the check -sidle, hit the object ball Sull, medium pace, and you score — see!" JSe gently loosed her hand." t; "How" easily you do it!" she exclaimed. £1 wish, I knew as much about the game. But billiards is too scientific for, me. Mr feoiriol Probyne says he has a Solution of triangles that will revolutionise billiard

"Th'.it'f; rubbish !" remarked Parker contemp tuouTly. "Auriol Prob3*nc is as oi.v\ as his brother ! Those poet fellows always are. I cm give him nine hundred in a thousand up, and lose him ! I'll take ten for this oext shot — watch: cannon fir&t, two ; in c-ff the red, red down, eight ; and pocket you in the middle pocket, tea.' He played" it leisurely. Everything wxs perfect. The three baFs disappeared as if by magic. Dorothy Dianfield was very much impressed. Mrs Jim Lennox, followed by her h isband and Auriol Probyne, entered the room. Probyne frowned, and remarked in a low voice io Mrs Lennox : "Caviare to the general ! lam a pip<^ for Fortune's finger to sound what stop she pleases !" "Here's Mr Probyne, Dorothy ; we ha v-c been looking for you. Mr Probyne won't believe me wh-en I tell him that you are a champion ladiy cueist. Play fifty up with him and prove it, will j r ou, dear?" asked Mrs Lennox, with a glance at her husband. (For one instant his left eyelid lay flat on his che.ek. Mrs L.enno.\. smiled back kncwingly, and, turning to Royston Parker, drew him away from the billiard table, saying : "Mr Parker, I want to show you some photographs of the Leicester sheep Jim has got at Poverty Bay You should be able to give us some valuable information concerning Leicesters." i "Glad, I'm sure," said Parker, as he j relinquished his cue, though he looked ' vastly annoyed. Turning to Miss Drarfield, be said : "I hope my pupil will give her opponent a good beating. Mmd 1 you win!" and | following Mrs Lennox he left the room. j A silent signal from Mrs Lennox caused Jim Lennox to leave the 100 m quickly, and Auriol Probyne was left alone with Dorothy Dranfield. ( He was a fine, manly fellow, very aris- t tocratic and very chivalrous in all his ; actions. He, like his brother, indulged in the glorious charm of verse-making, j They were both educated, literary, and j artistic men, with sufficient income to live j well and practise sheep-farming. i "What did Parker say about your being his pupil? Are you a pupil of his?" asked Probyne. I She laughed a silvery peal. "If teaching me a few strokes makes me a pupil, well, I suppose I am," she replied. "Then you will probably beat me badly," said' Probyne ; "I am but a poor billiard player." She flashed a glance at the clear-out face as he bent over his cue. There was a, smooth, wavy curl in his fair hair, that tempted her to pass lrer finger over it. She could scarcely restrain herself. "Mr Parker declares he can give you nine hundred in a thousand and lose you. Do you think he could?" asked Miss Dorothy. "Most likely. If Parker were not a wealthy man and a gentleman I should put him down for a billiard sharp ! Hard luck for me to be run down because of my inability to play billiards, while he himself ' the primrose path of dalliance treads,' " and Probyne looked hard at his fair opponent. She blushed uncomfortably. "He cannot ride in the same paddock with you anyhow !" she replied quickly. "So that the honours are divided between you as far as that goes." "That last speech gives me hope. Lately I have been in despair. Miss Dranfield, you are the world to me. May I hope that you will be my wife?" stammered Probyne. The commonplace proposal bit into his heart with its garish crudeness. For one moment a feeling of repulsion stole over Miss Dranfield. Then she actually laughed. She resolved to joke with this adventurous lover. It would do ibim good. "You may hope, Mr Probyne, for on the day you beat Mr Parker at billiards I will answer 'Yes' to your last question." He laughed bitterly. " ' Thou cutt'sfc my head with a golden axe and smil'st upon the stroke that murders me !' '' he quoted. "I will quote again," she answered. " ' Be pafient, for the world is broad and wide. Conquer Mm but oner 1 , and the three-nooked world shall bear the olive freely.' It is getting late — I must return to the drawing room." She lingered by the cue rack. Probyne grew passionate again. " ■* Good-night, beloved, and flights of angels sing thee to 1 thy rest ' ! Good-night, my empress ! Te morituri salutant !" He bent over her ivory fingers and kissed her hand. Slight inclination had Dorothy Dranfield to discourage such a wooer. She gave him one sweet swift glance, and, gathering up her skirts, .she rustled out, smiling at him over her shoulder. "My luck!" groaned Probyne. - "Beat Parker, quoth she! Beat the King Infernal ! Whatever can Ido V " f • • • 4 Royston Parker sat in the chair of Ms dainty yacht, frowning over a chart of thie South Pacific. All had' not gone well ■with his love guest. He had made up his mind to win Dorothy Dranfield for his wife, but the lady would not take him seriously at all. She was capricious, and coquetted with him, and showed more plainly than words that she preferred that "poet fellow" Auriol Probyne. This was what was annoying Mr Royston Parker. He had for a companion on the yacht a young English clergyman. One of fortune's playthings, Richard Fairleigh was an incurable dipsomaniac, and all his relations were glad to get rid of him when he sailed away from England! for a two years' cruise with his old school fellow, Royston Parker. Parker had tried to cure his L*iend, but the case appeared almost hopeless. As he looked up from the chart before him, he saw Fairleigh helping himself liberally to whisky from a decanter upon the table. A cynical smile flitted , ever bis face. What an utterly useless ! creatare a dipsomaniac was ! Then almost .with, the thought came another that made

Royston Parker start and turn white. He gripped the cabin table convulsively and looked searchingly over the chart again. ■ Presently he spoke, in a colm, quiet \ voice, mastering his excitement by sheer force of will. j "We'll take a run over to Samoa soon ; I some time this week, Dick. I am sick of New Zealand !" "Anywhere you like, Roy, old boy !" answered his friend in a thick voice. "Olad to get away from civilisation. Let us get among the savages — out there round the° Friendly Islands and the Hebrides. Far more amusing and not nearly so strait laced and proper. I'm just as sick of New Zealand a.s you are."' 'Til let you know to-morrow when we start. You hac' better remain on board xntil we leave," said Parker. "Anything for a quiet life,"' lazily replied the clergyman. "I'll read up the I Islands while you make your adieux to I Wellington society." j In half an hour's time Royston Parker i had arranged with his mate to have the j yacht ready to sail at a moment's notice ; 1 she was provisioned for another twelve months, and her bunkers were crammed full of coal. Parker seldom used coal, preferring to test the sailing qualities of • The Sprite; still he always- hod her coal , bmikers full, in case of an emergency. ! Having matured his plans and arranged j everything so carefully that failure was ! r^xt to impossible, he went ashore. The day wa.s Tuesday. During the followingtwo days he visited Te Nui Nui each afternoon, and dined there on Thursday evening On Friday morning, the mate J of The Sjirite received an order from her ' owner to be r&ady to sail at 3 in the afternoon, and to especial stress was laid on the final order to have full steam up. About half-past 2 Royston Parker boarded his yacht, and with him came Miss Dorothy Dranfield. It was unwise of Miss Dranfield to do st without a cbaperrm, but young ladies enjoy a certain amount of freedom in the colonies, and Miss Dranfield had innocently consented to a three hours' cruise on The Sprite. No sooner were they aboard then Mr Parker ordered the anchor up, and away steamed The Sprite out of Wellington harbour. As soon as she was clear of the Heads, the master gave orders to hoist every available stitch of ■■-invas and to go full steam ahead, shaping a northeasterly course clear of the land. With a strong wind behind her The Sprite bowled along, doing quite ten knots, and soon the rugged shores of New Zealand faded from sight. Miss Dranfield, who 1 was a capital sailor, was down in the iinv saloon of the yacht having afternoon tea with the owner and the Rev. Mr Fairleigh. She was oblivious to the cotirse of the yacht, and it was only when she rose to go on deck that Royston Parker spoke of his desperate act. "One moment, please, Miss Dranfield. I have something to say which you must hear at once. Miss Dranfield.. The Sprite is now twenty miles from the coast of New Zealand; her destination is Tahiti, or thereabouts. I have determined to make you my wife, and for that reason I am now abducting you. I could never be happy without you ; my whole heart and soul is filled with love for you. Without you life would be intolerable. lam rich, young, and good-tempered. Be my wife, and I will leave no stone unturned to make you supremely happy and to win your love. Refuse, and I will take you out of the world — I will sail away to the inaccessible waters of South America, where your friends will never find you. Don't decide rashly. Think well over this step. I am determined in this : I ■will never take you back to New Zealand, unless some unexpected force compels me to do so. And that I consider is impossible. My crew are powerless, to thwart me. The only chance of your rescue is most remote. You must pardon me for the steps I have taken ; I can only plead my deepest love for you. In a few hours' time we shall be a hundred miles from New Zealand, and out of the track of all steamer traffic. Pursuit is improbable. And I have partly guarded against that by writing to Mr Lennox. He will get my letter late to-night, stating that with your consent I have married you on board here (you know Mr Fairleigh is an ordained clergyman of the English Church), and that we are on our way to Auckland in order to spend our honeymoon in the northern waters of New Zealand. Should they pursue us there it will give me three or four days to get farther away. In that cabin behind you will find a wardrobe fit for my wife. "Now answer me. Will you be my wife?" For" some minutes the young girl sat as if stunned. Her eyes were wide open with terror. .She could not speak, so benumbed were her faculties. She could only glance at her abductor with horror in her eyes. Royston Parker had turned the key in the door of the saloon. lie took two revolvers from his desk, and carefully loaded every barrel. Then he spoke again. "You will no doubt think lam mad. I believe I am. Mad for love of you ! Speak to me, for pity's sake. Will you be my wife and allow Fairleigh to marry us at once? I swear I will make your life the happiest on earth if you will allow me to do so. But I will never, never, I swear, take you back to New Zealand if you refuse. I will die first." Miss Dranfield rose unsteadily to her feet. Indignation blazed from her eyes. For one moment anger conquered fear. "Is this a joke, Mr Paiker?" she asked. "JTar from it, Dorothy !" he answered sadly. "It is dead sober earnest. I have made up my mind to win you or to sail on for years with you as my guest. You will never see New Zealand again except as my wife." "It is infamous !" she gasped, utterly terror-stricken again. "Never, never will \be your wjfe. I would rather die first i Oh, heaven.! what an awful fate!" and staggering to the settee, Miss Dranfield threw herself upon it in an agony of tears. For hours Parker pleaded passionately for

forgiveness ; but the lady remained obdurate. "You have ruined me in the opinion of my friends ; you have degraded my name, and it will kill me/ she wailed. "I will never consent to be your wife. There are men on this boat ; I will appeal to them for protection !"' "You shall never have the opportunity, that I swear,"' answered Parker. "Since I you refuse me, you must remain a prisoner Excuse me ; my duties call me on deck.' 5 He went out, and carefully locked and barred the door behind him. On deck he gave the command : "All hands aft !" And in a minute the mate, boatswain, cook, and boy were .ranged with the Reverend Mr Fairleigh before him. Only the engineer and fireman remained below. "I have never before assumed the role I am now taking," began Parker; "but I I must let you know my intentions. There j is a young lady below vs horn I am taking iby force from a British possession. I I don"t ask you to abet me. But to every man who stands by me I will give £500. Those of you who do not wish to be implicated in this matter, I will put ashore at Tahiti, or anywhere we may land, and you can have a free passage back to England. Now then, who stands by me ?" "Of course I do, Roy," exclaimed Fairleigh. "You can count me in." "I have been your mate for twelve years, sir ; if you will piomise me to hold me clear of blame in case, of trouble, I'm with you !" answered the mate. "And me too, sir," said the boatswain. "Then that is settled. I pledge you my word to exonerate you all in case of trouble," answered Parker. "You may go." In the course of tim.3 the Sprite reached Tahiti, where her bunkers weie refilled. Then, as Miss Dranfield was still firm in her resolve not to marry Royston Parker, that gentleman turned his yacht towards South America, and stated his intention to cruise about indefinitely until such time as his prisoner should capitulate. He lavished presents upon Miss Dranfield). At j every port they touched at he took the greatest precautions, and no one ever guessed that aboard of the trim English yacht was a lady prisoner sighing to be fre.?. His crew stood loj-ally by him, and for 12 months the Sprite tacked back and forward on the great South-western Pacific sea-board. Finally, Miss Dranfield, wearied, heart-broken, and sick, surrendered. "You see, Miss Dranfield. rescue is out of th.c question," said the Rev. Mr Fairleigh one day to her.. "They have taken it for granted in New Zealand that you became Mrs Parker before you left, and there they Let the matter rest. Now do be reasonable. Let me make you comfortable, .and Parker happy. Sa3* "the word, and in twenty-four hours the Sprite will be heading for Old England. You have a world of pleasure before you if you consent !" The following morning, amid! great rejoicing, Miss Dranfield became Mrs Royston Parker, and the Sprite commenced her" long journey to England. In New Zealand Miss Dranfield is never mentioned at Te Nui Nui. Society was scandalised ; but 12 months or so after her supposed elopement with Mi Royston Parker, when the English weeklies reached New Zealand, containing th.? notices; of Mrs Royston Parker's advent into London society, everybody said, "How grand she has become !" and Society forgave Miss Dransfield. That is to say, they pretended to do so. But the imagination can only hazard a surmise as to what society would have said had the people of New Zealand ever have known of tlv desperate deed that ended in Miss Dianfield becoming Mrs Royston Parker.