THE GIRL AND THE GUN

Otago Witness, Issue 2801, 20 November 1907, Page 90

THE GIRL AND THE GUN

Bx C. Malcolm Hincks

"I've a great surprise," repeated Marjorie impressively. "Well," said Harburton somewhat impatiently, "what is it?" He was sprawled o.ut in the largest and most comfortable chair in the library with a cigarette between his lips, but the

was not in his usual good humour. A bad day's sport had preyed on his mind whilst dresing for dinner, and he had gashed his, cheek rather badly when shaving.

Marjorie stood over him with her hands behind her back. "Guess." "Sometftng for me?" hazarded Harburton lazily.

"No; guess again.'*

To please her Harburton assumed a meditative frown, puffing steadily at his cigarette. "Give it up?" queried the girl.

"Yes," replied the man promptly. "I'm coming with you to-morrow," announced Marjorie with due solemnity. Harburton glanced up at her sharply, then laughed.

"Why, of course, little girl, it was all arranged at breakfast this morning you ladies are going to motor to the moors and join us at lunch. You see, we can't do without you for a day even when out with the guns." "I'm coming with the guns." .-. Harburton's face clouded.

"But "

"I've learned to shoot," interrupted Marjorie quickly. • "Uncle taught me when I was staying down there last month."

««But " "He says I'm a very good shot," declared the girl proudly. Harburton got out of the chair and threw his unfinished cigarette into the fireplace.

"You know my views upon the subject of women taking part in sports that essentially belong to man," he said coldly. The girl was silent, but her pretty face flushed slightly.

The silence added to Harburton's illhumour.

"Perhaps this is the first step towards becoming a suffragette." he * suggested with a slight snest. "It's certainly a surprise." The girl turned up£h him angrily; the blue eyes were flashing defiance now. "Why should not a girl enjoy a day's sport as well as a man?" she demanded hotly. "There's nothing unwomanly in it. You don't think a woman a budding 'suffragette because she rides to hounds. It's simply a fad of yours, Ronnie; but you wouldn't be so silly or so selfish to want to disappoint me to-morrow I've been looking forward to it as a great surprise for weeks." il t forbid you to gs," said Harburton shortly, and the next instant he could have bitten off his tongue. "You forbid me to go?" echoed the girl slowly — "you forbid me to^go?" then with startling suddenness her tone changed, her eyes were filled with tears of anger and her face was scarlet. "By what right do you forbid me to go, Mr Harburton?" she asked scornfully. "I have yet to learn that I must ask your permission before doing anything I wish to. If that is your idea of an engagement, I think the sooner it is over the better." Before the man realised what she was doing she had torn off a tiny diamond ring and laid it on the table. "Captain Desmond will be pleased to look after me to-morrow." was her parting shot as she gained the door. "Desmond's a silly fool," growled Harburton — he was Staring dazedly at the ring on the table; then he darted towards the girl. "Marjorie," he cried anxiously, "you're not going to '* But the door closed sharply in his face. Harburton placed the ring carelessly in his waistcoat pocket, applied the same term to himself as he had to the gallant Captain Desmond, and strode moodily off to the billiard room.

" I say, Harburton," said his host at dinner, "you're aot looking up to the mark."

"Oh, I'm all right, thanks," he replied somewhat harshly. Marjorie Ouden's chair was empty ; she had complained of a severe headache and was having dinner in her own room.

Daylight the next mornings was a relief to Harburton ; he had passed a sleepless night wondering how he was to make it up with Marjorie, and cursing himself for letting his temper and his prejudice land him in such a hole.

" The little beggar was keen on it. I should have encouraged her and then gradually have chaffed the idea out of her head later on. Now she'll think me a beastly tyrant and—--" He dropped off Into a moody chain of thought, tossing about restlessly on the bed, until at last, .feeling that he could stand inaction no longer, he looked at his watch and found the time was half-past 7.

Breakfast was not until 9, he reflected ; he had on hour and a-Half before he would have an opportunity of seeing the girl. Bed was impossible ; there was nothing to do in the house except read, and reading in his present frame of mind was also out of the question

"I have it," he cried suddenly^ leaping out of bed. " I'll go down to the river and pot at wildfowl for an hour or so." He did not wait for his usual tub, but quickly got into his shooting suit, pulled on a pair of boots, and made his way quietly downstairs. He got his gun from the gun-room and was out In the drive without seeing anyone ea-ve two or three servants making preparations for breakfast. The mile walk across the meadows to the river did him good' j the cold, bracing, early morning air steadied his nerves and made him take a more cheerful outlook upon life. As he climbed over a gate that led on to the marshes he heard the report of a gun, and turning his head hastily in the direction from whioh the sound had come, he saw a girl with a still smoking gun in her hands and a man standing by her. Something about the neat figure standing on the bank caused his heart to beat quickly.. He was over, the fiate ia an

instant, and making his way rapidly towards them.

Yes, there could be no doubt of the girl's identity now ; the girl with the gun was Marjorie, and, even in his excitement, Harburton thought she looked very, well maa neatly-made brown shooting costume and tarn o' shantev He was scowling at the man as he advanced, then he suddenly stopped and struck off abruptly for a point higher up the river.

He had recognised Marjories companion as Tom Hoyle, the under-keeper ; the fact gave him both pleasure and regret — pleasure insomuch that the girl was not with a possible rival, regret that he could not go and speak to her as he wanted to speak before a servant, and that the peace proposals must be delayed. He did not know whether she had seen him or not, her back had been turned to him ; but Hoyle had touched his cap, and, he conjectured, told the girl of his approach.

He loaded his gun, and the instant he had done so some wild duck rose about 30 yards^away. Bang ! bang ! He was a good shot - r several birds fell. He loaded quickly and fired off both barrels in rapid succession, forgetting his troubles in the excitement — a 6tsre remedy for ennui in an Englishman is for him to go out and kill something. He was aboutT to wade out into shallow water among the weeds and recover the birds when he heard the report of a gun a little lower down the river, then suddenly he felt a sharp, etinging pain in his left leg, followed immediately by a cry of alarm.

Harburton set his teeth in his lower lip and struggled hard to stand; but the numbing pain in his leg was too great, he felt himself going dizzy, and! went down in a heap on the damp grass by the river's bank.

The next instant Marjorie ran up, followed sheepishly by Hoyle, die underkeeper.

" Oh, Ronnie," she eried 1 penitently, sinking on her knees beside Him, " can tou forgive me?"' Harburton tried to collect his wandering wits and cay something suitable for the moment, but his head was in a whirl with relief, excitement, and p"ain. "That's all right," he said prosaically, and then closed his eyes, as it looked well and gave him time to think. So Hoyle procured a hurdle from a neighbouring farm, and he and the girl carried the injured man to the house. In the drive the whole house party were waiting anxiously. ''Poor chap," said Lord Ashley, the host; "a shot in the leg is not cheery. I'll send over for Mathews; he'll soon have the shots out."

But while he spoke thus compassionately; he could have sworn the "poor chap" deliberately winked at him. By 11 o'clock Dr Mathews had extracted the dozen or so shots that had buried themselves in Harburton's calf, and that gentleman sat with his injured limb propped up in front of him before the fire in the library with Marjorie Cruden by his side. She had just come in, and there was an awkward silence.

"Was your gun out of order?" aßked Harburton awkwardly. "I've never heard of an "

"It wasn't an accident," interrupted the girl in a • low voice. "Not an accident!" Efcrburton would have sprung to the floor, but remembered the doctor's order just in time. "Do you mean to tell me you deliberately tried to shoot me and ?"

"Ronnie !" interrupted the girl reproachfully, "how can you think of such a thing? Of course I didn't try ts ahoot you, but I—lI — I thought I would ahow you what a good shot I was by firing past you at a heron further along the bank, b — but I hit you," she ended rather hysterically. Harburton was feeling in his pocket. * 'Look here, Marjorie," he said severely, "you shot me — I'm bagged, so to speak, and now you've to look after me."

"Y — yes," said the girl. The reconciliation was not so romantic as she had pictured it being on the previous evening, l»ut it was rather amusing. "Well, don't you think you had better take the ring back?'* "V— yes,'' said the gii'l ajjain. When Lady Ashley came in with some food for the invalid she cama to the conclusion he' did not require it, and retreated precipitately. So it all ended happily.— M. A. P.