HOW SHE PUNISHED HIM.

Otago Witness, Issue 2812, 5 February 1908, Page 90

HOW SHE PUNISHED HIM.

The lady and the. caddie were in Aid deep ditch which descended to the rivoi. Later on in the year it would be a stream, but now it was dry, and choktd up with long grass. It was an awful place to lose a ball in, and it was quite obvious thai they were looking for a lost ball.

The man played on to the green, and holed out satisfactorily. Then he gathered up clubs and made Irs way to the ditch. "Can I help?" he cried cheerily. "It would be so kind." Now Travers had come to assist merely because he saw a black bloute and Tam-o'-Shanter and a gleam of golden hair. His idea was simply to help a lady in distress. As she raised her head, r.oweyer, he realised that the victim of m.sdirected exertion was exceedingly pretty and piquant in expression. The piquancy o' her brilliant violet eyes, retrousse noee, and rosy mouth was at that moment accentuated by a very decided pout. Obviously she found her occupation tedious. "It is such a nuisance to lose a ball !" she said pettishly. "I am very good at finding balls," said Travers, jumping into the ditch. His original purpose had been to hunt for the lost ball until it was found or the lady decided to give up the search. The sight of her face made him think that a little strategy would be pardonable. He poked about earnestly for a minute or so, and then, stooping down, pretended to pick up a ball which he had really taken irom his own pocket for the purpose. "Here's a, ball !" he cried loudly.

"Oh, how clever of you !'' cried the lad}*, clasping her hands. "That ain't ours!" remarked the overofficious caddie, examining it. "That's a Colonel. Ours is a Climax!"

"Still, a ball found is a ball gained," returned the man. " And a Colonel is better than a Climax; so you score." "Thank you ever so much," replied the lady gratefully. They clambered out of the ditch and stood gazing at each other critically. Travers felt that she expected him to finger his cap and go. She was tall and slender,, and remarkably well shaped. Her dress and Tarn-o'-Shanter suited her to perfection, and admirably set off her piquant face and wealth of golden hair. There was a peculiar grace about her movements and her arching neck which reminded him of a swan sailing on a silver stream. These attractions may perhaps account for the fact that Travers lingered, and said, "It's dull work playing alone against Bogey !" "It is excellent practice," replied the lady softly.

"Yes ; but one plays better with a — another person!"

"Still, it is excellent practice when one hasn't got a — another person !" "Couldn't we join forces, just for a round — temporarily introduced by our mutual friend, Colonel Bogey, who, we know, never makes a mistake — to make things more lively?" "It certainly would be more lively," asserted the lady demurely. The caddie teed a ball with a grin. Golf is not a game that lends itself much to outside conversation ; but there are moments when the two opponents trudge together, and anything can be discussed. Moreover, if one party is more interested in the other's play (or possibly . herself) than his own, these moments may be multiplied. At intervals, therefore, and in broken gusts of conversation, Travers, in desultory fashion, partly on his own initiative and partly under dexterous prompting, told the lady a good deal about himself. "Do you belong to any golf club?" she opened skilfully. ''No," he replied, "not even to this one — put down for the day by the man I am staying with. He was to have played with me; but he sprained his wrist yesterday, and there wasn't time to raise another man. Oh, yes, I belonged to a club in India — plenty of sand, I can assure you ; these links are lawns compared to those — but when I left the Service, and came home for good, I gave up that club, and have not had time to get into one here. But I am down for Rye." "What was your regiment?" inquired the lady, after playing her ball. "Not Army — Civil Service. ... I never thought to leave ; but about a year and a-half ago a curious piece of luck happened. A very distant relation died anu left me what was a fortune to me — left me all lie had, though he had never iseen me, and had a brother living. It 6eems he did it to spite his brother — at least h© practically - said so in his will. . . The brother had married in defiance of the other's advice and entreaties, and of common sense and decency — those were the exact words. Curious old person to libel a woman, when it was too late for her to do anything. I suppose that the old chap married his housekeeper, or cook, or something of that kind. When I was a boy, there was a general who married his cook so that he might not lose her cooking, and after marriage she declined to cook at all. . . . Soon after tliafc there was more luck, which ended in my retiring and coming home. Old Sir John Travers died, too, and I inherited " The lady foozled her putt, and uttered an exclamation. Then she turned to him and said, severely — but her eeverity was belied by her dancing eyes — "You should not talk on the green 1" "Beg pardon ! Awfully sorry ! Won't you have that again?" In turn the lady told him a little — very little — about herself. She, too, was staying with a friend, who had gone to a

committee meeting of the local Habitation of the Primrose League. "I leave to-morrow," she added, as if inelevantly, and peihaps by way of explanation. A shade of disappointment manifested its-elf in hi;* eyes.

"I am going soon, too," he said. "The fact is I have to see tlio family lawyer about my Dowager."

"Your Dowager!" "Yes, the Dowager Lady Travers — the i widow of the cousin I mentioned just now, Sir John Travers. You see, I am the next of kin, though very remote, and I inherited the Baronetcy and the estate under the entail ; but Sir John very natui rally left her all he could, including nearly 1 all the furniture of the house, which is awkward for both. What is still more awkward is that she is furious with me, and won't see me. So I am going to instruct my lawyer to propose to her "' "Why don't you propose to her your- , self, and unite the furniture and the house?" said the lady, laughing. I "She is far too old," replied the man, laughing too. "It woiild be rather an extreme measure to marry a frump for her furniture!" J "Why, how old do you think she is?"' , inquired she, opening her eyes wide. I " Sixty, at least ! He was over eigthy when he died !" "But she mif>ht have been a mere girl when he married her. Penniless girls very often marry kind old men?" "Not nice girls, I think," he said. "Oh !"' she cried vehemently. "How these midges do bite !" she added crossly. In her heart, she thought, "If I don't pay p'ou out well for all this impertinence, my name's not Louise!' "You want to see Lady Travers, I fancy," she said aloud. <l Yes. I think it would help." "Would you be grateful if I could help you?" "Oh, so grateful !" Such assistance must surely lead to a further acquaintance x-ith the speaker, and he desired that very greatly. "Do you know her?" "I am she !" with a disdainful expres- ■ sion and mocking courtesy. "Lady Tra- ! vers, the Dowager, the cook or housei keeper, the old frump trith the furnituie, | or the not nice young girl who married • a dear old man old enough to be her , father, whichever you think most approI piiate. You will now see, cousin," she added, .enjoying his discomposure, " that it is useless' for you to instruct the family , lawyer, and I beg to decline all further speech with you!" I She walked off with her head in the air, leaving Travers speechless with amazement. Her caddie followed, his face all one broad grin. " How dared he ! How dared 1 he ! How can 1 pay him out?" was the burden of her thoughts. "By jove, how pretty she looked !" Then he hastened after her, and soon caught her up. [ j " Lady Travers," he pleaded, breathI lepsly ; '" even £he lowest criminal has the I right to a word, and ignorance is not a crime — except ignorance of the rules of I golf !" The lady laughed unexpectedly, then added severely, " Ignorance is a crime, and flippancy is worse — and I wish to be left alone — and I am not ignorant of the rules of golf, though it is quite like you to suggest it." "I didn't," he replied, eagerly. "I was defending myself. If I had known that you were you, it would have all be*n different." " I wish you to leave me !" — with a flash of her eyes. " I am going at once. You see, I ought to have known that Sir John was the only sensible man of thorough good taste in the family, and that his brother was in his dotage, and' that I myself was an ignorant ass !" The lady laughed again convulsively. "Don't you hear mef she hastened to say. "Do you call yourself a gentleman ?" "No," he replied regretfully. "I have forfeited all claim to that until " "Until what?" " Until you forgive me." "I -will never forgive you!"' "Think how much it means to me, and how little it costs you." " Well, there, I forgive you. And now go away." " Wouldn't you like to hear what I was going to tell the lawyer?" " No, certainly not. Yes, you can tell me. It will save trouble." " I was going to tell him first that I shall never marry." " Indeed !" She opened her eyes — not without indignation. '"And why tell him? Andi why not marry?" " I have never seen any woman whom I wanted to marry !" " Gracious, man, that only means that you have not seen any really nice women." " That's not my fault." " No, perhaps. In India, I suppose, all the women are " ■' Well — er . And I know so few women in England. Even the principal lady in my own family won't have anything to do with me.' " The prin ! Who is she, I should like to know?" "Why you, of coursp !" " Oil ! How you !" " And I should so much like to see the old place." "Well, why don't you? It's yours. I will pack up as soon as I get back!" "But that's what I don't want. The place is too big for me. I shall never marry. How can a place like that get on without a mistress? You could pay me rent — say a .hundred a year." " A hundred fiddlesticks ! Haven't you any .common sense ? You'll be giving it away as a prize for Limericks next.". " Why not, and decide that you've won without looking at the others? That's as good a way as any." Lady Travers laughed again. This wretched "interloper's" impudence was really amusing ; while his readiness and good humour were unfailing. Perhaps, too, he was not at all bad looking.

"No doubt, if you were my landlord, you would expect to be asked to stay," she inquired.

" Oh, no ; just to lunch. Run down from | town and back again in the afternoon. j should not dream of intruding on a lady." There was such a marked contrast, be* tween the sentiment of this epeoh and his actual conduct at the moment that Lady, Travers "felt a strong inclination to giggle aloud. She repressed it as dangerous, and mentally I'esolved that ho must foe paid out well for all this — thoroughly well : but not too thoroughly. For instance, if he could be induced to propose to her, and be triumphantly rejected, then bhe would be really nice as a sister to him afterwaids. "You must stay the night, at any rate,'* she insisted. "My another is with me, and she will be pleased to make your acquaintance — which is more than I am: And then you can have a thorough look round — see how much damage I have done — and we can talk about the rent. I can't afford a really proper rent : but I mean the thing to be done sensibly or not at all." He acquiesced in the meekest manner. Well, he went down to Travers Hall, and stayed the night. Under pressure he prolonged his visit to a week. During this period it was settled that Lady Travers should lease the Hall from Sir Charles Travers at a rent which they both considered "sensible," and which the family lawyer behind their backs jeered at. In the course of this week they became great friends. Louise had too much respect for the memory of her dead husband even to dream of marrying again ; but she felt it was her positive duty to wive her conceited cousiwa lesson by making him propose to her and rejecting him. She felt, therefore, doubly secure in her friendship with him, and was very nice to him. He, we know, was determined never to marry. He said this at intervals, and at last the repetition somewhat, aggravated Louise. What business had lie to parade his cleverness when she wished him to make a fool of himself? How delighted she was when, in spite of his cleverness, he at last showed eigna of infatuation. She went up to town and stayed at the Carlton in order to .give him plenty of opportunities, and he" used them assiduously. He proposed to her one day when they were sitting in the empty palm garden of a fashionable club. The world would have said tliat she had flirted with him shamelessly, but Louise would have insisted that I she was merely drawing him on. When- • he asked her to be his wife she turned on him and lauched aloud. "No !" she said vehemently. "No, and never ! Not if there were no other man in the world !" Hp gazed at her steadily. "You don't mean that !" 1 "Yes, I do. Oh, I like to see you look surprised. Yee, it is a surprise. I intended it. You deserve it, you know. ' You are so conceited ! It will do you no end of good !" "Thanks, s-o much," he replied, thoughtfully. "How kind of you to take so much trouble about me? And now, what's the next move? Do you, or I, put up the sister contract? You know so much better than I." "What do you mean?" indignantly. "Why, we've got to be brother and sister. It's always done in the best circles. But ought you to offer or I to ask you? Let's get it done anyway and end all this flummery — you having, ahem, punished me, and I having done my duty." "Your duty!" gasped Louise. "Yes. It was obviously my duty to give you the chance of getting the Hall rent I'free!" "I will never speak to yon again!" in a low voice, with a flushed face. "That's a pity. Because I was going to ask you whether we couldn't go as brother and sister to a play to-night." "Most certainly not!" > "Both 'The Merry Widow' and 'My Wife' are amusing. Which would you prefer?" "I prefer the 'Merry Widow." she said with a gleam of malice. "But I won't go to either — with you!" And so of course they went to see "The Merry Widow," but Louise was cross and snappy all the evening. She behaved like a naughty, fractious, spoilt child. Sir Charles Travers proposed to his tiresome but pretty cousin three times, and on the third occasion 6he accepted him. She did this in highly characteristic) fashion, telling him not to be so conceited as to think she was in- love with him, for she waen't, and never would be; and only consented to marry him because she wished to get the Hall rent free, and to be spared the annoyance of his tiresome proposals for the future. She added also for his fiuther deli&ht that 6he believed she could punish him better as his wife than as '-'The Merry Widow." They married, and the punishmpnt is probably certain, but it seems slow.— Modern Society. 4

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