The Voiceless Avenger

Otago Witness, Issue 3833, 30 August 1927, Page 9

The Voiceless Avenger

gL e A NEW ZEALAND JSToscr

by

DULCE CARMAN.

(COPYRIGHT.—FOR THE OTAGO WITNESS.)

CHAPTER XX.—-Continued. “ But why in the world ?”-—then, as a great illumination Hooded his brain, “You artful puss! You are planning a match between Uncle Maurice and the Lavender Lady!” The gir] shook her head. “ Not planning—their fate was settled 20 years ago. But I do think that the Lavender Lady is the ‘ right woman ’ he has been seeking all these years.” “ Your reasons?”

“Oh, yes! I must tell you those, of course. All those long years ago, when he was blind, he went to stay at one of the famous fishing lakes. I don't know which.”

“.Laupo! He was there for months.” .“ I knew he was the man . . . isn’t the world a wonderful place, after all? There was a girl—a very young girl, Roy —-only 17—staying at the same place with her father. The fathers went out fishing—and the boy and girl fell in love with each other.”

“It is the way of the world,” Roy murmured, steering dexterously through a maze of pot-holes. “ This road gets more outrageous every day.” Yes. It is very bad just hero,” the girl admitted absently. “ You must remember, Roy, that your unele never saw the girl—he never has seen her—never once in all these years. More than that, he knew he wasn’t going to see her.” “ You talk in riddles. Rose. There was never any question of permanent blindness for him.”

“No. But he had a dream of her. and he dreamed that the first time he ever saw her she was a woman. 'Oh, much older than the girl he loved then. He said that where she was there was a long vista of climbing roses—red roses—and an old white farmhouse in the background. Now, isn't that Northlands t" the life?”

“To the last rose leaf, - ” Roy acquiesced. “ Still there are many white farmhouses, and, though I will admit that avenues of climbing roses are less common, still we have no reason to suppose that Northlands is unique in this respect.”

“ No! But he further dreamt that the woman he loved wore a lavender dress, and had lilac in her hat. Did you notice the Lavender Lady's dress to-day? You did not"'seo her hat, but I can tell you that it has lilac in it.”

“ But why, admitting that things are as you think, did they lose each other up at Taupo all those years ago?” “ Why do any cruel things happen in the world? Her mother was badly hurt in a motor accident, and an urgent wire recalled the girl and her father to their home. The girl had only time just to leave a note for her lover before she was hurried away to her mother's death-bed. That was the end. She never saw him afterwards, for he never wrote, and he never came. Until to-day that was the end of the idyll.” “ How was it revived to-day?”

“ Auntie told us all about it—Guelda and me. She said she 1. al sometimes wondered whether he ever got either of the notes she se him—she wrote twice. She has given up all hope of ever seeing him. That was where I came in. I Seemed to remember hearing about a man whose'case had been similar to that of the boy whom Auntie Bee had loved and lost so tragically, and just as your car came round the bend of the avenue I remembered that you had told me the story of your favourite uncle. That is why I was specially glad to see you when you arrived just then. I felt th'' far too much time had been wasted already. Now —what do you think about it, Roy?”

“Well. I think it is a clear case of the time and the place and the loved one all together.”

“It will bo, I feel sure— when we manage to get your uncle here to Northlands. We must manage that somehow.”

“Oh! I’ll wangle'that all right!” the man answered easily. “ Leave it to me—it is only necessary to rake up a decent excuse for having him over. Odd as it may seem, in the face of all his travels, Maurice Saxon is rather a shy bird—but I’ll manage it somehow."’ “If there was only something on—” Rose said thoughtfully. “ The very idea ! The race, of course. Uncle Maurice is as fond of a good horse as lam myself. I'll fetch him along to see the race between Marti and Marchmont’s black. He would enjoy that immensely, I know.”

“Oh, Roy! What a good idea. But all the same ” Rose put her bright head a little on one side, and looked exquisitely thoughtful. “ Don’t you think it would be rather too upsetting for all of us to have such a thing as that to happen, on the very dav of the race? Couldn’t you manage to bring him over just once before then on some pretext or other ? Oh ! I know a perfectly gorgeous excuse. 1 ell him all about the race, and get him thoroughly interested, and then

persuade him to come over with you to see what he thinks of Maru. Now—isn’t that a good idea?” “ Priceless ! Absolutely brilliant, in fact. We will do it. It ought to work out easily enough. What else do you propose ?” “ Oh ! I haven’t really thought it out. But we couldn t just face them with one another unexpectedly in the middle of a crowd of us. It would be much too cruel. Don’t you think so?”

“ I shouldn’t much care for it myself I must admit!” “ ’

“ I’d like it to happen as nearly as possible like his dream!” Rosamond’said wistfully. She has lived over and over eveiy detail of that dream for years and years longer even than I have been in th., world. I don’t know how much he has remembered—-T have not a terrible amount of faith in a man’s memory—or his constancy.” A slight smile curved Rov’s mouthcorners at sound of the little unconscious note of scorn that crept into the girl’s voice. s °

If he had not remembered, he would Probably have married!” he said curtlv Men are made so. Few decent men , f bao J ,e . loi ' s without a very good leason for doing so. ’* I like him for that,” Rosamond agreed warmly “Now, I've got a splendid idea, i • , mc kno "' for certain exactly which day you are bringing him over, and what time yon will arrive at the Northlands gates. We will pray kind fate to protect you from punctures that day When you get to the gate let vour uncle get out and open it, and then call out to him that the slope is too steep to stop and pick him up again, and will he walk up the drive—you will meet him at the top of the hill. Then come up to the house as fast as you can. We will manoeuvre the Lavender Lady into the avenue from this end, and we will leave them to their fate.”

i JA , s , ounds all right,” Roy admitted doubtfully. “So right, in fact, that it makes me feel afraid it won’t • as we Wfult i<: to. Still, there is no harm in trying it and there can be no possible doubt that it is the best idea we arc likely to hit upon.”

“Oh, we will make it come out all right somehow—it is meant to be. I know that quite positively. Don't ask me how we arc going to get the Lavender Lady into the right place at the right moment, because I haven’t the least idea, but I do know that we shall manage it, and that our plan will be a success. It simpl has to be.”

“It certainly seems- that way,” Roy slackened speed, and turned the' car on the grassy edge of the road. “Like to drive home. Rose?” he offered genially. I will send you a wire when to expect us, as soon as I get things definitely

“No, thanks! I don't want the wheel to-day. I have too many other things to think about this afternoon.”

Ihe spoke but little on the homeward journey—only once did Rosamond startle her companion with the unexpected. That ■was when the car had stopped at the Northlands gates, and she was standing on the dusty road beside th runningboard.

“Roy," she said then. “What colour are his eyes?”

“Blue,” answered the man amazedly. “ Why ? What on earth has the colour of his eyes got to ’do with it? But as you want to know, they are much the same colour as my own—my father’s were blue, too —we arc a blue-eyed crowd in general.”

“ She expects them to be either black or brown,” the girl said quietly. “ I felt sure they were blue—and so did Guelda! It was Guelda who first fitted our avenue into the dream.”

“ I was always taught to believe that dreams went by contraries,” Roy said teasingly. “ But so far this certainly seems to be the exception that proves the rule.” “ It may have been more of a vision than just a common, everyday drcam, you know. The memory of an ordina dream would surely never have lived so vividly through all the years as this has done.” “ You would hardly think so. Anyway, we will do our best, and pray fo a fine day. I’d rather like to see things end up happily. Uncle Maurice is "n exceptionally fine fellow, and you*- Lavender Lady seems to be in a class by herself.” “ If the rain only holds off,” remarked Rosamond cryptically. “The roses are a glory just now. I’ve never seen the redletter days so gorgeous in my life.” “ Then I’ll see you again on the redletter day,” Roy laughed, and was gone in a swirling cloud of choking, white dust.

CHAPTER XXI.—THE LITTLE BROWN CAKES. With sugar and spice and all things nice, And black currant jam for a flavour ! —D. C.

Rosamond was sitting in the most expensive—and at the same time, most uncomfortable chair that the Bell family owned. It was a thing of odd curves and slopes and excrescences, which stuck into your back where no bumps should be, and fell away in slopes where the spine craved for a comfortable support. The girl secretly wondered how people ever summoned sufficient courage to sit in it of their own accord, and marvelled no longer that it seemed so new and unworn beside the shabby cretonne covered wicker ones that were all else the room could boast of. But Mrs Bell had. led her to it with such pride of ownership, that the girl had no heart to refuse the seat of honour and place herself comfortably on the rug-covered stretcher that took the place of a couch.

Guelda was seated on the stretcher, and the two girls were conversing in low and guarded tones across the room, for Mrs Bell had excused herself in an excited, nervous way, and gone hurriedly out of the room, closely attended by Ngaire, who was in a state of wildest excitement.

“" Everyone seems to be excited and upset about something!"’ Rose said, “ I wonder what it is?” “ Goodness only knows !” her twin answered brightly, “ Isn’t that chair the limit, Rose? I suffered it once—but never again. The excitement—well! Ngaire is only a kid, you know, and she is a highlystrung little mortal at the best of times. It is nothing for her to work herself up into a state bordering on delirium over the merest trifle. Besides, the Bells are rather badly off, and a tea-party is huge event to them—even one for Daphne, who is the apple of their eyes, and for whom no sacrifice is too great to be macle.”

“It isn’t even her birthday !” Rose said perplexedly, “ I asked Ngaire particularly, and she said ‘ Oh, no ! Nobody’s birthday. It is just a tea-party—but couldn’t we take her presents just the same, ’cause it’s the most important day in her whole life.’

“Well—we brought the presents!” Guelda countered, “ There is the little green linen frock you made her—l think it is the sweetest thing—and the ribbons and hankies from me. Fruit and flowers from the boys—a whole tinful of wee cakes from auntie, and a box of paints from Ngaire— not to mention the book from the Lavender Lady. Why—l think Northlands has done herself proud—don’t you ?”

“ Oh yes—of course! .And Mrs Bell certainly thought so too, I am sure. She seemed-to be quite overwhelmed, and she rushed off at once with the frock and the ribbons to show Daphire.” "That is the oddest thing of all!” Guelda said, “ That is the one thing that struck me first. I have been over here countless times since the child was first hurt, and never orree before have my eyes failed to rest upon Daphne as soon as I entered the house. She is the idol of her mother s heart, and wherever Mrs Bell was working, there you would find Daphne and her couch.”

“ There is no Daphne visible to-day, at all events.

“No! That is what seems so odd. She can t be ill, because her mother seems quite cheerful, and Ngaire is wild with delight about something or other. “We shall soon know—Mrs Bell has been gone quite a time—she must come back before very long. Hsh! Somebody is coming up the garden pafh.” Both girls watched the door with interest, and a moment later it opened to admit Daphne’s father and Dick Treherne. “Well—-this is nice!” Guelda said, when greetings had been exchanged. “ We have not seen you. Mr Bell, for a very long time—and we missed you this morning. Mr Treherne. when you brought Maru home. Dad said vou told him that the colt did very well.”

“He is a wonder!” Dick said simply, “ Better than I even imagined him to be. and that is saving something, because vou know how I fell in love with him when I saw him first of all—that day on the Kelpie track. And he will improve nd' end with training, too. You will hardly know him soon.”

“The onestion is—what can GlowWorm do!” Rose said warninglv.

“ He camp down to-dav!” George Bell answered, “ Half a dozen of us watched him go over the course. He is a beautiful beast, there is no mistake and he simply eats wire. Our best hone for Maru is the water jump. The black isn’t keen on water. He jumps all right—doesn’t baulk—but he hasn't anv love for it. He doesn t. take off too well, and he jumps short—it's a boggy bank on the far side and needs a long jumn to clear it. Now that colt of votirs. Miss Guelda, just stretches himself out in mid-air. and flies the lot, landing well on the firm ground beyond the bog. Thev tried the black over it several times, and be didn't once jumn it nearly so well as Maru does.” “Well—that is something'.” Guelda said with satisfaction, “ It i.s too earlv vet fn r Pft l sure about anything, isn’t it? Glow-Worm is strange to the course, and he had been travelling too—that makes a difference. Still, it is very nice to feel that we have got one good trump in our nanH at all events.’*

“We don’t often i n the middle of the afternoon. Mr T,-1 ierne !” Rose said, ‘ Is it in honour of Daphne's party that vou came over now?” Yes! I had such a pressing invitation that I could not possibly resist it!’’ Dick smiled, “ Danhne and I are very good pals, and when she insisted that her party would be spoiled if I did not come to it, I had not the heart to refuse. We hp'l a fairly slack day in anv case.” Hero the door into the tiny passage opened and Mrs Bell entered the room. She was a tall, thin, careworn woman,

too early faded' by toil and poverty, but there was a very motherly expression on the face that was just now lit up by some strange inward exaltation which caused even her husband to regard her with curiosity.

i 1 ’ Geor S e ! ” she said, “ I am so glad that you are here—and Mr Treherne too. Daphne was longing for you to" come. She wouldn’t be brought in'till you were all here, but now she shall come—she shall come in at once—.” Her voice cracked on a high note, almost of hysteria, and broke. Nobody answered her, and it was in the tense expectant silence which followed, that two children appeared in the doorwav. Ngaire, of course! Ngaire, like a vivid little flame in her dress of scarlet crepe, with her cloud of wild dark hair blowing about her small face, and her velvet soft dark eyes shining like jewels. Her brown cheeks were glowing with dusky rosecolour it flashed through Rosamond's brain that never could she have imagined it possible for her little cousin to look so pretty. But it was upon the other figure that all eyes were riveted—all attention fixed. A girl-child’s figure, with eyes of "forget-me-not blue looking out from a pale, pure little face—with long ringlets of soft golden . hair tied back with one of Guelda’s new almond-green ribbons. The child was dressed in the dainty frock of embroidered linen which Rosamond had brought her as a gift. For a second she stood in the doorway, with Ngaire’s vigorous young'arm thrown round her for support, and then they moved slowly forward—scarlet poppy and graceful frail snowdrop—forward, sten by step, painstakingly slowly and carefully on Ngaire’s part—haltingly and draggingly on the part of the child in the almond-green frock. Then George Bell sprang forward, with a cry that startled them all.

Daphne ! My Daphne! Walking again at last. Dear (Father in Heaven ! How can we ever thank Thee?”

Then everyone talked and laughed at once, and Mrs Bell wept a little, and the twins smiled with their eyes full of tears, and nobody realised much what was happening until they suddenly discovered that Daphne was comfortably settled on sofa in her old position, and Mrs Beil was explaining just how the miracle had been wrought. The doctor had found that Daphne was getting better quicker than he had expected, and had suggested trying a few steps at a time, being, of course, extremely careful not to overdo things, and so undo all the good that the long rest had done to the injured back. It had been the ch,. .a s own idea that the experiment should be kept a jealously guarded secret from everyone but Ngaire. Not even her idolised father was' to hear a word about it till the ■wonderful tiling was really accomplished. So Ngaire and the doctor were both sworn to secrecv.

For some weeks the lessons went on. until Daphne felt confident that she could make her entry proudly into the little living-room, and electrify everyone by so doing. The party had been her own idea, the presents had been Ngaire’s private little plan, and the whole surprise had succeeded beyond her wildest imagining. Now she was content to lie back on her sofa, and let Dick and the faithful Ngaire wait upon her, while her father sat at her side, and held one of her hands.

Tea was brought in—cheap tea in big white and gold cups, and plates of thinlycut home-made bread and butter that Rose imagined had a nutty flavour that baker’s bread had never yet managed to acquire. Little cakes of al] sizes, and varying shapes and kinds also made their appearance, and here Dick was fated to make a discovery. Having accepted a cake which seemed oddly familiar in shape and appearance, he to'ok a thoughtful bite. It was not quite as all the other cakes he was accustomed to —it had a flavour all its own. Dick masticated slowly, and in his eyes was a look of concentrated thought.

The two children watched him eagerly. Ngaire with heightened colour and an apprehensive expression on her vivid little face—Daphne with deep interest. When Dick had made his selection from the plate of cakes held out to him, there had been a quick glance of understanding flash from the blue eyes to the velvet-soft dark ones, and the two little girls had neglected their own tea to watch Dick Treherne with breathless interest. But he came to the end of the little cakes and accepted a slice of perfectly ordinary sponge sandwich without making any comment whatever, and the children breathed freely again, and returned to their own interrupted meal. When the blow fell, it came from quite an unexpected quarter. “ AA'on’t you try one of these little brown cakes, Mr Treherne?” Guelda said, “ I would like to know what you think of them.”

“ I have already tried them, thanks. I find them very good indeed. But. thev ar e not the common or everyday kind of little cake, are they?” Guelda laughed. Now—Low clever of you to have found that out all by yourself—quite unassisted,” she said merrily, “ No! They are not common little cakes by any means—they are cakes with a history. I will tell you about them later on. Have another one' now?”

“Thanks—l will!” Dick suited the action to the word, “ They are—unusual —aren’t they? But very nice. I don’t think I have tasted any of them at Northlands, have I?’’ “Oh—never! We have never risen to such heights in the Northlands kitchen. No—Mrs Bell did not cook them either. Thev are really mystery cakes, are thev not?” . . ‘

“In more ways than one!” the young man slowly, “ In fact, if neither of you girls made them, and Mrs Bell did not do so either, the mystery deepens decided-

1.-', for I will stake my life, let alone my IXHtom dollar, that they never came from th.) township.” Oh, no! They did not come from the township. And yet I have tasted them before somewhere, I am sure !”

‘ "Oh! ! don’t think that i s possible, Air freherne!” Guelda answered quickly. I feel positive !” Dick answered obstinately, “ Perhaps Mrs Bell has had them here before when I have been over.

i , d ? n 1 think so!” interrupted that lady quickly and nervously, and looking decidedly distressed. You are s,lr e? Oh. well! lam probably mistaken !” Dick replied easily, and turned the subject by inquiring what had become of the Persian kitten which was.usually Daphne’s shadow. When afternoon tea was over, the twins insisted upon helping Mrs Bell to clear away and wash up the cups and saucers, while Dick Treherne and George Bell lighted cigarettes, and prepared to return to their neglected work. But Guelda came rapidlv into the little living-room, with a cup held in her hand—a cup that she was diving on a clean, redbordered tea-towl.

By the way!” she said, waving the tea-towl as she spoke, “ Dad wants you to come over to-night if you have time, Mr Treherne—he was going to send Lyn down with a message. He meant to tell you this morning, and quite forgot all about it. He wants to talk to you about Maru. Do come—we want vou to know Rose's guaidian, who is one’of the loveliest women you ever saw in your life. ‘ Ita-—thanks!” the young man replied absently, “ I shall be pleased to come.” His eyes were fixed—not upon Guelda, as might have been expected,—but upon the tea-towel she held in her hands. His voice when he spoke fell oddlv upon his hearers’ ears.

“ Before I go !” he said, “ there is a little story that I want to tell you all.” The girl clapped her hands, to the extreme danger of tli e cup she was holding. Oh, lovely !” she declared enthusiastically, “Is it about the Ghost Dog? You haven't mentioned him for quite a long time.”

“No!” admitted the man grimly, “I haven’t. I have been too busy experiencing him to talk about him. It is becoming too much for me. I think I should go off my head if I had to endure much more of it. In fact I have decided to give up a country life altogether, and see if I can escape him in a town —a city-—the b’gger the better. As soon as the race is over, and the Graemes are home. I shall move on.” Guelda experienced an odd little shock as though her heart had been touched by an icy hand, but she was as bright and smiling as before when she said, with just the correct shade of regret in her clear voice— Oh! AA hat a pity ! I did feel so sure we were going to banish that shadow for you, too. Isn’t life disappointing? Now, I am longing for the story—and I am sure the chickies are. Rose—!” she called down the little passage, “ Com e in here with Mrs Bell. Mr Treherne is going to tell us a story before he goes back to work.” “ A ghost-story, Mr Treherne?” asked Rosamond hopefully, as she made her appearance, while Airs Bel' smiled gently, and wiped her hands on the apron she had donned to protect her best dress during the operation of washing up. “ No! Not a ghost story this time—the story of a fairy instead.”

“ Oh! Is it one of the ‘ Once upon a time’ ones?” demanded Ngaire eagerly, “ I love those best —and so does Daphne.” “ No—not even one of those. Not so very long ago. girlie. Just exactly as long as the day of the big thunderstorm.” Rosamond shuddered a little and went pale—Ngaire' jumped and flushed a vivid red, but Dick went on auite evenly. “ AA’e were doing sheep that day. You will remember. Bell, that I was quite knocked up when w e finished. You men all invited me home to tea, but I said I would rather go straight home and tumble in. You all know what a bachelor’s whare is like. I can assure you that mine is no exception to the rule, and that morning I had been ojit of it by four o’clock for the mustering, so it was even worse than usual. I don't mind admitting that I absolutely loathed the idea of going into that cold, empty .whare, and making my bed, cooking my tea. and washing my breakfast dishes.” “It doesn’t sound very enchanting I" murmured Rosamond. “ It didn’t feel it, I can assure you. But this is where the fairy came in. That whare was not cold and empty as I had expected.” (To be continued.)