LITERATURE.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XLVII, Issue 7710, 12 January 1905, Page 4

LITERATURE.

■?-.. THE V invalid wife. " Dear. Jim,—l've been making all sorts of inquiries, but the only thing ' I can hear, .of is a land agency in Devonshire. Lord Sai»;tthioi>e gives a spkmiid salaiy, and you'd have a ripi-i'ng time. There's only one sli- . pulatiou he makes—his agent must "bo a married man : 1 fancy there's a pretty daughter in the background, and ineligibles have to Iw kept away oy scarecrows. Anyhow, you'll have to fix it up somehow, old man. It ie really too good a billet to lose lor the sake of such a sii-utl thing. I should try the 'nvalid dodge. Bring a trusty old hotisekeejier with you (havan't you an oM family nurse who swears by you ?) and take her into your contidence. Give out that you're a mariicd mail with a continued invalid for a wife. I think the plan might work all right, ih? " Let Jiw tnow if you go south and when. I know Lord Sandthrope , just a little. Yours'as ever, "F. F." Jim Wi'iouehby threw the letter on the table. Wag Fisher mad ? Even if he were to fcegii possessinn of an invalid wife, how' could he keep it up ior ever ? It was just on the cards that ho might want to marry sonic day. I No ! Tho thing was out of the question. He must write and refuse. Refute his daily bread—the only offer of employment that had come his way? for that was what it amounted to. And he was at his beam ends for. hrs next meal. Who was mad, he or Fisher, or both ? Would he get such an offer again ? Something told hiiu, never. Brought up expensively, ruined at twenty-six through a bank failure, what chance had he, poor devil ? He must saddle himself with the phantom invalid wife, that was all; -- and take this situation his friend bad so kindly secured for, him. Come what might of it. he would take it* If the invalid wife became embarrassingly inconvenient, he could always bury her ! Happy thought ! The die was cast; the acceptance shouhj go off by that very night's I>ost or a morning's reflection might cause him to change his mind. At ten o'cluck Jim Wiloughby went out to post his letter. }t was addressed to Sir Frank Fisher, and contained a request to procure the agency for him without delay. V A tail man, dark, rather good looking ! " said' .Lord Sandthropo musingly. ■■-■ Can't say I know of anyone answering to that description round about here. I'robably a stranger, I should say. Lattice; there arc often some about for the fishing, or shooting, or hunting."Lady Sandthrope nodded., " i'robably," she acquiesced. Lady Lettiie shook her pretty chestnut head. ■" Mrs Bayncs said she thought it . must be your new agent, papa," she remarked demurc-ly. ■•• He was brave, •-he just slipped into the water ac if he was going lp enjoy a swim, ■ : fxiti picked dp .the Fringie s chiid and . swain ashore with it. So easy task i shou.d think, with the Hoods out as they are," A. "Lord Sandthrope" knitted his brows. •" Did you sec the performance '! " asked slightly sarcastically. " .No doubt it was for your edification."- ■•' l'apa !■" Lettice looked hurt. " He, the land agent I mean, didn't 6te me at ull. 1 wa<? jogging home after the meet with Alajor Jackson, and wo were both on the road, at the bend, behind the hedge,—but we saw; it nil througjh the gap. And Major Jackson suid it was a sple-u- ---" --..did act." "Jackson didn't offer to go in," put in his lordship hurriedly. " Oh, no\ papa, he was too—cr—tidy/' returned his daughter with a qtf-et humour that was lost on both iter parents. "1 did hear that the new man had arrived, friend of Fisher's," murTimred Sandthrope returning to his paper at'tcr a moment's pause, " he oxsA. his invalid ivifa— " ■*•• Ought 1 to cah on her, do you tbhu ? " askod his spouse hesitatingly. " CaM ? Oh, no, not on a continued invalid, she would rather you staytd away, 1 should say," answered her husband jocularly, ••Ah," as a rinj of the bell sounded through the lipase, v That's he, I'll , be bound, Wiloughby was to come up this morning to see me," So saying, his lordship gathered up his papers and letters together and left Vbonoova, ■■■ Door jufs Wiloughby ! " said Lady Sandthrope coimuisjratingiy. Lettite throw back her nead. •" Door Mr Wiloughby; J •-•- she laid 'jrevar'iy, •" SomcnoWj L« did Lot look like \ a man who had a conlirm~.Jri ed invalid for a wife. What a pjly lor both of them. Adieu, for the present mother, I'm oft to the stables to give the horses their sugar !" It was a few weeks later. Lord Saudihiopc's ag<j:tt nad iiinel with his employer's family .more than _ once ; he had been fully introduced tc pretty Lady Lcttice, aim he wondered no longer that he. was hedged in. Never, during tho whole course ol '-■'■ his existence had he seen so lovclj and graceful a girl. She inquired in a sweetly synipa,thetic voice for the invalid wife, ami he had almost forgotten his rol< and had half begun to deny the existence of such a person, when he caught his lordship's eye, and pulled himself up just in time. After, that), they met frequently, and each time Jim Wiloughby vowed __. Should ho the last, for he had completely lost his heart to lovely LetticO| .while she e believing hlim to bs married, treated him .with easj friendliaess which only made matters harder: for him* She often timidly- asked if sht might not soo Mrs Wiloughbj*. ami many were the baskets of fruit that poor Jim had to accept with an uneasy conscience, that was only hall appeased by the grateful letters o thanks from the London hospital* .which were the • ultimate destination of the liberal gifts ol" fruit, flowers, and game. At Christmas the Sanhthropes ga- __ thered a'large house party together. Jim had almost decided that he must give up his situation : ho felt he should not be brave enough to ge on meeting his dainty little love much 'longer, without Iwtraying him self, and that would never do ! II .would be a breach of his employer'! confidence. And yet—what else did life hphl for him V He was young, - strong, and handsome; but then seemed nothing for him to do but ' starve < How thiHgs .would have turned out .was a matter for speculation only, !■ J, u Fisher- the best friend a fellow cv"Br- • Sandthrope Christmas house party. Old Fisher was, so the world said, too rich, too lazy, too selßsh, am] too brainless to make use of his own life but he managed, neverthc' less, to help a very large percentage at bjs friends to make a good deal of theirs I, Fisher had been bora .with a golden spoon in his large a»H ugly mouth; A haronef and a millionaire, Lord Sandthrope had long had designs or him for his pretty daughter, and really this Christmas they seemed t« grt on so well together, Lcttice and Fisher, that the designs became •-" hopes well founded, and his lordshir Teapcd much joy out of the prospect of the approaching wedding. But Fisher had other plans. He bad not been many days at Sand- *".-.. fcnrope before he saw how the land lay with his friend Willoughbv, and a very few well disguised suggestions A brought something else to 'light—- » namely, the fact that pretty L 3 tticc » .was not wholly indifferent to Jim t B Then the braialess, too rich, too I lazy individual set to work to throw r the two together, and to bring about a match between his two friends ' And having brought them together l £°uJ. n Z*\ a>Me for e*«n, followed ' f F,sher had wanted some particular ! Chnstmas roses that grew in Let- , tices particular garden. Thev were to send to a little crippled friend of - his who cop-ed lhl 0S .9om S in musiin , , JHight he ltave some ? I Lettice was only too willing, al ,a l^ Sl p^,"' ~>n ,ek, W"sTn7n'.'*heTs7w", a«F..sher meant she should- He '' £-?'sent'jim Tt "" "°" r I™'™* ste saw jL '%* " u -. Le »i'. awav Ti„. ""■ «ni'ted to run , " 1 4^ bjs gr„u,«l „, >h | v . ,\ n .| v . 'l'' °T r U* little 1 ' ■te.-.-tve come to cot qi B v , s h ""- ■iS&jtar Christ roL J ? S)I -

Sfco stood still, looking at him, but made no attempt to gather .the flowers, Wiloujrbby, Ins handsome face a shade paler, bowed. '"Shall 1 cut them for you? "■ lie asked. Iris voice well under control. She nodded in a friendly fashion. " That would be very kind of you, ilr Wiloughby," she said. He stooped down and picked several perfect bloom* ; then, as he handled thoin to her, their lingers met. It was! though an electric shock went through them both. A soft pink colour swept into T.etlice's pretty rhceks ; her lovely eyes fell beneath his ardent gaze. " Lettice ! " he breathed. '-' Oh ! my darling !"' Then he drew himself up stiffly : hut Lettice. had heard, and her heart answered to the throb of his. " dim ! " she whispered in a distinctly tender tone. At that little word. W'i'oughby threw prudence, caution, everything: to the winds, and opening his arms, lie caught her passionately to Irs bteast, whilst he murmured all sorts of endearments. A few minutes Intel's, she drew herself away. •• H.ow is your witc, sir ?"• she I ashed with mock severity. I " The only woman I shall ever 'call wife, lay in my arms- not live minutes ago," he said proudly. •' Lettice, sweetheart " V 1 knew," she answered happily. ■" How long ? f ho nsued, kissing her again. She stole a surreptitious glance at hjim. " For. some ti^iio—ever since oi.e afternoon l , when you had gone over to Newhampton," she said. •■"" Your housekeeper was upstairs ulith a headache, and th.—l—well 1 at any rate 1 knew Mrs Wiloughby was a myth, and I was. "- ''» Yes ? " as she paused. " I was g'iud ! " she suid with a delightful little sigh, as she rested her head on his shoulder. '■' I am glad too ! " put in another voice at this juncture;''and Fisher strolled on to the scene as the two , stepped guiltiy apart. " It's jusl what I've been wanting to happen \ for ages, but some people are blind, , and don't know when they're wel. oil! '-' , He slapped Jim's shoulder heart- \ Sly. The letter's countenance overclouded. "Ah ! but it's all no use," he Said lugubriously, " You see Loii . Sandthiope " [ " Will welcome you with opei , arms !i"- put in Fisher excitedly '"Go to him boldly, Jim, ask hin lor this young lady if she'll have [ | you !—and tell him you are inj , beir —— "- f | " But Frank—nothing of th . kind "■ t •'•'■ Then you'll not marry Lady Let- . tice, and she'll die of a broker I heart ! " sold the other stolidly "• Shjo is only eighteen ; and you cai not marry her without her father'! 'consent for another three years ! Ki . I you'd better make up your mini and choose——" t '- Choose me, please," put in a , small voice humbly, "' Jim, I don' mind being a poor land agent's wif J —his real wile—at all ! " And after that candid confession ; what could Wiloug4tl>v do, but re \ lent? ' Lord Sandthiope -was dnlv appeas cd upon hearing that Fisher intend cd to make Wiloughby his heir, am : treated him as suchy and even con descended to smile over the ' con firmed invalid wife ' episode. He al lowed Jim to continuo to be hi • land agent after he became his son in-law. And that was when Lad' Lettice began to reign supreme a • Jim Wiloughby's wife.