CHAPTER XLI.

Taranaki Herald, Volume XLVIII, Issue 11698, 13 December 1899, Page 2 (Supplement)

CHAPTER XLI.

THE SQUIRE FULLS THROUGH AFTER A HARD BATTLE, AND WHEN HE BECOSIES CONVALESCENT MARIA SPEAKS HER MIND. After Maria bad settled the question of duty she went very Hyetemically to work to prepare for her journey. She calmly finished ironing her curtain, hung it nicely in its place, and then swept a satisfied look around the neatly arranged and immaculate room before closing and locking the dojr to keep out all intruders during her absence. Then she iolled up her sleeves, an-1 for the next three hours baked and boiled and fried until her pantry was well filled with substantial nnd toothsome provisions for the hired man and boy. ' This'll last you nigh on to two weeks with what you can cook for yourselves] 1 ! she said to Pat, as she showed him the result of her labours. • There's plenty of satt pork in the' barrel ; that you can fry when you want a change from corned beef and ham, and there are plenty of vegetables in the cellar. I guess you can manage somehow till I come back, and if yon run out of bread you can ask Mrs Barnes to bake some or you can buy some. , Her cooking out of the wav and everything abouc the hous© Mt in the most tidy manner imaginable, Maria packed her small trunk, arrayed herself in a good serviceable gown ' for travelling and was driven into New Haven in ample time to catch the train she was going by. She made her connections in New York without any difficulty, after having wired Cliff what hour she expected to arrive in Washington the next morning. He was at the station to meet her upon her arrival and welcomed her most cordially ; indeed a great burden rolled away from her heart the moment he caught sight of her round honest face, for he thought that she was- equal to the responsibilities before her. To her enquiries regarding the Bquirie's condition he replied that he was .pretty sick and had been delirious all the night, but had fallen asleep a few minutes before he left him to come to her. ' Who's been taking care of him V she asked ' Well he had not needed much taking care of until yesterday and last night,, and Ire- done what I could/ said Cliff.

' Then he told her abonfc his accident' and of his narrow escape from being burned to death, although he made as light as possible of his own emergency in this matter ; but Maria learned about it all after, when she had made fie acqnnintance of the landlady who could not. say enough in praise for him. For three weeks Squire Talford was * very sicK umn, and crea Maria found her powers of endurance taxed to the utmost, in spite of the aid of Cliff, who insisted upon sharing her vigils at night vft doiug all he couid out of business httarg; He pulled through, however, though it was a hard pull ; yet when be began to conva'.esce he mended rapidly. Five weeks after Maria's arrival be was able to be up and dres3ed ; his apefcite had returned and he felt he had been made over. Une morning after she had served him a nice breakfast and put his room to rights, Mrs Kiraberly seated herself directly opposite her patient with a determined look on her bold and honest face. ' Well, what is it, Maria ?' the squire questioned; for he always knew that matters of importance weighed heavily on her miad when she looked as she was. 1 1 have got something to tell yon,' she said aud coming directly to the point. ' I thought so ?■ What is it ? Go ahead.' | ' Well, I expect you will not like it i very we'll, but it's got to be told,' the woman observed and flashing slightly. 1 When I was cleanin' the attic, after you left I took your little hair truck up to move it, dropped it aud burst tho lul open. . The" squire started and shot a quick leok at her. ' Of course everything tumbled out,' she persued, and I had to pick 'em up and put 'em back. J don't suppose I need to tell you that I found among the mess a box of Cliff's. She glanced up as she concluded, to fiad that her companion had lost some of his colour which he recovered during her recital. There was a moment of silenc?, when be remarked : < Well?' ' Wai, the box had come apart in the smash and I foun-i a lot of letters directed to Cliffs mother and — to his father. I found, too, the papers thac told of Mrs Faxton's marriage and Clifford s christening. ' Well ?' cried the squire again as he paused. , ' Of course, I did'nt read the letters, I thought 'twas none of tny business what was in 'em, but when I saw them certificates I made up my mind that a burnin' wrong had been done (hat boy — a wrong that must be righted, squire; so when I got his message to come to take care of you, I brought it on with me.* 4 You did,' exclaimed Squire Talford in a startled tone, • and what have you Hono wjth it — have you given it to Cliff?" ' No, sir, you do not ketch Maria Kimberly doin' anything underhanded if she knows it,' responded the woman with considerable spirit. 'As long as I found the things in your trunk I made up my mind tbat I would tell you ihe •irst chance and see what you wauld do before I went further.' ' That shows your good sense and honesty, Maria,' said the squire appreciatively.' I suppose you thiuk the boy ought to' have the papers,' he added thonghtfully. * Of course I do, and that ain't all he oughter have either,' his companion retorted with stout-hearted frankness and earnestness. ' What do you mean ?' demanded the squire. Maria sniffed significantly and tossed her head. • 1 suppose you imagine I don't know who Cliff's mother was,' she said with a smile, • I suppose you think 1 never heard that story of Belle Abbot, who alter she was engaged to one man, fell in love with another and ji'ted the first. But I never suspected that the man she married was anything to you —I never heard that Dart of it, until jii3t afor' I came to Washington. I was dusting the books in that old secretary in your badroom and came across that old Bible your mother used to like because the type was so clear. I had seen it one hundred times, but I never took any notice of the family record till that day, when I found the same name, araong a lot of others, that I saw on Belle Abbot's marriage certificate. You could have knocked me over with a feather, for I always believed that Clifford's mother married a man by the name o' Frixton — and she did too,' for that was one of tho names. I never could understand afore why you hated the boy so ; bat now I see through ' it

all. You knew he did not know anything about his father ; you pretended to be a friend of Mrs Faxton after she came back from the West, influenced lipr to bind the boy to you when she was ■Ijing and managed somehow to get hold o' them papers and hare kep' em hid from him ever since, for you didn't mpin h«> shonld have her rights if you could help it.' 'Don't you think you are getting pretty smart and familiar with your ualk Maria,' the squire demanded as «h* paused for breath but the hani that fingered the envelope trembled. 'Maybe,, she coolly responded, 'I had made up my mind that the right time had come fo ■ Borne sharp and familiar talk to you, and I wasn't going to shirk my duty. 1 have lived with yon, Squire Talford, nigh on to eighteen years, and I have tried to do my best for you and yours all the time Rpecially since Mrs Talford died, and I fait I owed her a lot for the pains she ' took to train me ; then of course, I wanted to feel that I earned the money you were paying me, though I never got a rise in my wages. So my conscience is clear on that gcore, and I do rot think I have neglected anything but to speak my mind, and that I am going to make up for now, if I never set foot in the old place again. I have had hard work to hold ray tongue in the past when you was abusin' Cliff as you used to, and you'd no cause to hate him as you seemed to either. He never wronged you ; he wasn't to blame for , coming into the world the son of the other man's instead o' yours. A better brighter boy never drew breath ; he served you faithful as the day wis long and you treated him shameful — worsen a slave. I used to wonder huw you .could sleep nights after some of those thiashin's you gave him. 'I never felt meaner in all my iife ior anybody than I did when you let him go ofFto college without even a word o' kindness and encouragement and if I knew then what I know now he'd never had gone away as he did. • You are spreading it on pretty thick Maria, and I think it is about time yon stopped,' th.c squire here interposed and with a face that was now crimson with shame. ' Yes, I suppose I am spreadin'it on thick,' she composedly almifcteJ, 'and I tell you I am downright glad of the chance for once, I reckon I am about through, though, only I'd like to ask what you propose to do for Cliff,' she said. 'I'm not sure that I propose anything I ,' he said. ' You don't ?' cried Maria brindling a<sain. ' Well then I do. I propose to see that that young man gets his rights. I'm far from being a rich woman, but I've saved up a plump sun. out o' my wages and (Jliff shall have every dollar of it to help him fisjht for his share of the fortune that his grandmother lpft, and if you was clothed and in your right mind you'd want him to have the rest of it after you've done with it. What are yon thin'ring of. Squire Talford.' she went on glowing with indignation, •to nurse, at your time o' life, such a spite against such a splendid fellow as Clifford Faxton — a fellow that any man might be proud to own as a son? Havn't you any gratitude for what he has done for you ? You'd have been burned to a cinder and lying under them brick walls outside, but for him ; he did what precious few men would have done that night of the fire, to save a man he knew hated hhn and had abused him as you did when he was a boy. And that ain't all neither ; ho gave up his nice room to you and has been sleoping in a back room that's little better than a closet at the end o' the hall, so's he could be handy to spell me when I had to rest. And he's set up watching with you, night after Eight jaaf. as faithful as if yob was his own father. I could never have done it alone ; for Squire, you came mighty nigh to slippin' over Jordon some of them nights — mighty nigh. Mao alive, have, you no principle ? Whal are you made of anyway ? Wai, — drawing a long breath and looking a trifle scared ■as she began to realize that she had been holding forth with more vigor than discretion. ' I guess I've said enough for now, and I'll leave you to think it over I've got that box in my trunk and if you don't see fit to do the square thing by Cliff I shall give it to him, and tell him all I know and then you and I will settle accounts. I The woman aro-e as she concluded ( and walked quietly from the room, leaving the squire to meditate, in no enviable frame of mind, upon a situation ho had never dreamed would overtake him. Maria did not go, near him again until lunch, when ahe carried him a tray of • dainty viands that would have tempted an epicure. She watched him out of the corners of he>- flyfls while Bhe prepared bis table

and the thoughtful expression on his face appeared to aflbro her an immense amount of satisfaction, two or three times when she passed benind ni» fhair she nodded her head with a gratified air. The man did no*; refer to the conversation of the morning, bub there was that iv his manner and in the tones of his voice whenever he addressed her, which asuurred her that he dldnotthin'c any the less of her for tlio stand she hhd taken. She kept out ofhis way during most of the afternoon also, giving as a reason that she was going to be busy In the Jaundry, hut at night, as at noon iiis dinner was prepare! with the greatett nicety and care. • You are a good cook, Maria,' the squire remarked as she brought him a second cup of coffee the aroma of which pervaded the whole room, ' and you have proved yourself to be a tip top nurse,' he added. ' Thank you sir,' Maria respectfully responded and flushing with pleasure at the unusual praise, 'I had a good woman to train me — Mrs Talford ma'e me what I am, and I'm not bickward to give her the credit of it ; Bhe was a good houskeeper and one o' the salt o' the earth. He finished his dinner in silence, but as she was about to leave the room he inquired : Maria, is Cliff in ?' ' Yes, sir, I met him in the hall as I was bringing up that last cup of coffee just now.' • Will you gorto his door and ask him if he can spare me an hour this evening. Say it id important.' ' All right sir, I will tell him,' Maria reßponde J, 'And Maria — ' ' Yes, sir.' ' When I ring you may bring 1 that box of which you spoke.' She passed out of the room, closing the door softly and paused to wipe away the tears. [to be continued ]