BIG PETER.

Taranaki Herald, Volume LXIII, Issue 144859, 10 December 1915, Page 8

BIG PETER.

STRONG ROMANTIC LOVE STORY.

By JOHN SHIITE,

Author of “The Bullion Baby,” etc., etc. PRINCIPAL CHARACTERS:

Big Peter; A miner on the Kampurli Gold Field. The real Lord Cambray. , The Swell and Scotty: Chums of Big Peter. . Robert Walker; A solicitor s clerk: Endeavours to sell a secret to Big Peter. . '. , , _. Mr. Fearon: Acts as solicitor to Big Peter. Lord Cambray: Selfish, old, and with a vicious ’past. Lornmer: Servant to Lord Cambray, Miss Parker: Aunt to Alargai et Parker: With whom Big Peter is in love. Airs. . 6auudeis: A poor widow whom Big Peter helps. Tommy Saunders: Her son. CHAPTER XVl.—Continued.

Peter saw that ho had displeased her, hut bad no idea way. it could not bo because sue UaU any attecuou to; her menu a tattler. Tnat coulU only have been an.excuse. But lie could not let her go like tins. “ivo; no,’’ -bo said, putting up his hand to keep lier back, “li you go away now you won’t come back to me. 1 can't uo without you. It is not only your mend wno is sad.- 1 am sure you nave your-sorrows tog, although you are brave about them. You are disturbed about something to-mghi, aud 1 haven’t said anything 10 eouuort you, because I didm t know what to say. But i d give everything I halve to save you from the least nttie bit oi trouble, i know Pm a rough ieiiow, -not worthy to'tread the tamo ground as you do. But 1 believe 1 mve you more tuau any man ever loved a woman yet. Come me and let me take care ol you. I’ll spend my hie in trying to make you happy. Oh 1 I eau’t say it as I ought to say it, but you must know how mucn I love you. Oh! how 1 love you! 1 couldn’t tell you how much if 1 talked till midnight.” His words had poured out m a passionate stream. Once or twice she had tried to stop him, but she had not tried to go away, aud at the eud she had stood looking at him, her face Hushed and her eyes shining, because even in his deep emotion Uo looked magnificently strong and sincere, and he ivas ottering her the best that a man has to otter to a woman—himself and his whole devotion. Now she said softly* “1 am glad you have said that to me. I shall never forget it. But 1 can’t say what you want. You don’t know everything about me; aud besides ” tjho did not finish her sentence, and Peter began to plead with her again. But she cut him short and spoke with more determination. “No,” she said, “i cannot listen to you. You mustn't ask me to. ■ Aud I must go now.” "Then you must come buck,” he said. “You went away from me once betoro, and I thought i had lost you. I have found you twice by chance. 1 can’t let yop go again unlee yous promise to come oaek. Will you odiuo hero again to-ihorrow? Oh! but why can't you say what I want you to suy now Why must you go at ail? If you go, let you go again unless you promise that you belong to mo and that 1 am going to take care of you. 1 can, you know. lam strong enough, and I can give you more than you think, perhaps.” Shu stopped him again, or ho might have blurted out everything. “It 1 can,” she said, "I will come hero tomorrow. I can’t bo quite certain, but 1 will promise you this, I will come to you again. 1 won’t promise that 1 will say what you waul mo to say, but I won’t try to stop you from saying it it you will let mo go now. 1 want to go—you won’t try and keep me here against my will.” This was just the plea that would prevail upon Peter—the plea of weakness to strength. He looked at her closely and longingly. "It you make me a promise,” he said, “i know that you will keep it.” And then she left him, to wonder whether ho had prevailed with her at all.

CHAPTER XVII.

AN ARREST. Peter stayed some time longer by the lake. And then instead of going back by the way be had come, he followed tue path by which the girl had gone. It was already getting dark, 'ihere was small fear ol his doing seen if ho shouid explore a little further into the privacies of these spacious gardens. He had uo idea at all of following her up. He was sure that she had gone back to the house. Rut he wanted, to know more of the ground that was so familiar to her; and so far he had not penetrated closer to the castle than the spot on which they had been together. The path'led on a long way through the shrubberies and then suddenly came out op to a wide open space, and skirted something like an acre of lawn at the other end of which loomed the great bulk of the castle itself. Peter drew' back into the shade of the trees, because some of the windows in front of him were lighted up, and although it was getting dusk, it was not too dark for him to be seen if he had followed this path. He went hack a little way and found another, which ran behind the trees, and followed it until it began to descend the hill on the opposite side of the castle to that by which hc.liad entered -the grounds. Presently he came to a little bridge over a leaping stream and leant over it for a moment contemplatively, drawn by the fascination of the running water, which sang musically under his feet. ".But a vague uneasiness seized hinj. The air was close and unpleasant here, and seemed to be full of flies, which buzzed about him horribly, and reminded him of unpleasant experiences in the Australian Bush.

Just as he was about to move on again he thought he heard voices, and stopping to listen realised that someboefy was coming up the path towards him. So he stepped off it and down amongst the trees by the river. He went on a few yards aud got behind a thick bush, until the men whose voices he had heard had passed on. They came up the path and passed over the bridge quite close to him. “There must be a dead rabbit or

something about here,” said one of them. "It gels worse and worse.” ihey siemed to pause lor a moment, and X'eter drew back farther into the bush against which ho was standing. Something heavy fell out of itf at his feet, and when tho men, who seemed to bo grooms or indoor servants Horn the house, had passed ou again, ho picked it up and lound it was a thick walking stick almost as heavy as a cudgel. ".vow I wonder how that got here,” ho said td’himself. "As nobody teems to want it„f may as well take it with me. ”

Tho next day tho rain came down heavily and Peter's spirits sank accordingly. Ho could hardly hope for a meeting in the lentgle hy the lake, but ho wont there nevertheless and stayed until it was dark. But she did not come.

And this evening to add to his discomfort, ho was caught hy a keeper getting out of the wood on to the road, and questioned us to his intentions. He did not want to have any trouble of that sort, and gave tho man a sovereign, which may not have quieted any suspicions he may have had, but sent him away touching his hat. The next day it was tine again and Peter went for a long walk into the country, wishing all the time that the hours would lly away and bring him to that quiet evening one of which he now hoped so much. But m spite of the sun and the blue sky and the exhilaration that ought to have como from brisk movement, depression hung about liim heavily, and he could not tell why. When he got back to bis inn ip tho afternoon, he was mot with tho news of a gruesome excitement that had taken place during his absence. A dead' bodv had been discovered in the woods below Cambray Castle. It was unrecognisable, but all the signs pointed to a terrible murder. The whole neighbourhood was buzzing with it. The news chiefly concerned Peter because of tho effect it would ho likely to have on tho inhabitants of Cambray Castle itself. He went again to the temple bv tho lake and again was disappointed. The next i morning ho heard that Land Cambray bad left tho castlo. It was the centre now of disagreeable talk, and there could be no privacy anywhere about it, with everybody Lor miles around cowling to see the place, whore tho murder had been committed, and all tho police in tho counand some from Loudon besides, searching for clues. 'me next niurumg it was rumoured that a uuo kau ueen discovered, and me uiurUureU mau gienunc-c,.

x'eter went out lor anothor__ long country want. vi non he. got hack to mo inn in mo alteruoou no saw two or «throo policemen stunning outside it larking to mo landlady, ami as he cauio striding up mey arow together with all thoir laces turned towards lum. Ho hoard ono ol tno policemen say, ••Yes, that’s tho man,” unu tho next moment ono ot them stopped lorward and said, ’‘John peter., i arrest you tor tho murder ot Itolicrc Wa Ik or, and i warn you that auytuiug you say now wUI bo used m evidence against you.” Jt'eter drew back, startled out of his five wits. “.Robert Walker!" ho exclaimed. “Is he mo murderod_ man? Wnat have I got to do with it I” ’then his eyes fell upon tho policeman who had pointed him out. it was tlio young man new to Hie lorce, whom ho Had run against in Loudon mat night on which ho had met Walker. “Oh, it’s you, is it:”’ ho said, angrily. “The man who saw mo with W’alkef. Didn’t I tell you I wanted him kept under observation? ’■ “You was assaulting Walker when I come up,” said the policeman quickly. Tho whole set of incriminating circumstances presented themselves in a flash to I'cter’s mind and roused him to a frenzy of auger. Ho bail been fighting his depression all day. Nothing hod gone right with him, and now in this, placo, of all others, in which ho most wished to stand well in the eyes of everybody, he was to be absurdly accused of foul murder. His face grew dark, and he half-ra.sed tho thick stick in his hand.

But the police were all on the alert, and the moment he exhibited 1 these signs they were on to him witn e -e accord, 'i'heru were three of tliem, and the concerted attack just put the fpaik to his fury. He drooped his stick and fought them with both ham Is. One cf them went flat down witii a blc w straight from the smular. Wdii the other two clinging on ■ to him he struggled fiercely, while the woman standing in the doorway shrieked, and people came running up to watch the unequal contest. But unequal as it was, if it had only been a question of that fight, of one man against three, Peter would hare won. It lasted no more .than a few seconds, but at the end of them he uad broken free and could have got away from bis captors. But flight was not in his mind. It was only blind rage that had seized him, and that was dissipated as snd-

denly as it had sprung up by the realisation that his victory was of no uso to him. He stood where ho was, and began to expostulate. But the men whom ho had treated so roughly were in no mood to listcv to him. Lu a trice he was handcuffed and at- their mercy; and then ho doggedly shut his mouth ar\d would say nothing. Fortunately for him the inn .vas on the outskirts of the village, and the polku station was the next building to it. He had not-to suffer tho indigu.ty of being led through a- crowd of pecple to his incarceration.

As they led him off on© of the policemen picked up tho stick he bad dropped, and pointed to tho end of it. “Look here,” he said, in a shocked voice, “this is what he did it with.” (To be continued.)