MAETHA'S PEIDE.

Thames Advertiser, Volume IX, Issue 2462, 4 November 1876, Page 3

MAETHA'S PEIDE.

By Richmond Thaicubr, It was a foolish, idle quarrel, and all arose out of a trival thing. Jacob was a bit late up and couldn't nnd his boots, and I had been too busy getting ready for the week's wash to have his breakfast laid, and when ho said he never saw such a house for losing things, and wont on about his mates always being at the claim before him because they got their meals in good time, I got mad, and said it was a pity he hadn't some one else to bear his ill temper and be his slave. Then he said he had to work hard to keep me and the baby, and I rotorted with something or another, what I don't know, but it was bitter, I remember well. Then I got breakfast, and put it down before him with a bang, as much as to say, " There; I wish it would choke you," and Jacob ate it, never once looking at baby, who was sitting on the floor crowing and crying in turns, and at times clapping its hands to attract daddy's attention.

When he had finished, he stood up as if irresolute, I believe ho was thinking whether it wouldn't be better to do as he had done a score of times before after a tiff, and come up and say, 'There, Martha, old girl, it's all over; give us a kiss;' but evidently the bad spirit got the better of him, for he just stood a moment, took his cap, stuck it on firmly and savagely, and made for the door. I had a mind to get between it and him and say, 'No; don't, Jacob, don't go out in such a temper.' I was sitting sulkily at the corner of the table playing with a cup of tea, and could easily have done it. God forgive me, I was wrong, for my anger was nigh all gone, and it wouldn't have been a great sacrifice; but when I saw his tread so firm and his mouth close shut, I said to myself ' all right, Jacob Hounsell, if you can be high spirited, so can I,' and I let him go o,ufc and down the little hill side without a word.

I did peer anxiously to see if h would turn to look towards me and baby, but he marched off as stiff as a soldier on sentry. I thought when his body and face were hid by the low wattles on the other side of the creek that his cap took a turn, as if his head were turned too, in our direction.

I hope it was, I pray that it might have been, and that Jacob's heart was turned as well, and that, as he went down the oreek to the flat, lie thought kindly of his wife—his loving wife—for all the bitter words.

I have often wondered if it was, and have as often been consoled by the thought that his anger had departed, and that his heart softened towards me and his little baby. It was the first time we ever parted like that—not the first liff ive had had by many, but always before these little quarrels had beon but a renewal of love.- Mutual explanation and forgiveness had followed, but God, I suppose, saw fit to allow the Evil One to harden both our hearts that day, why, I don't know; but His ways, they say, aro inscrutable, and we can only bond our heads and say, " His will be done."

After Jacob had gone a few minutes, my bitterness all left me. I found plenty of excuse for bis littlo display of ill temper. " Didn't ho work down in that docp claim all day, keeping tho cruel hard pump going, or windiug up the stuff; and it is provoking to find a baby has crawled off with one's boots when late up j and all men will growl if they don't got their meals quickly and comfortably." So I thought as I sat down before getting to the wash tub, and I believe I was fonder of Jacob than ever, and determined to knock up a littlo.pudding in spite of it being washing day, and to meet him with a cheerful face aud a loving kiss when ho came home to dinner.

Jacob and I had boenmarried;four years, Be was a sailor, aud had left a big ship in Now Zealand to go to the diggings when I met him first. Our first little baby died. It pleased God fo talco it away just as we had learned to love it bettor than our lives. I used impiously to think it was very hard of Him, and wished peoplo wouldn't attribute every affliction to Gcd, but the minister said— " His will bo done," and I could but cry, "Amen." The baby who sat on the floor staling at Jacob, and was guilty of crawling away with liis boots, aud causing the first of

daddy's bad temper was nearly twelve months old, I don't think we loved it as well as our first one that was dead and laid in the cheerless g'ave yard on tho Tuapeka; but God knows wo loved it well enough, and it always seemed strange to me how Jacob could have loft without kissing "Totsy," even if he was cross with her mother; but then no doubt he would make it up at dinner or after tea when he had more time. He did not think a few hours mattered, so he would not hurt his pride, and it would be all right. Ah! that cursed prido, it has cost millions besides me a woful heart and bitter tears, We had left New Zealand and our dead pet in the cold gravo amidst the snow clad peaks and rushing rivers of Otago, and had been in the Slab Hut Talley some months. Jacob was the first prospector of it, and had got a bit of gold. Then he put up the hut that gavo the name of the creek, and bad brought me and Totsy up from Sydney, He had worked the bed of the oreek down pretty well, though some diggers had taken claims and were working near us. It was a pretty place j the banks of the creek were not over steep, and there was a bit of land for a garden and orchard. The creek fell down and splashed where it ran, which it did most months of the year, amongst the big rocks and over patches of sand, and between nooks of reeds of tall grass and rushes, till it got down to Blackfellow's Flat, where it lost itself amongst the reeds, and marshes. The bank and the sides of the hills through which it ran were covered with small wattle trees and native myrtlos and shrubs blooming all the year round, some or another of them, and many a nice walk I had with Totsy in my arms, which walk always took the direction of where daddy was at work, and he would knock off to take the pet in his arms and give her a toss and me a smile. I thought of these things as I was at work that morning; what woman who had just quarrelled, really for the first time with a good husband would not? and they preyed upon me. I blamed myself more than Jacob. I ought to have given way j I knew 1 had only to say one word, and .he would not have gone out as he did with a frown on his face, and bitterness in his heart,

It was nigh on eleven when I determined to leave the wash. It would be just as well done to-morrow, and I would walk down to where Jacob was at work. He had got down to Blackfellow's Flat now.

Some old Victorian diggers came up and declared the Flat would be very rich if they could " bottom," so they had formed a company like, and got an amalgamated claim, and were hard at work sinking. Tho new claim was a quarter of a mile away; it would be a nice walk —Totsy would enjoy it—and if Jacob was on the " shift" down below, I would look down and he would see me, and know I had forgiven and asked forgiveness. Totsy clapped her hands with delight as I was gotting her ready, for it was dull work for her, poor thing, sitting on the floor with her play-toys whilo I was at the wash tub. I soon put oa the few things I needed, and taking Topsy up shut the door, and was turning to go down to the creek where the log spanned it, when I saw young Jack Hopper—old blacksmith Hopper's son who looked after tho diggers' horses and drove one in the whim—rushing down tho other side towards the log and my place. Gold help me, I felt there was something wroDg. The blood seemed to go out of my heart, and I turned chill, and clasped Totsy to my heart. Jack ran at full speed across the tiny log bridge, and up the bit of a rise to where I stood. He was breathless almost, but ho had enough left to gasp out, "Missus, your old man!" I was half prepared for it when I saw him running towards me; but the blow seemed nono the less heavy. "Father of mercies, spare mo," I thought. I oould not ask for the worst till I came to think that, perhaps, he was hurt only, and my aid might bo of use j so I wailed, "Oh! Jack,is he dead?"

" Dead ?' Jack repeated, almost scornfully!—"why, he's down the shaft, and forty foot of it's caved in!" I would have given a world to be able j to cry—to pour out one flood of tears to releive my bursting heart. " Jack," I said "take Totsy, and play with her till I come back," and I placed the child— our child-in his arms and started down the gully. I don't know how I got to the flat. • The wattles and heliotropes were scentless to me, and the gum trees might have, been a million miles away for all I noti-' ced them. Down by the banks of the little bubbling creek I ran, taking short cuts through the blooming shrubs and high grasses till I reached the flat. I hesitated awhile at the end of it, for I knew the little knot of cotton trees only hid from the claim. Only for a moment, and pressing my hand to my heart, I went to the cruel cruel scene. Thirty men were at work, some throwing out timber and slab and earth, others hauling big logs towards the mouth of the shaft to put across, on which to erect a wind- , lass. They saw me coming, and went on harder, if possible, with their work. Tkoy were fierce over their labour, and strove so hard, that; " relief" had to be given every five minutes. I could realise the worst; it needed not my husband's old mates to tell me that there was no hope. Forty feet of slabbed ground had gone down the shaft, through tho top earth being wet and badly timbered, There was nobody in the living grave, I learned, but my husband, Jacob Hounsell, from whom I had parted in anger, who had not once returned to his loving and loved wife. He had boon the first to go down for the 11 o'clock shift, and the other two were preparing to follow, when the top stuff, with the windlass, wiudinggear, shed, and soores of loads of earth had crushed down the shaft. His will had been done. Tho great Judge will pardon me, I hope, but like a wicked, sinful woman, I thought it cruel that my husband, Totsy's father, had been taken at such a timo. Who could toll but, when that cruel mass came upon him, lie was thinking of his missing boots and late breakfast, and cherishing hatred of his wife.

I sat down not far from the spot, in spite of then* entreaties for mo to go away. I would have taken my turn at the task, but they were so much stronger than I, and could work so much better. Tho tell me that my hair turned white, and that an expression settled on my faeo that it has never lost. _ For four hours I sat Ihero thinking -thinking-wondering when the clay of my husband would be drawn up, Before two hours were over, at each cry of "up," of those below, I would start and look towards tho windlass for ray husband's form. It was an etornity to me; every moment of my married life passed in review, but Jaeob's walk from our hut to the wattles on the other side of the-croek was never absent from my mind. I sawTiis firm mouth closed, and noted his slondy, oroct walk. Although ho pas-

sod before mo a thousand times, at each one I expected Mm to look back and smile, but he marched .on, to re-apppar at tho breakfast table again, and resume that implacable walk. A cry and a gatheriug round the shaft's mouth at length told me the time had come. The top of the slabbing, it appears, had fallen first and got firmly fixed in the shaft below the break, and kept the earth and timber from the lower portion. ' Lower me down' was shouted, and tho man was let down to the bottom whew Jacob was. ' Up, gently,' came next, sounding as if uttered from a sepulchre, I was at the shaft mouth, now, waiting —waiting for Jacob. Slowly they wound up the rope; ages seemed to pass before a body reached the top, and then they drew all that was mortal of my husband, Jacob Hounsell, on to the earth by my side. Slowly and rever-. ently they laid him down, and stood aside as I bent down over the corpse. The Almighty, who sees and knows all things, can only tell what I thought as I gazed on the face of him from whom I parted in anger. My life is not likely to be a long one, but if I live to be an old woman, 1 can never recall the. things that passed through my mind. I remember how he looked—there was no smile on his face, but the hard, stern expression it had worn when I had seen it last in life had gone and given way to a holy and peaceful calm. I remember giving Jacob, my dead husband, one passionate yearning kiss, and then I awoke to misery in the Slab Hut. What more have Ito tell? Little Totsy died. The doctor said I must havo been mad to suckle her in the statolwas; but you see I was lonely, and it was such a comfort to press her to my heart which ached so. It pleased God to carry her away, and here I am alone, and I wait and wait till the time shall come when He will be pleased to call me to the three whom he has seen fit to. take away from me. I have no pride now, and there would be no chance to exhibit it if I had, for I am alone,—resigned,—and only waiting to be called.— Ross Guar&icm,